Mrs. Dalloway and the Meaning of Life
Life is about attempting to enjoy the short time we have. Even in the darkest of times, there are always moments of pleasure to capture and cherish. In Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf, the idea of “carpe diem” is prominent in the darkest characters of the story such as Septimus Warren and Peter Walsh. It is set in a dark period in post-war England. Nonetheless, the story revolves around a party Mrs. Dalloway is hosting for the sake of pure enjoyment. While these characters all face their own dilemmas, they continue to find themselves savoring a perfect moment they have experienced or longed for.
Those who see Septimus at first glance believe him to be suffering from insanity, when in fact he often has thoughts of tranquility within in his personal world. Although he often has suicidal thoughts, he finds, “a luxury in it, an isolation full of sublimity; a freedom which the attached can never know.” (92) Septimus finds a way to take his inner torment and see a revolutionized world where, “Men must not cut down trees. There is a God…no one kills from hatred…there is no crime…there is no death.” (24-25) When Septimus commits suicide, he saw it as a release rather then a tragic ending.
Throughout most of the book Peter Walsh is cynical and highly critical of the society in which Clarissa Dalloway embraces. He is notorious for falling in love with the wrong women and is considered a ‘failure’ for not living up to the set standards of the upper class society. Even though he seems to mock Clarissa for attempting to be the ‘perfect hostess’, he is enraptured with her as much as everybody else. Peter thinks, “What is this terror? What is this ecstasy…What is this that fills me with extraordinary excitement? It is Clarissa.” (194) Although tormented by his age and his unfulfilling love life, this moment is evidence that these instances in life motivates his will to live.
There are always times when life gives moments of extreme pleasure, and it is one’s duty to capture and utilize them in the worst of times to maintain ones will to live. In writing Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf aimed for the audience to believe in the idea of ‘carpe diem’.
posted by Ms. Clapp @ 8:55 AM
12 comments
12 Comments:
In reading this post, it reminded me of Metamorphosis (I know, it seems like it has no realtion). But in Metamorphosis, Kakfa wrote in a way that was frustrating to me, at times where I just wanted to put it down and not come back. And I think his meaning came from that, the way he wrote exemplified how it was frustrating for Gregor to go through that situation etc.
Now in Mrs. Dalloway, I'm not sure that she exactly points to a meaning. But rather, I feel the novel is about figuring out what kind of meaning the things you do in life can bring you. Miss Kilman thinks of Clarissa Dalloway as a "fool" who has "trifled [her] life away" (189). So it is even apparent to the characters in the book that they are stuggling with the meaning of their lives. Peter also mentions it to Clarissa, questioning her purpose in always hosting parties. Even Clarissa herslef says, "And what [have I]made of it? What, indeed?" (64).
But the novel ends like life, with uncertainty. And that last scene where Septimus dies, she says that "death is an attempt to communicate," and I think through that is how one finds true meaning in life (184).
After reading Katie's comment, I have to agree with her that Metamorphosis is actually a pretty good reminder of the idea of carpe diem. I hadn't even thought to make the connection, but thinking of it, it makes sense: Gregor never seized his day, and in turn ended up slowly dying because of it.
While some may think of Septimus as the one who didn't seize it, in reality it appears that Septimus might have been one of those few who did; he took control of his life by ending it, floating towards the release of life's binding rules and regulations in favor of a peaceful afterlife he imagined, after witnessing the horrors of the war. Peter Walsh is similar in effects, but rather than taking his life, he took control of his life at an early stage and made it what he wanted it to be, despite being a failure for not living to the set standards of the society he lived in.
Clarissa Dalloway on the other hand, is somewhat of a conundrum, at least to me. While some may say that she certainly isn't "seizing the day," she is trying to enjoy the short time she has left. So one can't help but wonder what category Clarissa falls in.
I don't necessarily agree in that Septimus seized the day by choosing to end his life. But rather that he felt trapped in his life and no longer found meaning in it. Truthfully, I agree with Katie that the characters are struggling with the meaning of their lives. I believe that Septimus was struggling with the meaning of his life, especially after the war. He served some sort of purpose during the war that might have fulfilled him in some way and afterwards, he had no purpose left to serve anymore.
Not only that, but the death of his friend and his "shell-shock" might have made life meaningless for him. He seemed ruined due to his "shell-shock" and no longer held a purpose in society; he was basically a traumatized man that could not even truly communicate what he felt with those around him.
I feel like Septimus killed himself because he no longer found meaning, after the war traumatized him,to his life and rather than struggle with it like the other characters, he chose to end his emotional turmoil and kill himself.
I think Septimus could no longer seize the day because he was no longer in the right frame of mind. I felt like his death was a release and he did find peace in death, but not exactly that he seized the day by committing the act of suicide.
I'd like to add to the idea of this 'carpe diem,' the seizing of the day. Elizabeth is almost always referred to as a 'lily,' a flower in bloom. It goes without saying what that might've meant in this new light.
What struck me was the line "they continue to find themselves savoring a perfect moment they have experienced or longed for," which brought me to the question: what does seizing the day mean? Seize the day, go for it, but what? Is it life, love, or success? Septimus abandoned ship for self-expression, Peter wanted love, Bradshaw the self-satisfying gratification of knowing he is right.
I'm not sure I agree with your claim that Woolf wishes the audience to feel a sense of Carpe Diem after reading Mrs. Dalloway. It doesn't seem that any of the characters in Mrs. Dalloway practice this philosophy (except maybe Septimus in committing suicide). You said that Mrs. Dalloway throwing parties frequently can be evidence that she believes in the philosophy; however, Mrs. Dalloway admits to herself that she does not enjoy her parties. None of the other characters ever seized the day either; even Peter Walsh didn't fight for Mrs. Dalloway but instead left for India.
Also, as for the ending paragraph where Peter realizes he still loves Mrs. Dalloway (a lot!) there is no action going on there. All he does is say "I will come" and leave it at that; the reader does not know what actions he takes.
I think that you could argue the theme of Carpe Diem by saying that the novel shows what happens if you don't live your life by those principles. Mrs. Dalloway, Peter, Sally, Richard, and practically all of the main characters show regret for not doing something in the past; Woolf can be arguing that you should seize the day because you do not want to regret it later when it is too late.
I hope that made sense.
To go along with Dario, I don't think that the book is necessarily about seizing the day. Quite opposite, I think thebook is actually about accepting the faults and mistakes one has in their own life, and moving on from that point.
I beleive this is true because not only does Mrs. Dalloway eventually come to an acceptanceof her decisions by the end of the book, but we also see that even Septimus, who has the worst life in the story, appreciates his life before he kills himself. Honestly, I don't see that as carpe diem and seizing your opportunities, but acceptance of the choices one has made in the past, and a willingness to move forward with what one wishes to do. Clarissa decides to throw parties in hopes that others may be able to communicate, and eventually accepts the past decisions she has made in her life. Septimus decides to kill himself, understanding that he still loved life, but suicide was a decision he had to make.
Because of all this it seems that life in this story is more about acceptance and understanding of your own life and problems, and being able to move forward, not necessarily jumping at everything you want when it is in front of you.
To add on to the quote that the story is "around a party Mrs. Dalloway is hosting for the sake of pure enjoyment." I wouldn't say she throws parties because she enjoys them, but instead wants to celebrate life. I also wouldn't agree that Woolf's message is "carpe diem", especially from the quote,"she always had the feeling that it was very, very dangerous to live even one day" (8). From this, I think Woolf's message about life is to think about choices you will make, because life can be short and you don't want to make a choice that you will regret (much like Clarissa's position from marrying Richard). To me, "carpe diem", almost sounds like making choices on a whim because life is too short so enjoy the moment.
So, to comment on the whole "meaning of life" in Mrs. Dalloway....
I agree with Nivele's comments. In Mrs. Dalloway, there is a great contrast between characters and their life decisions. You have your people-pleasers, and you have people who want to please themselves.
Clarissa Dalloway, just like Mrs. Brown, in The Hours, is a people-pleaser. She makes HER life decisions on what she feels society will approve of. She decides not to pursue her feelings for women--Sally, for fear of how everyone will react to her being a bisexual. Clarissa also rejected Peter Walsh, for fear of not marrying into the typical stable life. All Clarissa focuses her time and energy on is hosting the perfect party and being the perfect hostess to her guests. By not pursuing her true desires, Clarissa basically puts herself into a lifestyle that results in her constantly questioning where different paths may have taken her.
Mrs. Brown fits into this "people-pleasing" category because of her cake-baking activities. She takes creating the perfect cake so seriously, as if it represents all of her life's works.
Septimus on the other hand, is not like Mrs. Dalloway or Mrs. Brown, because he does not decide to please the world, but rather decides to please himself. He does not feel happy in his life, he feels suffering and depression, and thus decides to end his life, even though it may make those around him upset.
I would have to agree that Woolf tries to stress "carpe diem" and shows many ways of how to do so. Clarissa throws a party in order to celebrate life and as we see through her thought that she tries to live every event to its fullest, even the mundane. Peter is seen to act very rash such as going to India after Clarissa rejected him and coming back to chase after a women. Septimus chooses to seize the day, ironically, by choosing death as it shows that he still has control over his life and rather be in control than controlled.
Like the opinions of Danny and Dario I don't agree that the book is about 'carpe diem' but more about taking your regrets and mistakes, learning from them and moving on with the rest of your life. In the end it is unclear what Mrs. Dalloway and Peter will do with the rest of their lives.
As for Septimus, I do not think that he seized the day by committing suicide. However, I believe that was his way of moving on from his past.
Peter Walsh through out the books dwells on not being with Mrs. Dalloway. He can’t get the thought through his head that he will never be with him. This does not allow him to move forward with his life in any way. He has asked another girl to marry him in a completely different country and she had accepted. However this does not satisfy him or make him happy. He continues to live in the past when he and Mrs. Dalloway were together and in love. At the end of the book he notes that the sight of her still makes him nervous. Not being able to release these emotions or this memorie hinders his lifestyle. Woolf proves through Walsh that with “carpe diem” one can never truly be happy. Being concerned about something you can’t fix will only allow you to be stuck in a place that you can’t get out of. Mrs. Dalloway is the contrast of this. She has learned to let go of her past and live for the day. She may often think ‘what if’, however she does not let it get in the way of how she lives and her day to day life. She may not be completely happiness but the happiness she has by seizing the day allows her to be content.
I think that the idea of ‘carpe diem’ as a theory for life is prominent in Mrs. Dalloway as a moral to the story. I think that the main characters, Clarissa, Septimus and Peter Walsh did not ‘seize the day’ until the ending of the novel. When Clarissa reflects on her past experiences and loves she realizes her regrets and wishes that she had lived her life the way that she wanted to, not how society did. The group says that the party is a “perfect moment” that Clarissa Dalloway throws for “pure enjoyment”, but by the end of the novel, we realize that these extravagant parties have just been a mask covering up all the regrets of Mrs. Dalloway’s past. As for Septimus, I think that he did not abide by the saying of ‘carpe diem’ until he made the decision to kill himself. He was suffering with all of his insane thoughts and was not happy in his life until he ended it. I also think that Peter Walsh did not live by ‘carpe diem’ until the end of the novel. He ran away from his one true love, Clarissa, to go be with an Indian woman who fulfilled his idea of lust but not love as Clarissa did. When by the end of the novel, he realizes the love that he has for Clarissa and how he can express it to her, Peter Walsh is finally making him self happy. I think that in this novel the meaning of life can be portrayed through happiness and taking advantage of every opportunity presented to a person which these three characters did not do until the end of the novel.
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