“There is just this for consolation: an hour here or there when our lives seem, against all odds and expectations, to burst open and give us everything we’ve ever imagined, though everyone but children (and perhaps even they) knows these hours will inevitably be followed by others, far darker and more difficult. Still, we cherish the city, the morning; we hope, more than anything, for more."
(Clarissa 225)
| At the end of the book, Clarissa has just faced the situation of watching Richard commit suicide by falling off from a building. When she finally takes a min to think about all the events that happen that day she comes out with the major theme of the whole book.
Analysis:
Cunningham finishes this book by giving the main reason why the book is called the hours with an uplifting tone. All the three women tended to spend their time thinking about how their life would have been if they didn't have made the decision that they made. For example, Laura getting married with Dan. Or Virginia Moving to the suburbs of London. Clarissa, out of the three women realizes that the hours that you spend everyday should always be taken in count for and how every individual should always be optimistic about every situation. If Richard had not killed himself, she would not have realized how life is a blessing for everyone. |
"Walking free from her headache...she can face the devil, but she must keep walking, she must not turn back."
(Cunningham, 167)
| When I was reading the penultimul chapter of Mrs. Woolf, Virginia has analyzed that when someone dies they become so insignificant after seeing the little dead bird in her backyard. She feels that death is near. The narrator tells the crowd her thoughts by using what it seems to be an allusion to the bible as she walks into town planing on leaving for good.
Analysis:
When I was reading her thoughts as she was walking to the train station, the narrator tells how she can feel that the headaches are trying to come back to her. She refers to them as taking form of the devil. When the narrator mentions that she "must not turn back" this becomes similar to the story of Lot's family from the bible. She leaves from this place that is the home to all of her troubles and does not look back just like when Lot leaves Sodom and Gomorrah. |
"Sally was his muse and mentor, some sort of Sappho speaking rueful wisdom from her island." (Cunningham, 178)
| As the book starts to get closer to the final chapters, the third person point of view takes us to the day Oliver, Sally, and Walter met at his apartment for lunch to discuss the new movie. The narrator uses an allusion to describe why Sally was invited to this meeting.
Analysis:
Since Sally was invited to this lunch because of her characteristics of giving great advise, Oliver and Walter needed her opinion on the new gay thriller film they were going to release. As the quote says, they refer to her as "some sort of Saphho." Turns out, Saphho was a Greek lyric poet who often dealt with female homosexuality. The author uses this allusion to emphasize the wisdom of Clarissa's lover as well as her sexual orientation. |
"It feels like the most delicious and forbidden pleasures"
(Virginia, 154)
| In the middle of Virginia's story, she has her sister come over for tea. Little did the spectators knew that a surprise was coming our way. That is why I have chosen the following quote. Cunningham uses an inner conflict transition the chapters in between characters.
Analysis:
When Vanessa, Virginia's sister comes over, their dialect seems to be of sister relationship type. As the chapter continues, both of this characters kiss and soon that is all Virginia can think about. Her inner conflict comes to be known when she goes back to writing her book. She has trouble into making the protagonist interesting. Therefore, she thinks about how that kiss was returned so magically that influences her into writing Mrs. Dalloway's character as a lesbian. This serves as a transition between chapters since the next chapter was of Clarissa a.k.a "Mrs. Dalloway." |
"She steps out of the elevator, walks calmly down the hall, fits the key into the lock of room 19.
(149, Cunningham)
| Laura Brown is one of the charaters in the book whos personality disability stands second out of the three women. In one of her chapters towards the end of the book, the narrator tells how she manages to get away from her family to read her obsession. The narrator emphasizes in the room number she obtains at a hotel which becomes symbolic by the end of the chapter.
Analysis:
Laura drops off her son with a neighbor and soon she makes her way into a hotel where she can actually be "herself." While being at the hotel, her character starts thinking about suicide and how it would be lovely it would be if she didn't exist anymore. The room contains blue walls which symbolizes her depression state and her unsatisfied needs. The number nineteen is often related with bringing someone or something to focus. After Laura finishes another chapter of Mrs. Dalloway, she realizes how many people have taken their own life at a hotel room. It is that easy and simple for someone to check out a room for a "night."
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"There is so little love in the world."
(Louis, 134)
| In the middle of the book, the character of Louis serves as a wake up call to the crowd and of course to the character of Clarissa. When Louis comes over he breaks down in front of her as he explains his affair with one of his students.
Analysis:
When Louis has the epiphany of having only an affair with his student, he thinks about how there is in reality no attraction between the two of them or at least from his part. He feels as if he'll never find his prince charming. That is why the this quote serves as a theme. Due to major issues in our society, we tend to see how people have grown to be heartless and careless and soon motivation is lost. This quote itself brings the eye opening message that if people would be kinder and generous our societies would not be in the place they are now. |
"I cleaned like a demon in there." (Sally, 90)
| When Clarissa comes home from vising her ex-boyfriend, she meets Sally at their appartment. Sally being the good girlfriend she cleaned the house for that evenings party. Cunningham uses a simile to relate her cleaning speed to a demon.
Analysis:
At first I thought this simile meant that the character of Sally did not clean at all since its being compare to something that the least thing it wants to do is clean. Therefore I concluded that what the author meant to say was that Sally had really cleaned up their apartment just in time before Clarissa was in. What tied my conclusion together was how a demon moves. A demon moves fast and aimes for its target with no hesitation and that was exactky what Sally had done with the room. |
"At those times the headache moves out her skull and into the world. Everything glows and pulses." (Cunningham, 70)
| In the second chapter of Mrs. Woolf, the narrator goes deep into the character of Virginia Woolf. When the chapter starts, we noticed that she's planing how one of her character in her book will die. The writer uses foreshadowing at the beginning of the chapter as well as personification to feel the terrors of the pain her mental condition causes.
Analysis:
I chose this quote because the writer gives life to something that is abiotic. He uses personification to understand the level of severity that her headaches reach. Which leads to the epiphany of her severe mental illness is in reality. According to the Psychoanalytic theories, mental illnesses can derive from internal and relational conflicts. In this case, Virginia's character is based on the actual Virginia Wolf, whose pass contributed to the development of her manic-depressive illness. The personification make the crowd become understandable of her never ending pain. |
"Oh, I cant, I cant rest."
(Richard, 66)
| In the second chapter of Mrs. Dalloway, the fellow readers get to understand the character of Richard a lot better. While Clarissa being at his apartment, she tries to convince him to get some rest. Yet, his stubbornness does not allow him to. Cunningham uses character motivation to give the readers clues about his way of acting.
Analysis:
Richard is suffering from AIDS and that wakes up a feeling of sympathy for him as the chapter continues. All the medication he has to take puts him in a depression state. He looses hope and motivation to live a happy life. The character motivation for this specific character is that he suffers from savanitism as well which never allows him to sleep because of the voices he hears. His mind is disturbed due to his health state. This character helps keep the homologous relation to the character of Virginia Woolf. |
"No, no. you're kind, but I'm afraid I failed and that's that. it was just too much for me. I thought I was bigger figure than I was."
(Cunningham, 65)
| In the beginning chapters of Mrs. Dalloway, the character of Richard expresses himself as being a failure. The author uses situational irony in this quote to keep the interest of the reader as the chapters flip flop between the three major characters.
Analysis:
Richard is one of the influential characters in the life of Clarissa. Him, being her first boyfriend, she takes care of him during his worst days of his life. Richard, being an amazing writer who has won a prize for his latest book, he recognizes himself as a failure. The audience expected this character to be coincided and snobby but its the opposite. After I finished this chapter, I concluded that he regrets not being able to write more during his life short period and the character of Clarissa misunderstands that. |
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