To try to define the plot of Mrs. Dalloway is to limit it. But, if I were forced to succinctly describe the plot of Mrs. Dalloway, I would call it a novel about one’s decisions and its consequences, both good and bad. Every choice we make has consequences. And those choices happen daily, major decisions and minor decisions. They are a part of life. And for Mrs. Dalloway choosing her spouse is a choice she constantly mulls over. But rather than creating a deep philosophical blog post about choices, I will argue why Richard is ten times the man than Peter.
Richard seems like a truly good individual. When the reader has a chance to jump into his mind, it does not seem clouded with misjudgment and anger. Instead he seems like a man who recognizes how beautiful life is. He is an open minded character who has a good sense of right and wrong. He knows the world is a messed up place and he doesn’t seem to hide from it. He says, “and prostitutes, good Lord, the fault wasn’t in them, nor in young men either, but in our detestable social system and so forth” (Woolf 112). Richard is not self centered; he notices the issues that plague society. He seems to be way ahead of his time.
One of Richard’s greatest attributes is that he is extremely grateful. He understands how short life is and knows that all these moments are fleeting. As he walks outside, he says, “Really it was a miracle thinking of the war, and thousands of poor chaps, with all their lives before them, shovelled together, already half forgotten; it was a miracle. Here he was walking across London to say to Clarissa in so many words that he loved her. Which one never does say, he thought” (Woolf 113). I think Virginia Woolf wrote this book as a “wake up call” for all of us. Many of us never say we love one another until it’s too late. And Richard, is one of the few characters who realizes how blessed we are to be alive.. He knows that being with Clarissa is a miracle. He doesn’t take anything for granted. I don’t know if Peter would cherish their relationship as much as Richard does.
Finally, the most endearing quality of Richard is his relationship with Elizabeth. Elizabeth is one of the reasons Richard and Clarissa are so bonded together. Even though this relationship is between a daughter and a father, I think it shows how much Clarissa loves Richard. They both, for a lack of a better word, “built” this person they adore. Elizabeth loves Richard so fully that it is a father-daughter bond that Peter would not have been able to build. As said during the party by Sally, “ watching Elizabeth go to her father, one can see they are devoted to each other. She could feel it by the way Elizabeth went to her father” (Woolf 189). Fathers and daughters usually love one another, but it is often not demonstrated the way Elizabeth and Richard display their love. The fact that others recognize their bond that really speaks volume.
Overall, I think Richard is the man you want to marry. Peter was just young love and often annoying. Peter isn’t someone you spent the rest of your life with. He doesn’t have the depth and substance that Richard possesses. I believe Clarissa made the right choice.
CITATIONS:
Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. Edited by Mark Hussey, annotated and introduced by Bonnie Kime Scott, Harcourt, 2005.
