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Unit 29: Virginia Woolf — Mrs. Dalloway: Detailed Study of Text

Part I Section Five Summary Notes
Peter dreamed. The gray nurse knitting beside Peter appeared spectral, blending into images
of the sky and the trees. The narrator reminds the reader that an atheist may still experience
moments of exultation. As Peter dreams, the narrator reveals the symbolic story of a solitary
traveler. The visions that enter the mind of the solitary traveler allow Peter to conceive of him.
The traveler sees a figure at the end of the path. She is a giant figure at the end of a great ride.
The solitary traveler rides and reaches the mother-like figure. Peter is offered comfort but does
not know to whom to reply.
Suddenly Peter awoke, exclaiming, “The death of the soul.” In his mind, he had been dreaming
of a scene at Bourton, when he had been deeply in love with Clarissa. The scene took place
years ago. They had been discussing the housemaid whom had married the neighboring
squire. Clarissa criticized the maid’s impropriety. Sally mentioned that the maid had given
birth before the marriage. Clarissa was abhorred, her manner prudish. The coldness she emanated
chilled the whole room and, awkwardly, Clarissa left the table. Clarissa talked to her sheepdog
(but spoke to Peter), defending her behavior. Peter remained silent and Clarissa went outside,
alone. As the day went on, Peter grew increasingly gloomy. At supper, he arrived late. He did
not look at Clarissa at first but when he did, he noticed that she was speaking to a young man.
It was Richard Dalloway and suddenly, Peter knew Richard would marry Clarissa.

Clarissa had thought his name was Wickham at first until Dalloway abruptly corrected her.
Sally would forever call him, “My name is Dalloway.” Peter could not hear of what Clarissa
and Richard spoke but he noticed her maternal manner toward him. After dinner, they sat in
the drawing room. Clarissa approached Peter to introduce him to Richard. Peter retorted that
she was the perfect hostess. She walked away in a huff. Later, the young people decided to
go boating in the moonlight and they left Peter standing in the drawing room. Clarissa ran
back inside to find Peter. He was suddenly happy. They walked down to the docks talking
and, when the boat reached an island, they sat on the grass together. Yet, Peter still somehow
knew that Dalloway and Clarissa were falling in love.
Following that night, Peter asked ridiculous things of Clarissa, pushing her away from him.
Finally, he sent her a note via Sally to meet him near the fountain. He demanded, repeatedly,
that she tell him the truth. She was unyielding. At last, she cried that her and Peter’s relationship
was over. That night, Peter left Bourton.

Part One Section Five Analysis
Much of this section takes place in Peter’s memory, allowing us to relive the past relationship
between Clarissa and him. However, the beginning of the section relates the interesting appearance
of the solitary traveler. Though Woolf’s prose often edges on the poetic, this is one of the only
portions of the novel where her writing becomes extremely abstract. Why? What does the
solitary traveler add to this section or the novel as a whole? Critics suggest that the traveler
is Peter Walsh, as both are male, primarily alone (at least during the day on which the novel
takes place), and over fifty years old. He travels through the wood until reaching the giant
figure, who ironically is one of the least imposing figures possible, an old matron or nurse.
Thus, the archetype of the eternal feminine is evoked. This figure will reappear as we continue
through the novel. The section during Peter’s dream introduces the idea to the reader abstractly
because of the larger symbolism the feminine figure will hold.
Using Peter’s recollection as a vehicle, Woolf provides insight into both Clarissa and Peter’s
characters. Clarissa is often referred to throughout the novel as being cold, as if she was
missing something that warmed other humans. The memory that Peter has describes Clarissa

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