This Pocket of Still Air

"One of the triumphs of civilisation, Peter Walsh thought . . . as
the light high bell of the ambulance sounded" (151).

Points for Reflection

Mrs. Dalloway, pp. 139-194

1. does Clarissa delight in the same things in which Peter revels?
2. is Clarissa right to imagine a connection between herself and Septimus?  Does the narrator provide ties between the two of which she remains unaware?
3. why does Septimus commit such an irrevocable act as he does in today’s reading?
4. what drew Lucrezia to Septimus in the past, early in their relationship, and what sometimes delights her about their relationship in the present?
5. what contrary responses does the ambulance evoke in Peter?
6. what theory did Clarissa generate in the past to account for the dissatisfaction many feel with not being fully, completely known (152)?
7. is Peter correct in his assumption (155) that Clarissa was upset by his visit?
8. what is the “other thing” (156), the “it” (157) which comes so naturally, from Peter’s point of view?
9. what attracts Daisy to Peter?
10. Peter considers being content with isolation, “sufficient to himself,” yet recognizes “nobody of course was more dependent upon others” (158).  Does this contradiction apply equally well to Clarissa?
11. what does Peter mean when he tells himself he has difficult coming “up to the scratch” in romantic relationships (158, 159)?
12. Peter thinks British society does not press down quite so firmly on women as it once did, that they have more freedom of movement and thought (162, etc.).  Does the novel support his conclusion?  Do young women like Elizabeth and Lucrezia appear to have more autonomy than their older female counterparts?
13. what reactions does Ellie Henderson’s presence provoke at Clarissa’s party?
14. does the appearance of Lady Rosseter (Sally Seton) alter your understanding of either Clarissa or Sally?
15. what does Peter mean by the thought that “rascals who get hanged for battering the brains of a girl out in a train do less harm on the whole than Hugh Whitbread and his kindness” (173)?
16. how has Septimus's experience in the Great War changed his perspective on life, art, etc.?
17. is Clarissa a tragic heroine?

Figures On a Beach (1931)
Pablo Picasso

Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu