While reading Mrs. Dalloway, I was struck momentarily by the line "Her only gift was knowing people almost by instinct, she thought, walking on. If you put her in a room with some one, up went her back like a cat's; or she purred." I thought that was a little odd to mention, given that we never really heard more about this skill in the rest of the novel. But then I read about Peter, and Miss. Kilman, and how everybody who Clarissa meets feels like they have been judged by her and found lacking. I think that maybe because Clarissa has this one talent that lets her look at someone and know them instantly, she intimidates the other characters by making them feel that she can see all their faults, or even into their souls.
Peter is maybe the best example of this. He thinks of Clarissa constantly during the novel, and criticizes her even as he remembers being in love with her. Several times when he thinks of her he ends up feeling that she sees him and is looking down on him. For example, he starts describing Clarissa to himself on page 48 "The way she said "Here is my Elizabeth!"-- that annoyed him. Why not "Here's Elizabeth" simply? It was insincere...There was always something cold about Clarissa, he thought," and then he suddenly transitions from looking down on her and her insincerity to feeling like he has behaved stupidly in front of her. "Overcome with shame suddenly at having been a fool; wept; been emotional; told her everything, as usual, as usual." This is kind of abrupt for a man who, when he thinks of the woman he used to love, always remembers what he didn't like about her.
Miss Kilman also experiences the odd mirrored effect of looking down on Clarissa and then feeling judged by her. On page 125 especially, Miss Kilman has a little outburst in which she thinks "Clarissa Dalloway had insulted her. That she expected. But she had not triumphed; she had not mastered the flesh. Ugly, clumsy, Clarissa Dalloway had laughed at her for being that; and had revived the fleshly desires, for she minded looking as she did beside Clarissa." She continues along in that way for a little while longer, until Elizabeth interrupts her to ask what department she wanted. Here we have Kilman, who pities Clarissa and finds all sorts of faults in her, feeling like Clarissa finds her unworthy and ugly. It nearly makes Kilman cry just thinking about it.
Even Richard feels the effect of Clarissa's soul gazing, although (maybe because he's been married to her for thirty years) he is not as intimidated. When he gives Clarissa the flowers and fails to tell her that he loves her, he still feels that she understood. "But how lovely, she said, taking his flowers. She understood; she understood without his speaking; his Clarissa." (Page 115) This is just kind of a really cute scene that shows how well Clarissa and Richard suit each other, and how Clarissa's weird people-vision isn't always terrible.
I would have more examples, but it's getting late and I have other stuff to do. I'm also tired, so if this is totally unintelligible I'm sorry. I guess I could be totally wrong about Clarissa's strangely mentioned skill intimidating people? I just think that it makes sense, given that lots of the characters think vicious things about Clarissa and then feel like she looks down on them. If she could know people at a glance it would explain how she makes everyone at her parties feel welcomed and important...
I thought it was interesting that you thought everyone disliked or thought poorly of Clarissa because of her ability to read others. Personally for me, I found people disliked her because Clarissa was so perfect. She prided herself on having the perfect game face and being able to switch it on an off. This perfection is what intimidated others. I suppose a "side-effect" of her perfect character is that she can read others very well, as that is required to entertain them. But yea, I found your post really interesting. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis post reminded me of the brief period of time Woolf takes us into Ellie Henderson's head, who is one of the characters in this novel who may be the most intimidated by Clarissa. "Ellie Henderson ran out nervously and bought cheap flowers...her invitation to Clarissa's party had come at the last moment. She was not happy about it. She had a sort of feeling that Clarissa had not meant to ask her this year."
ReplyDeleteWhile Ellie does have a good reason to be intimidated (Clarissa hates her), there is no reason for her to act as scared and nervous as she does at the party. If it were someone else, Ellie would probably have just not come to the party at all, seeing that she wasn't wanted. But like you said, Clarissa does have an air about her that makes those around her want to please her.
The dynamic between Ellie and Clarissa is a little different though. Clarissa doesn't hate her, she just thinks her boring and not worthy of coming to the party. She even mentions so to Richard, "But why should she invite all the dull women in London to her parties?" (115). Further, at the party, Ellie's actions aren't necessarily her being scared and nervous. She describes herself more like a viewer, or like the camera people of today's red carpets: "It was an event to her, going to a party. It was quite a treat just to see the lovely clothes" (165). I think Ellie and Clarissa are like people who used to be friends, but they aren't now, and it makes all the times they end up around each other really awkward.
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