Who Are We to Question Love: A Look into Love Through the Eyes of Clarissa Dalloway and Peter Walsh

Who are we to Question Love:

A Look into Love through the Eyes of Clarissa Dalloway and Peter Walsh

Throughout Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa Dalloway’s and Peter Walsh’s notions of love differ considerably. The choices made and the insecurities possessed by these characters mold their views of love. Clarissa’s concept of love is shaped by desire for society’s approval; her insecurities redirect the natural course of her love. Peter’s philosophy of love is more child-like than Clarissa’s desire to please. Peter is less interested in love to please society, but more concerned with love to satisfy himself. Although their views of love stand in opposition, they are both trapped by their love.

Though masked by her synthetic smiles and the false images she projects, Clarissa Dalloway remains a very self-conscious woman. Clarissa first displays this lack of self-confidence when she converses with Hugh Whitbread in the park and becomes “oddly conscious at the same time of her hat. Not the right hat for the early morning, was that it? For Hugh always made her feel, as he bustled on, raising his hat rather extravagantly…that she might be a girl of eighteen” (6). In this particular instance Hugh might be symbolic of society. She is worried what he will think of her hat, what he might think of her. She feels young and foolish in his presence. Clarissa is constantly plagued by society’s opinion of her. The reader knows this insecurity has stemmed back to her days at Bourton. When she explains to Peter that she will marry a prominent man of society and throw parties, we see that Clarissa is more worried about what others think of her than securing her own happiness. This meant choosing a route for her “love” in which society would approve, therefore choosing Richard as opposed to Peter. Clarissa’s parties are another example of how she does outlandish things to impress those around

her. She strives for the attendance of people at her parties “and yet for her own part, it was too much of an effort. She was not enjoying it…Every time she gave a party she had this feeling of being something not herself” (67). Clarissa throws these extravagant parties for other people to insure their opinions of her; she does not even take pleasure in the event because she is too concerned that it will not be successful. Settling for society has caused Clarissa not only to reject Peter but to disallow a relationship of passion between herself and Sally Seton. Clarissa emphasizes the moments spent with Sally were the happiest of her life. Society would have never allowed Clarissa to pursue a relationship with Sally and driven by her wish for society’s appreciation, she follows the course of love that she has chosen, not a course that would occur naturally.

Unlike Clarissa, Peter has followed his natural or real love for her, but his actions allow one to believe that his love is of a childish nature. This nature is illustrated through his love for Clarissa. No longer able to control his emotions “to his utter surprise, suddenly thrown by those uncontrollable forces thrown through the air, he burst into tears; wept; wept without the least shame, sitting on the sofa, the tears running down his cheeks” (46). The reader sees a child sitting on a couch with tears streaming down his face. To further his nature, Peter is comforted maternally by Clarissa. Peter also weeps “without the least shame.” When young children cry, they cry without shame, thus even further implementing Peter’s juvenile reaction to his love for Clarissa. Peter’s love is selfish, characteristic of love that a child might possess: he looks at his love one-sidedly. With Clarissa, he would recognize the fact that their love would be unable to survive his childish needs and demands. Peter even reflects stating, “His demands upon Clarissa…were absurd. He asked impossible things. He made terrible scenes.” Even with Daisy

Peter’s love is biased. He knows that he can not make Daisy happy, but the thought of her being with another man distresses him. To satisfy his child-like needs, regardless of whether or not it sacrifices Daisy’s happiness, Peter maintains that he loves Daisy. Despite whether any real love exists between the two, Peter is arranging their union: a very rash and immature decision.

While they may hold very dissimilar ideas of love, Clarissa and Peter because of the choices they have made, feel trapped by love. These feelings of being trapped have led them to become very critical of love. When Elizabeth leaves her home to go to the stores with Miss. Kilman, Clarissa expresses her disgust for “love