I’m just going to go out and say it: I love Richard. He is, so far, my favorite character in Mrs. Dalloway. In the beginning, we are just given Clarissa Dalloway’s perspective on why her marriage, although it may be very relaxed, is sometimes unfulfilling. She even states that, at times, she is unaware of Richard’s whereabouts when he leaves. It’s a marriage based to trust and independence. Seeing as Richard was seemingly never home, I just assumed he was a man who was more interested in his work than his wife...boy was I wrong.
In the section where we experience Richard’s perspective, in my eyes, Richard became the sweetest, most caring, most sympathetic character in the book. “He walked across the Park to tell his wife that he loved her. For he would say it in so many words, when he came into the room. Because it is a thousand pities never to say what one feels” (Woolf 116). Richard decides to buy Clarissa flowers and head home to confess his love for her. He’s not like Hugh, who feels the need to buy his wife necklaces and stuff. (Although Richard one bought Clarissa a bracelet, but she never wore it, and that hurt him). He had even “been jealous of Peter Walsh; jealous of him and Clarissa” (Woolf 117). But he knows that Clarissa has said she was right not to marry Peter, and Richard agrees, for he explain that Clarissa needs the support that he can give, without implying that Clarissa is in any way, weak.
But as Richard waltzes in and sits down to talk to Clarissa, he can’t bring himself to say the right words. “He had not said ‘I love you’; but he held her hand, Happiness is this, is this, he thought” (Woolf 119). Although he isn’t able to express the right words to Clarissa, he is able to tell us, since we are in his mind, that being with Clarissa makes him extremely happy. Unfortunately for him, Clarissa is beginning to possibly have second thoughts about marrying Richard. She is seeing how fun and adventurous Peter’s life is in India, and how jealous she is when Peter tells her he has found a new love interest.
Unfortunately for both Richard and Clarissa, their personalities seem to be similar. They choose to not share their true emotions with each other, and therefore, their marriage could be falling apart. But I find myself rooting for Richard and Clarissa, and I hope things work out in the end.
Even though Clarissa often wonders what life would be like with Peter, I don't think Richard and Clarissa's marriage is close to falling apart. On this one particular day of Clarissa's life she happens to spend a lot of time thinking about Peter, but I don't think that is an accurate description of what she has been thinking about over the last 5 years. Often the people we are surrounded by we think about the least, because we take them for granted. The people that we USED to be spend lots of time with, but no longer se as much, are often the primary focus of our thoughts. I think this is how Clarissa feels about Peter: Although she is thinking a lot about Peter, it is perfectly natural to have these thoughts while still being happily married to Richard.
ReplyDeleteI also found Richard to be a surprisingly delightful character, he's kind of adorable and I can't help rooting for him as he hurries home with his flowers for Clarissa. I thought the scene with Clarissa and Richard was very sweet and accurate in portraying a very long relationship as consisting of a lot of silent communication and trust, rather than constant passion and excitement. What James said is exactly right: sometimes we take those closest to us for granted, and Clarissa's thoughts about Peter don't seem to be anything that will cause action against Richard.
ReplyDeleteWe often don't realize how important someone is until they are no longer around us. I find a good way to relate to this situation is to imagine Peter as an older sibling. He goes to to college (India in his case), and Clarissa starts to forget about him. Just like we somewhat forget our sibling because they are not around us. Then when they come back we realize how much we have missed them. It's not that we dislike our other siblings the day the oldest comes back. We just don't think about them because we see them every day. It is a similar situation with Clarissa. She hasn't seen Peter in a long time, and so naturally she thinks of him more than Richard. This doesn't imply that her marriage is falling apart, it just shows that it is in the background for this particular day.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Clarissa and Richard have an unspoken bond. They both seem content with each other's presences... but I'm worried that there isn't any fire there at all. Indeed, when Clarissa finds herself alone at her party, she is upset at herself and feels she hasn't committed herself to Richard fully. This is why I think Peter's existence in the book is messing everything up, as he just seems to be that ex she can't shake off. It's already been established that they are an ill fit for each other, yet the fact that Clarissa can't shake him from her mind is frustrating. However, I do believe that things will work out in the end, as her and Richard are the perfect couple. The lack of drama is what has made them so successful over the years.
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