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.