Virginia Woolf's novel, Mrs Dalloway, uses themes that examine the environment of interwar England, which inhibited the ability to communicate effectively one's thoughts and feelings, because the cultural norm rejected them in favor of maintaining a "stiff lip." To survive in this environment, the characters in Mrs. Dalloway and The Hours have means of escaping reality, in which they can ignoring one's feelings or temporarily alleviating the fear of one's own mortality. The finality of suicide is presented to the characters either as an end to their problems, or through death or learning from someone else's death. Finally, the way in which internal monologue is discussed by Woolf works to convey to readers firsthand how difficult it is to understand the thoughts and feelings of others Say No to Plagiarism Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Hours' stories across three generations provide another outlet for explaining Woolf's larger theme of escape through universal suffering, visually translating the flow-conscious writing style. Mrs Dalloway is set after the Great War, a period still fresh enough in people's minds that, while there is a sense of gratitude, the introduction of Septimus as a character dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder serves to remind the reader that for many characters he does not feel finished; This late age of experiencing the world had brought forth in all of them, in all men and women, a well of tears. Tears and pain; courage and resistance; a perfectly erect and stoic posture. (Woolf 8) Clarissa recognizes that there is sadness in people, but because of the emotionally oppressive culture she grew up in, her conscience forbids her from breaking social norms. The reason this persists is because Clarissa is becoming a relic who still believes in Old England. Traditionalists maintain the Stoic, Old English method of dealing with their problems and look for meaning in English symbols and traditions. However, this idealism is lost in New England, as many of them had seen the tragedies of war. Septimus becomes disillusioned with the war and now finds no meaning in English patriotism. These schools of thought create the environment that supports Stoicism because where one class watches their traditions crumble, another realizes that their traditions never meant anything, and so a more comfortable solution of rejecting emotions is born . The Hours effectively translates this milieu into its scenes portraying Laura Brown as the 1950s housewife who must survive her times by repressing her emotions; It would be wonderful to say that you regretted it. It would be easy. But what does it mean? What does it mean to regret when you have no choice? It's what you can handle. There he is. Nobody will forgive me. It was death. I Chose Life (The Hours). Laura's choice of words shows the helplessness she felt in her time, because she was unable to express her true emotions. It is this suffocating lack of communication that is mirrored in Mrs. Dalloway through Septimus' inability to express his thoughts due to his PTSD. Both characters also have life partners who are unable to alleviate their problems and, at times, exasperate them. The Hours demonstrates how the 1950s ethic of conforming to and being an active participant in the American dream – while different from English stoicism – produced almost identical results. of people who yesthey felt oppressed. It is logical that in these constricting environments the characters seek escape routes. The methods they use in their escape are also very revealing of their personalities, as suggested by Zwerdling: “Woolf is deeply engaged with the question of how the individual is shaped (or deformed) by his social environment, how historical forces influence the his life and changing its course based on class, wealth and gender help determine his destiny.” Both of Clarissa's plans celebrate because the demanding and boring work means they don't have to face their problems head on; it also gives the impression that there is an attitude towards them that says "I have no problems, I act autonomously". In Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa's party planning also shows one of the last roles she has left in society. Now in middle age, Clarissa has fulfilled her maternal duties, and since women of the time were not known to return to school or resume careers, she throws parties that allow her to be at the center of the communication “network” that occurs throughout the story. The maternal comparison can also be made to the Poor Clare of the Hours, who cares for Richard in a motherly way, and also throws parties to provide a means of communicating with old friends. Richard uses writing as a means to escape and make sense of his traumatic childhood, while his mother is a reader, because her escape occurs through a more passive form of immersion. Their relationship as writer/reader is important because it also determines their final method of escape from suffering. Richard's role as a writer indicates his need to escape into a role where he feels he is in control, something missing in his childhood which ultimately formulates his suicide. The writer must have a more direct approach to control, as is Richard's suicide, while the reader's source of control comes from first making the decision to escape, but then allowing others to take her on a journey, just the way in which Laura flees to Canada. Peter Walsh finds his escape through relationships with women, through his first marriage, in memories of Clarissa and then in his engagement to Daisy. Peter's method of escape is indicative of his fleeting sense of security, especially after stalking Maisie Johnson, comparing her to Clarissa, and then finding himself lost after she breaks into his house. He lives in a cycle of insecurity, as he seeks out women who he believes will save him from himself. Woolf created Peter this way to say that these methods of escape are only temporary, and while they may ease the burden of repressed emotions and impending mortality, they are not the end of someone's suffering. It is important to note the shared methods of escape by the characters in both the book and the film, because it shows how suffering is universal. A character must commit suicide for Clarissa to understand the value of a life. Woolf then uses suicide, not only as relief from the pain of living, but so that the other characters can learn to live. Septimus saves Clarissa from herself, because of the lesson he learns from her suicide. In The Hours Richard commits suicide so that Clarissa can learn to think for herself sooner, since the cause of much of her conflict is in losing herself to other people. The Hours manage to suggest the end of one's suffering through another premise. The Hours spans different time periods to show how each woman relates to each other. Three different women are brought together, not despite different cultures and times, but because their struggles are universal, suggesting that the true escape from their suffering lies in each other. There's also an interesting act of kindness that Julia shows Laura after.