Every Story has an Ending

Every story has an ending. As I have finished reading both Emma, by Jane Austen, and Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf this past week, I cannot help but compare the two different moods at the end of each novel. Since the stories themselves were written at very different times from two very different authors it would only make sense for them to end, well, differently. The differences are not just in the content of the ending but in the mood as well.

Emma ends in a very traditional manner, a whole bunch of weddings. This has been a common end for most comedies, such as Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing and his other comedies, as it is a general 'happy ending'. This ending makes sense as marriage was a large goal of life back in this time period and the novel's main characters are all unwed. The weddings would tie up all of these story lines about finding suitable companions quite nicely. I do not believe there is a single major character left unmarried by the end, signaling an end to the single phase of their lives. Since marriage is such a life changing event it also makes sense that a story should end at that point as the situations that follow marriage are worthy of a story unto themselves.

Mrs. Dalloway ends a much different note. Clarissa learns of Septimus's suicide causing her to retire for a bit and contemplate and recuperate. In many ways Septimus and Clarissa were similar so the suicide serves as a message of what could have happened with Clarissa. On the whole the attitude of the end of the book seems much more dark than that of Emma. The feeling of a suicide is much heavier and darker than that of a wedding. There is also the sense of unrealized fantasies at the end of Mrs. Dalloway. The feeling stems from the appearance of Sally after all the years and the stark difference between the real life and the image Clarissa has been holding in her head since her youth. It is not to say that the end is all negative, only that it mostly is so. During her contemplation Clarissa comes to terms with her own life and the fact that she is aging and death is not so far away.

After reading both novels, I would say I preferred Emma as a story more, though Mrs. Dalloway's message was a lot stronger. Both conveyed a sense of how class and gender were important factors back in their respective time periods. I feel that the contrast in Mrs. Dalloway was more pronounce and had greater impact on the story. It is also a more critical view point than that offered in Emma. I did enjoy the comedic twists and turns in Emma and felt that the story overall was easier to follow. The seemingly random and fast shifts of view point along with no overlying organizational structure like chapters made reading Mrs. Dalloway very difficult to follow especially in the piecemeal fashion done for the class.

Breaking of Tradition

The British Empire was a powerhouse in the 19^th century. From expansive colonizing to a superior military, Britain seemed invincible. The citizens all believed in their Empire too. Clarissa, the protagonist from Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, would have been born in the 1880’s and experienced the sense of tradition and social order that the British Empire imposed. Clarissa, being in her 50’s during the time of the novel, represents this sense of English order and tradition. She conforms to the society and seems to accept her class well now that she has married into it. This sense of tradition and imperial authority experiences a change at the turn of the century. In the early twentieth century Britain entered World War I. No longer was Britain the top dog either. Other countries now rivaled Britain’s military with technological innovations of their own. Mrs. Dalloway illustrates this shift from tradition happening by the influences of the war and technology during the early twentieth century.

Septimus served for Britain in World War I and has returned home a changed person. Today his condition might be diagnosed as PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Perhaps Septimus embodies England’s own shock at their massive losses in World War I. The civilians that used to support the British Imperialism and rigid social structure where only a small portion benefit are now having second thoughts as to their countries dominance. Septimus’ panic attack at the sight of an airplane flying overhead shows his fear of these new technologies. Septimus witnessed what this new weaponry is capable of. Everyone else around Septimus is trying to spell out the word the airplane is writing in the sky but Septimus does not respond the same. It is as if the rest of the civilians are oblivious to the negatives of such rapid technological advancements in the early 20^th century.

With Mrs. Dalloway being set in 1923, Virginia Woolf has picked a time where she can go in the minds of the citizens of London and show how they feel about these new realizations about London’s dominance and social order. Miss Kilman is a character representing the tradition and oppression imposed by Britain. She seems to always impose her religious ideas on Clarissa, sometimes rather rudely. Clarissa’s response is to be polite and throw parties instead. She is making the best of her position in life. Clarissa seems to be more on the conservative side too, standing behind London by accepting the patriarchal society. At one point Clarissa is thinking to herself about social order and how she lives her life in a room and there is a lady on the other side of the street in a room living her life. She is fascinated at how people are living. Septimus represents the radicalism against the current British system. He does not give in to Sir William Bradshaw’s oppressive so-called treatment for Septimus’ panic attack. Sir William wants to convert other people’s beliefs for dominance and control over them, much like the Imperialism of Britain in the 19^th century. Septimus’ decision in death over life shows the failure of the British system. People seemed to only wake up to this fact as a result of the destruction brought about by World War I.

Clarissa as a Representative of the Past

In the past two hundred years, the world has undergone a variety of social and technological transformations. The books Emma by Jane Austen and Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf present us with contrasting societies with around one hundred years of separation between them. The latter of these two novels is based in the early 20^th century, which was an especially important time in terms of social transformation. The development of youth culture and the emerging open-mindedness of this era are pictured well through certain characters in Mrs. Dalloway. Interestingly enough, Clarissa herself is quite the old-fashioned type for her time period. She adheres to certain conventions that Emma herself would have found normal and acceptable. It is in these circumstances that we are able to witness the conflict between the old, represented by Clarissa, and the new.

An especially important example can be made with Clarissa in contrast to her daughter Elizabeth. During her walk through the city at the start of the book, Clarissa has a purpose. She is out in the city to buy flowers for her party and thereby fulfill her duty as a wife and hostess. On the other hand, Elizabeth’s walk is not quite so purposeful. At first, she is with Mrs. Kilman and set to go shopping. But after this event has passed, Elizabeth rides an omnibus on a whim. “But which [omnibus] should she get on to? She had no preferences…Suddenly Elizabeth stepped forward and most competently boarded the omnibus” (pg.132). Also symbolic, is the path that Elizabeth travels aboard this omnibus. She heads towards downtown London and away from Westminster. Here we can see that Woolf makes a point in separating Elizabeth from the old that her mother represents. Instead, Elizabeth is of a new generation; a generation, which will begin to embrace capitalism and equal rights.

Other examples of members of this new generation are manifested in incidents that occur at Clarissa’s party. Using Clarissa as a representation of the old era, Woolf contrasts Clarissa’s standards with the standards of typical people of the early 20^th century. One example during the party is where Clarissa warns Professor Brierly and Jim Hutton who were simply debating Milton. “’But the noise!’ she said. ‘The noise!’ ‘The sign of a successful party.’ Nodding urbanely, the Professor stepped delicately off’” (pg.173). This line is a pristine example of the contrast between those of the current early 20^th century and the old-fashioned Clarissa Dalloway. What Clarissa finds as unacceptable for a party, Professor Brierly dismisses. Also made apparent is another old custom rooted in insincerity. Peter Walsh points this out during the party when he is thinking, “’How delightful to see you!’ said Clarissa. She said it to every one. How delightful to see you! She was at her worst—effusive, insincere” (pg.164). In the older days, it was proper courtesy to say such a thing to everyone present regardless of your personal opinion. In the days of Mrs. Dalloway however, it was more widely acceptable to be honest and sincere under those circumstances. Clarissa Dalloway plays an extremely important role in bringing across Woolf’s message to the world; a message that times are changing and so are conventions of every kind.