Mrs Dalloway Part 5
Peter is standing in the streets of London when an ambulance passes by him to take away Septimus’s body. He appreciates the organization of London and its human healthcare system. He walks through the streets and remembers exploring the city with Clarissa. She used to believe that to understand a person you had to see the places where they went and the people with whom they were connected. She felt that people lived in a spread-out way that extended beyond themselves, and in this way, people were able to live even beyond their death. He realizes that no one has affected his life as consequentially as Clarissa. He remembers the time they had spent in Burton as well and thinks Clarissa had been quite a radical thinker during that time. He returns to his hotel and finds a note from Clarissa telling him that it had been “heavenly” to see him. He doesn’t like the letter, but he imagines that Clarissa had begun to regret her decision not to marry him, after his visit. He imagines that she had sat down to write him the note and cried while doing it.
His thoughts turn to his future wife, Daisy, and he wonders what life would be like for her after she would give up the custody of her children to marry him. He shaves and goes down to dinner, where he makes a positive impression on his peers. They like his serious manner and the confident manner in which he orders his food. He makes small talk with a few people in the smoking room and then decides to go to Clarissa’s party. He wants to know what the conservatives are planning to do in India. Peter takes out his knife as he steels himself for the people who are going to be at her party.
Clarissa’s party is in full swing by the time Peter arrives, everyone is talking about the fact that the Prime minister is supposed to come for the party. The cook cares little for who will be eating her food, as she sets furnishing all the guests with enough of it. Once the dinner is over, the party moves around the house as men and women separate, but they all come together on the terrace. Clarissa worries that her party isn’t going well but she would rather be consumed trying to put together parties like this rather than fading away. She tells everyone that she is thrilled to see them, which Peter finds to be rather insincere and he begins to regret coming to the party. The butler announces an unknown guest, and Clarissa is shocked to find herself facing Sally Seton. She has married a man of high rank and brags about her five big boys. Clarissa is thrilled to see her friend, although she thinks that Sally has lost some of her lusters. Her reunion with Sally is interrupted by the arrival of the prime minister, who takes a turn around the room to greet people. Eventually, the minister secludes himself with Lady Burton in a little room. Peter watches Hugh Whitbread and criticizes him in his head. He then catches sight of Clarissa moving around in her mermaid-like dress and is momentarily taken back to the time he had been in love with her.
Clarissa sees the prime minister off and realizes that she doesn’t feel any emotion when meeting people anymore, and she almost prefers the hateful relationship that she has with Miss Kilnman. Sally tries to engage with Clarissa once more, but Clarissa tells her that she would return to her old friend once the guests had begun to leave. She goes to speak with the Bradshaws, she likes Lady Bradshaw, but she doesn’t quite like Sir William. Lady Bradshaw tells Clarissa about Septimus’s suicide, which upsets Clarissa. She retreats to an empty room and hates the Bradshaws for bringing the concept of death to her party. She begins to think of Septimus’s death, and believes that he had the right idea even as she thinks of the same quote from a Shakespeare play. She returns to her party, where Peter and Sally are fondly talking to one another while waiting for her to join them.
Analysis
Peter’s interpretation of the ambulance as a symbol of the success of the British healthcare system is ironic. This is because the ambulance is on its way to pick up Septimus whose death is presented to be a direct consequence of the failures of the healthcare system. Peter looks at the museum in front of him and considers the patriotic ideas that it upholds to be awe-inspiring. However, Septimus had fought to defend these ideals in the war and saw little meaning in them after facing its violence. In this way, Peter is presented as a weak man who doesn’t truly look at things around him too deeply, just as Septimus is presented as someone who looks at them too deeply. Peter has a moment of change as he prepares for dinner when he begins to think of how Daisy sees him. He suddenly turns into a confident and self-assured man, who doesn’t live in an imaginary world.
Clarissa worries about her party, and she begins to feel satisfied with the party when she sees a man beat back a curtain because he is so engrossed in communicating. However, we also see that Clarissa’s passions for Sally and Peter are somewhat hollow. She spends the day nearly fantasizing about Sally and wondering about the life she could have had with Peter, but when they present themselves at her party she has no interest in engaging with them. The party seems quite indulgent to the reader specifically because Septimus’s death precedes the party. It also happens to host the people that had repressed him, and driven him to kill himself.
