Clarissa's Love Life
We kind of touched on this idea in class, but I was interested in comparing Clarissa's relationship with Sally, Peter, and Richard, especially how Clarissa acts and feels differently with each of them.
Going off of our discussion in class, Richard reminds me of how a teenage boy would act when he likes someone but is afraid to tell the girl. The fact that Mrs. Dalloway is a third person narration makes us as readers like Richard more because we get to read about how he truly does love Clarissa, but he just can't find the courage to express it to her. Richard and Clarissa's relationship is tame in the sense that there is no passion between them. Earlier on, we read that part of the reason Clarissa likes her relationship with Richard is because he gives her space, but I also think that might be part of the reason she doesn't feel "fulfilled" with Richard.
On the surface, Clarissa thinks that she would be happier with Peter and regrets saying no to his proposal but as she thinks more about it and compares what her life would be like with Peter to what it would be like with Richard, she feels that it would be better to marry someone like Richard because there would be too many cons with marrying Peter. I think Clarissa made the right choice because even though she might have enjoyed her life better with Peter in the short term, there would have been many issues in the long run. Because Clarissa has lived most of her life in an upper class setting, marrying Richard would satisfy her need for luxury.
Regarding Sally, no matter how Clarissa feels about Sally, she never thought about a future together because she felt that it was out of the option to be with Sally. I feel bad for Clarissa because I think that she would have been the happiest with Sally but because of how society was at the time, she felt compelled to chose Richard. We learn that Clarissa was a very different person in Bourton, much more outgoing, and that's because Sally encouraged Clarissa to be the very best she could be and not hide herself from society. The reason we find Clarissa looking back in time a lot and contemplating how her life would be is not just about how it would have turned out differently if she married Peter instead of Richard, but it's also a reflection of how her life would have been different if she would have been allowed to be with Sally.
Going off of our discussion in class, Richard reminds me of how a teenage boy would act when he likes someone but is afraid to tell the girl. The fact that Mrs. Dalloway is a third person narration makes us as readers like Richard more because we get to read about how he truly does love Clarissa, but he just can't find the courage to express it to her. Richard and Clarissa's relationship is tame in the sense that there is no passion between them. Earlier on, we read that part of the reason Clarissa likes her relationship with Richard is because he gives her space, but I also think that might be part of the reason she doesn't feel "fulfilled" with Richard.
On the surface, Clarissa thinks that she would be happier with Peter and regrets saying no to his proposal but as she thinks more about it and compares what her life would be like with Peter to what it would be like with Richard, she feels that it would be better to marry someone like Richard because there would be too many cons with marrying Peter. I think Clarissa made the right choice because even though she might have enjoyed her life better with Peter in the short term, there would have been many issues in the long run. Because Clarissa has lived most of her life in an upper class setting, marrying Richard would satisfy her need for luxury.
Regarding Sally, no matter how Clarissa feels about Sally, she never thought about a future together because she felt that it was out of the option to be with Sally. I feel bad for Clarissa because I think that she would have been the happiest with Sally but because of how society was at the time, she felt compelled to chose Richard. We learn that Clarissa was a very different person in Bourton, much more outgoing, and that's because Sally encouraged Clarissa to be the very best she could be and not hide herself from society. The reason we find Clarissa looking back in time a lot and contemplating how her life would be is not just about how it would have turned out differently if she married Peter instead of Richard, but it's also a reflection of how her life would have been different if she would have been allowed to be with Sally.
I think that Clarissa's feelings for Sally are a bit overplayed. While they did have a kiss, it was initiated by Sally, and although Clarissa originally had felt a little nervous around Sally, if she truly had feelings for sally, she would probably be thinking a lot more about Sally and less about Septimus' death at the party.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how the society of the time limits Clarissa choices. As you said, Clarissa never considered the possibility of being in a relationship with Sally because homosexuality wasn't considered to be an option in that time period. And I do wonder what Clarissa would be like when she is middle-aged if she had married Sally. However, I think society itself also forces Clarissa to marry someone. Not marrying someone also wasn't considered to be an option. Clarissa says one of the reasons she likes her marriage with Richard is because he gives her space. Theoretically, Clarissa could still get space if she never married anyone. I think there are a lot of paths Clarissa could take that the readers can see but Clarissa can't.
ReplyDeleteInteresting thought. I think Clarissa is more thinking about the past as a way of figuring out how her life would be if she took another path and less about actually wishing to be with sally. Even with the kiss, I think that Clarissa thinks of sally as a chance to do something crazy than the normal everyday life she is used to with Richard. In the end, I don't think she regrets not being with sally in a relationship but instead daydreams about the possibility.
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