Abstract
Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) is one of the greatest literary figures in the 20th century. As one of her magnificent works, the novel Mrs Dalloway depicts one day in June in 1923 in post-war London. In this novel, Woolf describes the life and experiences of the two main characters with two parallel lines. The two characters both lead a life in which they feel unsatisfied, lonely, and deserted, and loses their identity.
This thesis aims to focus on the character analysis of the two main characters. The first chapter gives an brief introduction of Woolf’s life, literary achievements, the main content of the novel, research status of the novel as well as the perspective of this thesis. The second chapter analyzes the characteristics of Clarissa Dalloway from three levels. The third chapter focuses on the characteristics of Septimus Warren Smith from three levels. The forth chapter compares and analyzes the similarities and differences between the characteristics of the two main characters. The fifth chapter is a conclusion of the whole thesis.
Keywords Virginia Woolf; Mrs Dalloway; character analysis; identity
Contents
Abstract I
Contents I
Introduction 2
1. The Characteristics of Clarissa 4
1.1 Pursuing gain and fame at the cost of love 4
1.2 An elegant but unsatisfied housewife of losing identity 5
1.3 A female of reflecting on herself 8
2. The Characteristics of Septimus 10
2.1 A patriotic national hero 10
2.2 A depressed veteran with mental illness 10
2.3 Defending his identity and rebelling against the society 11
3. Similarities and differences between Clarissa and Septimus 12
3.1 Similarities 12
3.2 Differences 13
4. Conclusion 14
References 15
