Feminism in "Mrs. Dalloway"

One of the discussions brought up in class that struck my attention and interest was that some people thought that Virginia Woolf did not have specific instances of feminism.  I disagree with this though.  After reading the first few pages I had already found a few specific lines that stuck out at me as directly feminist and challenging the social spheres and obligations of women and in some cases the sexism that went on during that time. It seemed obvious to me that Woolf wanted to get her feminist ideology across (being one of the main themes of the novel), but I will say, I have a feeling it was subtler than what I imagine in “A Room of One’s Own.” The two lines that really stuck out to me are as follows: “She would marry a Prime Minister and stand at the top of a staircase; the perfect hostess he called her (she had cried over it in her bedroom), she had the makings of the perfect hostess, he said” (7) and “And her old Uncle William used to say a lady is known by her shoes and her gloves” (11). 
            In the first quote when Clarissa cried over being called a perfect hostess, Woolf was able to convey the message that a perfect housewife is not what all women aspire to be.  That is obviously the case today, but during the time that this book was written, that idea of women breaking the social spheres for men and women was quite uncommon.  In the second quote, I noted the use of the adjective “old.” I believe it was placed there very deliberately by Woolf to show that the gender divides and obligations of women are just that: old and no longer commonplace.  When I read that line, I could just picture in my head Virginia Woolf writing this line in a, for lack of a better word, sassy tone, almost mocking what she believes are pointless and outdated stereotypes.   

             

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 2, 2018 at 2:05 PM

    I agree with you Olivia. I know a lot of people in our class discussion disagreed that "Mrs. Dalloway" is a feminist novel. Perhaps they were expecting bra burning or brazen declarations of FREE THE NIPPLE (hello sorry Ms. Maxey)? While feminism is quite often thought of as trivial or cultish today, (and weird fringe movements like the one above certainly don't help), the definition is literally "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes" (Merriam Webster). Therefore, there are many feminist themes in Mrs. Dalloway. Woolf clearly believes that women should not be second class citizens and conveys her belief through Clarissa's dissatisfaction with being the quintessential 1920s woman.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownFebruary 3, 2018 at 7:48 PM

    Olivia,

    I would definitely agree with you that there are feminist ideals throughout Mrs. Dalloway, but one thing I noticed is that Woolf doesn’t seem to focus solely on the plight of women trapped in a society run by men, as we might traditionally expect from a feminist writer and thinker. I found that the novel was much more effective in advocating for equality in its portrayal of the sense of confinement felt by all of the characters. The ability to question the outdated traditions of society isn’t an ideal that belongs solely to feminist activists, and I think that what is so powerful about Woolf’s message here is the commonality she draws between all oppressed members of society. She shows us that all people face struggles and that all people possess faults, and just as Clarissa is dissatisfied with the expectations of upper class society, Miss Kilman feels just as trapped and Septimus sees suicide as his only option to maintain his perception of being in control. I think that Woolf is not so much calling for a radical declaration of female identity (as Yasmeen pointed out with the nipple thing), as she is recognizing that we all are struggling to assert ourselves in a society that is bound to close-mindedness. This, I believe, is a much more effective and less divisive appeal for equality and understanding.

    Ben

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Marlow's Loyalty to Kurtz

     Once I finished Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, I thought about the one part that really stuck with me from the book.   After Marlow had been sick and on the verge of death, he reflected on Kurtz who also had been sick but passed away from his illness: “I was within a hair’s-breadth of the last opportunity for pronouncement, and I found with humiliation that probably I would have nothing to say.   This is the reason I affirm that Kurtz was a remarkable man.   He had something to say.   He said it” (Conrad 65).   I wondered why Marlow was so loyal to a man who had been kicked out of his company for his actions in Africa.   For example, he threatened to kill one of his fellow workers over ivory.   The wilderness in Africa and the greed for the wealth and money that comes from ivory changed Kurtz for the worse.   In that quote, though, Marlow stated that he still respected him and would stand by him, mainl...
Read more

The Masks in "Imitation"

     After reading all the stories in The Thing Around Your Neck, I kept going back and thinking about the symbolism and meaning in the story “Imitation.”   The chapter starts off with Nkem learning that her husband may be cheating on her, but it is important to note that she is staring at the Benin mask the whole time.   There are many masks around the house that Obiora, her husband, collected.   I think these masks symbolize Nkem’s life for many reasons.   The first is that Nkem says she wonders what life is behind those empty masks, and by the end of the chapter, she can’t remember where her life had gone.   She too became an empty mask that was lifeless behind it.   The second reason the masks relate to Nkem’s situation is that she said she wondered if the people behind those masks that had to kill people for the king wished they didn’t have to kill and that maybe they could have a say.   Those people represent N...
Read more