Time Keeps Ticking

    One thing that I have noticed when reading Mrs. Dalloway is all of the smooth transitions. If I get distracted for one moment, I look at where I’m reading and wonder who this new character is and how we got there. I find this somewhat surprising considering that each person we go to in this narrative, we see inside their head, and I would think that going from one mind to another would be somewhat jarring. However, Woolf makes it so that the jump from person to person isn’t harsh or sudden. Instead, she always makes a connection between characters, whether it’s the motorcar, the airplane, or just some brief interaction or thought connecting characters together. I think for me, I found the motorcar and airplane scenes to be an interesting connection point. It kind of felt natural how Woolf transitioned through all those characters quickly as people do tend to voice their opinions to each other when something strange or interesting happens and the airplane makes it so that all of those expressions and thoughts could be linked together. Even when it comes back to Mrs. Dalloway after her walk home, it flows well due to her asking “What are they looking at?”, bridging the people, who looking at the plane that connected them to the others watching the plane, to Mrs. Dalloway.

    But something else that Woolf does that really allows the novel to flow is the passage of time. Instead of going back and recapping her walk home, which could have contained interesting thoughts and interactions from Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf keeps the novel moving with time. So, while Mrs. Dalloway is reflecting in her room, I’m sure the people who were watching the plane are still out there discussing it, but Woolf leaves them behind and doesn’t return later. It’s really interesting to think how carefully Woolf would have to plan these events, making certain things, like the plane and motorcar, are there to connect people for these transitions to occur, as well as choosing who she will follow at what time, and how she will eventually connect to them. I think part of this effect of weaving in and out of people’s minds is that it leaves you wondering what these people are doing after you have left them or have temporarily gone out of their thoughts. For example, I wonder what Mrs. Dalloway was doing that whole section where we were primarily following Peter, or even what Scrope Purvis is up to. And I feel like that’s a sense that we sort of get in life after we have seen somebody during the day and later kind of wonder what they are doing at this moment, but Woolf makes this effect even greater by giving us a glimpse into the minds of these people, which we don’t get in real life. As more and more characters get introduced and get more time in the novel, I wonder how Woolf will balance it all. With Mrs. Dalloway, Peter, Septimus, and Lucrezia, it will definitely be interesting how the narrative is balanced because, in this novel, time keeps ticking.

The Art Gallery of Trivial Items

     “Right when I suddenly had more blue sky in front of me than green truck, I remembered that when I was little I used to be very interested in the fact that anything, no matter how rough, rusted, dirty, or otherwise discredited it was, looked good if you set it down on a stretch of white cloth or any kind of clean background.” (38)

    In class, we have talked about “clean background” trick that Howie mentions in this scene. As we discussed before, this concept could be seen as the whole basis of the book because of how Howie looks at each item so closely, almost as if removing it from the world and putting it against a clean background. Having a clean background makes items look better, and in The Mezzanine, even makes it seem like a work of art. Howie is amazed by the items he investigates in his mind, almost like someone at an art gallery.

    Now, having thought about this, I can see all the more clearly as to why Howie would be triggered by Aurelius. I could already understand somewhat as I read the scene as to why Howie reacted the way he did because we already talked about his interest in these trivial, day-to-day items. However, now it is clear that he isn’t just intrigued by them, he sees them as works of art. He looks at a straw and can easily visualize all the work that went into creating an item that most people don’t even give a second glance at. Even with items he doesn’t like, such as the hot air dryer, Howie understands the process of its creation even if he doesn’t approve of it. He’s almost an art critic at times.

    But like art, the triviality of these objects is subjective. Howie tries to get us to appreciate the art he sees, but it doesn’t always work. After all, we are all different individuals and art always presents an array of responses. Some people love a certain piece while others absolutely despise it. However, I do find that some of his metaphors and descriptions do catch my attention and I begin to rethink how I looked at certain items before. But the same items do not attract the same people, which has been evident in class discussion, with some of us getting intrigued by a particular item while others not really getting into it. I don’t know, I thought that it was kind of interesting on how Howie viewed the world in this way. Is anyone else seeing this?