Clarissa at her Party
From the very first sentence of Mrs. Dalloway, both the reader and the characters anticipate Clarissa’s party. Much of the book builds up to it, so I was really excited to read the party scene. When I did, however, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Although the party did feature many of the main characters finally getting to interact, we did not really see Clarissa interact with them (in particular Peter and Sally) for long. I thought this was a really interesting choice since it meant that Clarissa’s relationship with her past and her old friends didn’t feel fully resolved at the end. On the surface, it seems like the way Clarissa almost ignored her friends during the party supports Peter’s point that Clarissa is superficial. I could sympathize with Peter in this scene. I really wanted Clarissa to stop for a minute and take the time to talk to her friends. I could feel Peter’s disappointment when she just kept moving on and talking to other people. I could understand the way he wo...