The Use of Time and Big Ben in Mrs. Dalloway
Throughout Mrs. Dalloway Big Ben chimes seventeen times (at least according to my count), and yet we have not had a chance to talk about it in class. I think Virginia Woolf’s choice to explicitly point out the time every so many pages, is interesting as the book feels nonlinear and somewhat timeless in its narration. The structure of the book itself plays into this feeling of timelessness as there are no chapter breaks, and it often leaps into different characters' consciousness who all experience time differently as they reminisce over the past, sit in the present, or dream of the future. I think we especially see this difference in passage of time when comparing Clarissa and Septimus. For example, in the first section, Clarissa reflects on the time she has spent in Westminster:
“For having lived in Westminster – how many years now? over twenty, – one feels even in the midst of the traffic, or waking at night, Clarissa was positive, a particular hush, or solemnity; an indescribable pause; a suspense (but that might be her heart, affected, they said, by influenza) before Big Ben strikes. There! Out it boomed. First a warning, musical; then the hour, irrevocable. The leaden circles dissolved in the air” (Woolf 4).
In Clarissa's internal monologue she feels an “indescribable pause,” but the strike of Big Ben pulls her back into the reality: that time will inevitably pass and is “irrevocable” once it does so (Woolf 4). Her fear of time passing is also apparent when she thinks of the past. As she remembers her past, she is transported back in time, almost as if Big Ben never struck the next hour.
In contrast to Clarissa’s attempts to revisit the past, Septimus is ruthlessly pursued by it in the form of his hallucinations and misunderstandings of the present. For example, when he and Lucrezia are in the park ready to go to their appointment with Dr. Bradshaw, Septimus suddenly sees Evans in the trees.
“The word ‘time’ split its husk; poured its riches over him [Septimus]; and from his lips fell like shells, like shavings from a plane, without his making them, hard, white, imperishable words, and flew to attach themselves to their places in an ode to Time; an immortal ode to Time. He sang. Evans answered from behind the tree.”(Woolf 68).
In this scene the concept of time becomes suddenly meaningful to Septimus. He describes it as having a “husk” or shell that can be broken open, for its beauty to pour out. He describes his epiphany as falling from a “plane,” which is striking as just hours before he was deathly afraid of a plane, which he thought was trying to give me a secret message. In this same quote, as Septimus reconciles with time, he sees Evans, a remnant of his past he can not shake off in the present. While Clarissa is more concerned with the passage of time, Septimus can not seem to understand that time has passed, and is stuck in the past.
As Woolf narrates the passage of time Big Ben seems to take on the role of the escalator in The Mezzanine. No matter how far Howie veered off from the present, he would always return to the present on the escalator. Similarly, despite how many perspectives of time Woolf writes about, the strike of Big Ben grounds the story in one ever present timeline, serving to remind each character that the present is ever changing and evolving even if they are stuck in a circular timeline of the past or hesitant to greet the future. However, the book's comparison of linear and circular time brings up an interesting question of if the clock is really any more correct about time than any of the characters' perceptions. After all, time as we know it is a protocol of European invention, and many other cultures have a more circular view of the passing of time. I think there is much more to say about how time is presented in Mrs. Dalloway and how Big Ben is used as a tool to signify one narrative all the characters are a part of. I would be interested in hearing other peoples’ thoughts on how time is used in the book, so please let me know in a comment.
Thank you for reading,
Sasha Goncalo
Work Cited:
Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. Edited by Bonnie Kime Scott, A Harvest Book, Harcourt, Inc, 2005.
I really like your connection to time in Mrs. Dalloway to The Mezzanine, they both have such interesting contents of flashing to other thoughts or memories but always returning to the original path. I would argue that time in The Mezzanine was linear, perhaps as linear as the escalator itself with not many places to go except forward after recalling the day. Mrs. Dalloway skipped around a good deal more than The Mezzanine which could be attributed to the influx of characters or memories or simply the writing style of Virginia Woolf. When I eventually return to read Mrs. Dalloway again, I wish to focus on this topic of time because you are correct, I don't think enough of at least my focus was given to it.
ReplyDeleteThe observation about Big Ben's role in Mrs. Dalloway is intriguing, especially in how it contrasts with the nonlinear path of the story. The chimes acts as a constant reminder of time's constant movement, even as Clarissa reminisces about her past, and Septimus reflects on his traumatic memories. The point about the Mezzanine escalator is also another good example that pulls characters back into the present, even as they mentally wander. Does time really dictate our lives, or do our perceptions of time matter more?
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting topic! I found it a bit difficult to fully follow the books storyline, but I do remember these Big Ben moments as something that helped me pull back and focus, even if it was absent-minded. Your comparison of it being like the escalator in The Mezzanine stuck out to me as it asks an interesting question as to how other books sort of "regroup" the reader, especially in novels such as these with experimental writing styles. It makes sense that both authors included this concept in their novels seeing as it's easy to get lost in their unfamiliar work, and I honestly wonder if it was intentional or just a coincidence found in their (somewhat) confusing writing.
ReplyDeleteI love the analogy of Big Ben's chimes to the escalator in Baker's novel--a kind of "real time" measure of forward narrative progress, which "grounds" us as readers amid all the digressions and diversions. (And it also serves a similar role for the characters.) One of the great disappointments of my life was when, five years ago, I had the opportunity to lead my family on a walking tour in London of the morning walk that Clarissa takes to the florist (I have pics if anyone want to see them!)--this was 2019, and Big Ben was being refurbished at the time. It was silent. So I never got to hear the "leaden circles dissolving in the air" as I walked along the path in St. James Park, where Clarissa meets Hugh Whitbread. (It's all fixed now, though, so if you make it to London, be sure to treat yourself to a Clarissa Dalloway walking tour of Westminster to Bond Street!)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great topic that's both interesting and really relevant to the book. Woolf plays with the idea of time in subtle (like Big Ben chiming) and not so subtle ways (like the characters and their memories). Your blog post also highlights how this is related to the structure of the book itself, with the lack of chapter breaks and clear switches from different perspectives. I like how you compare Big Ben to the escalator in the Mezzanine, and how it's almost like a separate character that keeps us moving forward, even if we're deep into another character's mind. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting topic! I think that the clock in this book is used as a sort of overarching glue that holds everyone together. This is because as you said, all characters perceptions of time are different, therefore the clock is a literal jolt of sound which brings these characters back to the present (except for perhaps Septimus). Overall great post!
ReplyDeleteThis topic certainly never crossed my mind, and it's so interesting to see someone tackle this as a blog topic! I definitely seem to recall some rare fleeting moments during which Big Ben is mentioned, but I certainly didn't recognize it to the extent that you did. It's even more interesting that it can be treated as a sort of rock for the present day storyline, one that anchors the narrative in the present however wound up it may get in the past. I never thought about it like that and honestly put very little thought into what prompted the shift from past back to present, but this provides a thorough explanation. Great unique post!
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting topic, and I'm sad we couldn't talk about it more in class! I completely agree with your description of Big Ben as bringing the characters back to reality, interrupting their trains of thought that usually have nothing to do with the present moment. Big Ben striking was always such a notable point in each section, and it grounds the reader and the character in the present moment in a novel that otherwise has no clear connection to linear time. This is a strategic choice on Woolf's part, and I think you did a really good job pointing that out and articulating your opinion!
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