VirginiaWoolf毕业论文.doc

An interpretation of life and death in Mrs. DallowayI. IntroductionA. The profile of Virginia Woolf Virginia Woolf is widely regarded as “the foremost woman writer of the twentieth century, writing in any language” and “one of the chief architects of literary modernism” (Damrosch 230). Virginia Woolf (1882-1941), is in a literary family with social connection both with artists and writers as well as with the social elite such as judges, politicians and aristocracy. She grows up in a cultured and literary atmosphere which offers inspirations in her writings. As is normal at that time, Virginia Woolf, as a girl, receives no formal education and is educated at home by tutors. “She lives in the Victorian world and comes to maturity as an author in the modem world. She is also a feminist. She has been placed among the major writers of English fiction of early twentieth century” (Wu 5). Depressed and frightened by the thought that she is again on the verge of madness. At last, she puts rocks into the pockets of her coat and drowns herself in a river which is near her home. As a distinguished woman writer, her writings are very varied including reviews, critical essays, feminist tracts and biography in addition to her novels. She begins her literary career by writing reviews for The Time Literary Supplement. In 1915, her first novel, The Voyage Out is published. It is not until her another novel Jacobs Room published in 1922 that she begins to write in her modernist narrative style, rejecting traditional forms of characters and plots. Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), The Waves (1931) and Between the Acts (1940) are in this line of development. Not only does she publish novels but also some feminist books including A Room of Ones Own (1929), Three Guineas (1938) and books of literary essays such as The Common Reader (1925) and The Second Common Reader (1932). In addition, her five volume Diary are her great writings as well.B. Review of Mrs. DallowayMrs. Dalloway is one of the important fictions written by Virginia Woolf. The events narrated in Mrs. Dalloway all take place on a single day in mid June 1923. Clarissa Dalloway is the wife of Richard Dalloway who is a Conservative Member of Parliament. In her preparation for her flowers in the morning, she presides over her party in the evening. The novel closes as the party begins to fade at around midnight. In between, Clarissa is suddenly interrupted by an unexpected visit from Peter Walsh, her former lover that she has rejected years ago and marries Richard Dalloway. Peters visit evokes mixed feelings in both characters. Throughout the novel the readers are kept informed of the passing of time through the day. Meanwhile, paralleled with the story of Clarissa, Septimus Warren Smith, a veteran of the First World War suffers mental illness from delayed effects of Shell Shock in the First World War, who seems at first to have no relation with Clarissa and her world.Septimus wanders through the park with his wife Lucrezia, declaring his frenzied truth about the mankind and the benefits of suicide. Dr. Holmes and Sir William Bradshaw are “famous” psychiatrists, who diagnose the illness for Septimus. At last, Septimus jumps from the window, which greatly shocks Clarissa when she gets the news of his death from Lady Bradshaw at the party. Clarissa gives up committing suicide and chooses to continue her life. It indicates that the meaning of life would be interpreted by death.C. THESISLife and death is an ever-lasting theme in literature. Mrs. Dalloway is considered as Woolfs masterpiece. Clarissa Dalloway is a crowning achievement for the author, as she begins to find her own voice by creating new life on paper. Since Woolf is a feminist and Mrs. Dalloway is a novel related to a womans life, the feminist view influences Clarissa a lot. Clarissa emphasizes that women should pursue for themselves, achieving their own values.Woolf describes the characters as they experience the meaning of life and death. The personal insight comes only when they are forced to deal with death, their own, or someone elses. This thesis will try to interpret the meaning of life and death from the inner world of the characters, the pursuit of their life and the understanding of the death and how they try to interpret the significance of life and death. II. Feminist view of life and death in Mrs. DallowayA. Feminist struggle reflecting life and death“Feminism refers to movements aimed at defining, establishing and defending equal political, economic and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of womens rights” (Yi 25). Feminism is mainly focused on womens issues. Feminism seeks to enhance the quality of womens lives by defying the norms of society based on male dominance and subsequent female which implies the emancipation of women from the shackles, restrictions, norms and customs of society. The objective of feminism is the creation of a new identity for women and making them aware of their rights.Virginia Woolf is considered as a great feminist and she has made a big contribution to feminism. “The relationship between Virginia Woolf and feminism includes not just her explicit feminist politics but her concern and fascination with gender identities and with womens lives, histories and fictions” (Roe 209). Her life style and literary works embody her feminist attitudes. On one hand, Woolf explicates feminist ideas in her works and pushes forward the development of feminism. On the other hand, feminist theory influences Woolf. In the novel Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa exemplifies feminism in many ways, for instance, she wants equality with her husband in the matter of social parties; seeks for her own identity; keeps her own space in marriage. Feminist view of Clarissas inner world reflects her attitude to life and death very much. Because she pursues feminism and she wants to show the world that she has her own value, she struggles for her rights all the time. But the roles of women of that time period seem insignificant.A feminist tone is established from the very beginning. Clarissa has decided to go out to buy the flowers for the party herself as her maid has much work to do. She is not satisfied with her life. She is eager to be treated as men and has gender equality. Clarissa wants to have the same opportunities and rights as her husband. When she knows that her husband is invited to the lunch without her, she feels disappointed. She goes upstairs to her bedroom feeling herself to be old and sexless with little life left to her. She takes a green dress downstairs and sits repairing it to spend her time and comfort herself. She talks to herself, “That is all” and “Fear no more” (Woolf 27). She regards being invited is a kind of recognition of her status. She is ignored and sometimes she feels hollow in her heart. As she is a housewife, her husband is busy and her grownup daughter has her own idea. She seems to be useless to the family and society. At this moment, she realizes her life is a tragedy and death is a relief for her. When she hears about Septimus death, she feels sorrowful for him. Though they are strangers and never meet each other, Clarissa realizes how much she has in common with this young man. She feels empty in her heart and wants to seek for her own self. A critic believes, “Woolf compares Mrs. Dalloways unhappy moment to the state of a person who has lost something and in searching for it” (Laurence 107). Although the character of Clarissa is portrayed as a suppressed woman, there are indications in the novel that some women are beginning to take on roles of power. For instance, Lady Bruton is a lady in a position of power. Clarissa considers that Lady Bruton is not like her. Indeed, Lady Bruton has the reputation of being more interested in politics than people. “Of talking like a man; of having had a finger in some notorious intrigue of the eighties” (Woolf 105).On this day, Lady Bruton is hosting a lunch. The attendants are primarily men. The occasion for this lunch is business. The topic of discussion is Lady Brutons proposal for “a project for emigrating young people of both sexes born of respectable parents and setting them up with a fair prospect of doing well in Canada” (Woolf 108). Not only does Lady Bruton host the business lunch with the gentlemen in attendance, but when Richard Dalloway asks if she would be at Clarissas party, she thinks about parties and how they frighten her. So, the idea establishes here is that not only could a woman take on acts and responsibilities which are traditionally masculine, but she could also reject those which are traditionally feminine.These two characters are total different feminists. Clarissa has a paradox attitude with Lady Bruton. She admires Lady Bruton but at the same time, she also wants to change her own situation. Therefore, she wants to do something to prove her existence. Feminist view leads the meaning of life and death in her life.B. The partys feminist meaning reflecting life and deathAs a housewife, holding party means a lot to Mrs. Dalloway. The whole novel develops with the development of Clarissas party. She goes to buy the flowers for her party, repairing the dress for her party, arranging the room for her party. She spends a lot of time on her party. To some extent, she feels satisfied with what she has done for her party. The party may prove her existence and provides a refuge for her lonely life. What did it mean to her, this thing she called for life? Oh, it was very queer. Here was so-and-so in South Kensington; someone up in Baywater, and somebody else, say, in Mayfair. And she felt quite continuously a sense of their existence; and she felt what a waste; and she felt what a pity; and she felt if only they could be brought together; so she did it. And it was an offering; to combine, to create. (Woolf 89)Because of the party, she can realize her identity and values. Clarissa draws people together, walking down the room with the Prime Minister. She looks so beautiful and happy. The party is not only a symbol of Clarissas inner desire, but also an expression of her vision and fights against the emptiness in her heart. “The Victorian society is male-dominating and women are inferior to men. They dont have the same rights as men” (Ru 2). Clarissa invites lots of female guests in order to fight against the unequal society. It shows Clarissa she is calling for the meaning of life. When the news of Septimus suicide comes out, Clarissa feels astonished at first. Then she comes to her little room, connects Septimus suicide with her own life. She admires Septimus action. Clarissa herself is still in her own world, holding parties. She loses her independence. After comparing herself with Septimus, she feels shy of herself, so that she experiences her own death spiritually instead of physically. At last, she conquers herself and realizes that “she must go back” (Woolf 165). She accomplishes the change, the change from emptiness to self-realization. Based on the last sentence “It is Clarissa, he said, for there she was” (Woolf 171). She has changed from Mrs. Dalloway to Clarissa, a married woman entitled her husbands name to an individual woman. The party is not just a party for Clarissa. To some extent, it makes Clarissa realize her identity, value and the meaning of life and death. It is a party for women. It is a party for rebirth.Though the novel does not mention the future of Clarissa, the party reflects Clarissas view of life and death. We can imagine that after the spiritual death she gets her rebirth and she comes to her new life. III. The interpretation of life in Mrs. DallowayA. The pursuit of the reasonIn the novel Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa is pursuing the meaning of life. “As a woman in the Victorian period, she is calling of the reason to achieve her self-recognition. Reason is mainly reflected by the real life as well as the inner thoughts of the characters” (Lodge 25). Peter Walsh and Mr. Dalloway are two very important men for Clarissa. In her heart, Peter Walsh is her former lover and she loves Peter, although Peter is an emotional and self-defeating person. He always makes Clarissa feel confused and uncomfortable. She feels that she cant even breathe when she is with Peter. Instead, Mr. Dalloway is reliable and pragmatic. Even though he and Clarissa have little in common, Clarissa at last chooses Mr. Dalloway to be her husband, because he can gives her a more comfortable and stable life. She can get freedom from Mr. Dalloway. In this respect, Clarissas decision is the pursuit of reason.Clarissa behaves like a girl when she meets Peter again, “so surprised she was to see him, so glad, so shy, and so utterly taken back to have Peter Walsh come to her unexpectedly in the morning” (Woolf 30). Here the author used the word “shy”. “Shy is used to express a girls behavior when she meets her lover” (Yi 27). That means there are still some special feelings with Peter Walsh. She has an inner conflict with Peter because her life is pursuing the reason. In Peters eyes, she is a perfect hostess and she has “her courage, her social instinct and her power of carrying things through (Woolf 46). Clarissa loves Peter, but he is particular about everything. Sometimes this makes Clarissa feel unhappy and disappointed. After perceiving that Peter is not independent enough, unreliable, she decides to marry Mr. Dalloway. She is a respectable person. She loves her life and she hopes to make her dreams come true. In order to realize her dream, desire and her strong sense of self-preservation, she refuses to marry Peter Walsh. We can see Clarissas inner conflict she has plunged herself in by marrying the Parliament member instead of her beloved Peter. She is pursuing the private space of life. If she marries Peter, they may hurt each other. To some extent, true love may be a barrier to the freedom. She chooses Richard Dalloway instead of Peter Walsh, which illustrates that reason conquers emotion in her heart and display Clarissas pursuit of life. This is also a shadow of modern life. Life is practical and based on the materials. The stress and pressure of life is so severe from all aspects so that humans are sometimes in conflict. People need to choose. Sometimes the true love wins, but sometimes the true love sacrifice. Clarissa needs to keep her own space. So at last, reason conquers emotion in her heart.Clarissa also has paradoxical psychology with Mr. Dalloway. We can see that when Mr. Dalloway sends flowers to Clarissa without saying “I love you”, “But he could not tell her he loved her, he held her hand. Happiness is this, he thought” (Woolf 87). They two sit for a while, but have nothing to say. Richard sometimes could not understand Clarissas thoughts. However, there has been a physical and spiritual gap between Mrs. Dalloway and her husband. They live separately because Mr. Dalloway thinks that it is good for Clarissas health. But it makes Clarissa feels hollow in her heart. The separated rooms prove the gap between them. Clarissa is a woman who needs security. However, she respects womans privacy. She lives in the small room alone in order to keep her own space. She has little passion for Richard but she still chooses to marry him. She knows clearly that who can give the life she wants. She makes a sensible and reasonable decision. She is pursuing the meaning of life and the meaning of reason. Another important character in this novel is Septimus. The suicide of Septimus influences the inner world of Clarissa. Septimus suffers a lot from the WWI. He is mad, but his madness is the opposite of Clarissa. Reason conquers emotion in Clarissas inner heart. After Clarissa knows the suicide of Septimus, she chooses to fight for her own desire and continue her life. She does not choose death like Septimus. She wants to escape from the reality with the help of recalling and imagination. The death of Septimus makes Clarissa more reasonable. She comes back to the real life and rediscovers the meaning of life in her reasonable way.Reason is important for our life. After pursuing the reason, the two main characters interpret the meaning of life in two different ways, one survives and the other chooses to commit suicide. The pursuit of reason is an important part of interpretation of life.B. The pursuit of fairnessOne of the important symbols in this fiction is Big Ben. As the two main characters are pursuing the fairness, they suffer a lot from the authority at that time. As the society is full of unfairness and the people are treated unequally, in the novel there are a lot of clocks mentioned, such as Big Ben, the clock of the shop and the clock of the church, but Big Ben is the main clock of the city. It is the symbol of authority and limits the life of the citizens. It controls the lifestyles and the minds of people. When Clarissa meets Peter again she wants to express her inner emotion to Peter but she doesnt. She just talks to herself in her inner world. Her mind is controlled by the social system which is symbolized by Big Ben. We can see this when Peter asks whether Clarissa is living a happy life. Actually she is lonely and depressed. She needs comfort. As they know each other so well and they are former lovers, she can tell the truth about her life to Peter, but she doesnt. The sudden returning of her daughter Elizabeth and the striking of Big Ben interrupts their conversation. The control of authority exists in everyones mind and limits peoples behaviors. Clarissa is pursuing the fairness but the authority is severe to people. This is one of the reasons that Clarissa thinks about ending her life because she suffers a lot from the authority of tha