I’ve always lived with the philosophy that everything has a point. A reason for existing, a moral to learn from, an end to achieve. I don’t believe there is anything truly useless in this world, because from my perspective, everything has some function or meaning behind it.
The same must be true for Mrs. Dalloway, despite its best efforts to prove me wrong. While the novel seems to be a collection of scatter-brained thoughts from a colorful cast of characters over the course of one extremely ordinary day, there is, I have found, some deeper meaning within the text.
The unique perspectives of each of the characters, as well as the direct view into their thoughts presented to the reader, means that, depending on whose thoughts you focus on, your interpretation of the novel’s meaning could be radically different through each respective reading. For me, however, it is the novel’s end that provides the definitive and concluding “meaning.” Oddly enough, the novel ends with the perspective of Peter Walsh. There are three main events which contribute to my interpretation of the meaning of this text: Peter’s statement that “he did not like cabbages; he preferred human beings;” Peter’s admission that he “was old, fifty-two to be precise;” and Peter’s examination of Clarissa, as he is filled with “extraordinary excitement” (193-194). Throughout the novel, Peter dwells on the past but does not reenact it, denies that he is reaching an advanced age, and attempts to regard Clarissa in an unromantic and distanced gaze. These final pages show Peter breaking from this pattern, openly repeating a well-worn line from his past, self-inflecting on his age, and blatantly admiring Clarissa with clear feelings of admiration.
What I believe is happening here is Peter’s acceptance that the past is in the past, and that the present is the time for action. Much of this novel is spent in reminiscence from all characters, as they think back to the time “before,” be that the time before the war, the time before India, the time before marriage, etc. Peter breaks this stigma here, refusing to live in a dream of the past, admitting his age and bringing cherished elements from the past into the present in an effort to move forward. In breaking from the oppressive grip of the past, Peter allows himself to feel for Clarissa again, opening up long-dead chasms of love and affection for her hidden deep within himself.
If there is a moral or meaning to this story to be seen through Peter, it is to leave the past behind, as it will only drag you back. Move forward, with your eyes upwards, admitting to yourself who you are and how you live. And most importantly, allow yourself to feel.
(Media is from https://giphy.com/gifs/the-great-gatsby-perfect-cast-QcGvzNUSRLMQg)
