The Traits and Mentality of The Main Figures
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1.1 Clarissa Dalloway & Septimus Smith
In the novel Clarissa Dalloway was over 50 who was a housewife in the British upper class and had a superior family and refined social circle since her youth. When she was young, she ever fell in love with Peter Wash, and even had a special feeling with her best girlfriend Sally Seton, 'But this question of love (she thought, putting her coat away),this falling in love with women. Take Sally Seton; her relation in the old days with Sally Seton. Had not that, after all, been love?” (Woolf, 24), but finally she decided to marry Richard, it was possible that she even has carnal feelings with Hugh Whitbread, '...she always felt a little skimpy beside Hugh; schoolgirlish; but attached to him, partly from having known him always,but she did think him a good sort in his own way.. .' (Woolf, 5), and from so many describes inside from Peter, it seems that Clarissa was a beautiful, clever, and especially sophisticated girl around her 20s, but in her middle age she was bored, '...how little the margin that youthful years, the colours, salts, tones of existence...' (Woolf,23), blued, 'He was in love! Not with her.' (Woolf,33), and even a little bit depressed, 'She felt somehow very like him— the young man who had killed himself.' (Woolf,135), and all of these were because of never satisfied ambition— being a powerful woman not just a pretty house wife and her nostalgia about her unforgettable love with Peter and extreme friendship with Sally.
There were few direct description with Septimus Smith, but in the paragraphs of the images of his illusion, he was mentally ill absolutely, so he was sensitive and delicate. However before the war and before he lost his friend Evans, he was outstanding and promised in the eyes of people around him especially his wife.
The sames between them: Clarissa and Septimus were both puzzled with one thing — What is the meaning of life? or What is the reason to continue to live on? After many decades of boring life even though it was affluent, Clarissa felt tired of life and begain to doubt very much if she did a good choice to marry Richard, and what if she chose Peter? Would her life be better? She was entangled and inconsistent and helpless inside.She felt lost and painful who is like a miserable patient as Septimus.
1.2 Peter Wash & Sally Seton
Peter Wash was a romanticist, 'It was the state of the world that interested him; Wagner, Pope's poetry, people's characters eternally, and the defects of her own soul.' (Woolf,6), who was untutored and pessimistic and finally went to India living a austere live. He loved Clarissa truely. And even returning home and after meeting Clarissa he still thought that he loved her. However, he was an ignorant and unsuccessful man and wasted his whole life.
Sally Seton was a lively and smart pretty girl and a romanticist too, and they（Clarissa, Peter and Sally）were good friends in their childhood. Different from Peter, Sally was more sensible and tactful— she married a rich man and became a normal housewife and mother of 5 kids willingly.
1.3 Richard Dalloway & Sir William
Richard Dalloway was an old—fashion lover— having a splendid job with abundant salary which could support his family well, loving his wife and daughter truely and deeply, owning a decent temperament and an upright integrity admired by people around him.
Sir William was a locally famous and professional doctor. With his superior medical skill especially in the psychiatry, he has cured many psychopaths and was admired by the relatives of his patients.
But they both had the Achilles heel. Richard was very traditional and even had the feudal thought, 'Seriously and solemnly Richard Dalloway got on his hind legs and said that no decent man ought to read Shakespeare's sonnets because it was like listening at keyholes.' (Woolf,56). Meanwhile Sir William would adopt the housing arrest to treat the psychological patients when they were hardly controlled.
1.4 Hugh Whitbread & Dr Holmes
Hugh Whitbread who was not that kind of welcomed by his childhood friends (Peter Wash, Richard Dalloway, Sally Seton), was useless, ''He's read nothing, thought nothing, felt nothing,'...' (Woolf,55), vain, superficial and stagy, 'Looking up, it appeared that each letter of their names stood for one of the hours;......which gave a quality to his manner, something to imitate, something to remember him by,for he would never lunch...' (Woolf,75—76).
Dr Holmes was similar with Hugh very much: having a goodlooking image, 'Large, fresh—coloured, handsome,..' (Woolf,67), and pretending to be decent without good leechcraft and standard medical ethics, 'Holmes was coming upstairs...... So that was Dr Holmes.' (Woolf,108—109).
1.5 Rezia Smith & Miss Kilman
Resia Smith was described as an image of dissatisfied house who lived in extreme sorrow since she married Septimus. She was like a contradiction. She all the time complained the world was so cruel to her meanwhile she tried hard to cater to the world by all means; she hated the suffered days to babysit her insane husband; meanwhile she missed her husband who had been healthy and thought her husband was not ill, 'He was selfish. So men are. For he was not ill. Dr Holmes said there was nothing the matter with him.' (Woolf,17), and all the bad days would be past soon optimistically.
Miss Kilman was a contradiction too. On the one hand she hated the life style of uppertendom, ' 'I never go to parties,'...... 'I don't pity myself,' she said. 'I pity'— she meant to say 'your mother,'...' (Woolf,96), and felt sorry to the people who just owned some riches but had no religion and soul like Clarissa Dalloway. On the other hand because she could not help changing her pathetic life all the time, she always doubted herself and love (the doctrine of her belief).
1.6 Elisabeth Dalloway
In this novel Elisabeth was a rare character who was not sick, dark, or mentally painful. She was not totally impacted by her mother and her friend Miss Kilman— she did not like her mother's life style which was totally a material life, '...and London was so dreary with being alone in the country with her father and the dogs.' (Woolf,98), and she did not agree with the bearing—hardships life as Miss Kilman ever lived neither, 'It was always talking about her own sufferings that made Miss Kilman so difficult.' (Woolf,99). She maybe was not strong enough, but at lest grew up enough who could live her own life not the life settled by others.