In Mrs. Dalloway, Sally Seton initially appears as a rejection of the social conventions which govern Clarissa and the people around her, but in the final act she takes on a whole different meaning for both Clarissa and the reader. In Clarissa’s memories of Bourton, Sally is described as loud, impulsive, politically radical, and seemingly unconcerned with the expectations placed upon women of her class. When she appears again at the party as Lady Rosseter, she is no longer the girl Clarissa once loved, “her eyes not aglow as they used to be” (177). By showing Sally’s life as not only parallel, but similar to Clarissa, Woolf breaks the illusion of the alternate, more meaningful life Clarissa imagined. Sally goes from representing an idealized symbol of rebellion and self-expression to just another person who succumbed to the restrictions of society.
This is perhaps why Clarissa’s relationship with Sally is remembered so intensely. Sally represents a version of Clarissa which could exist without the restrictions of marriage, class, and social expectation. Their relationship had an intimacy which Clarissa cannot easily reproduce in her adult life; one she longs for deeply. The kiss between them is not presented merely as an adolescent romantic moment, but as part of Clarissa’s memory of a time when relationships seemed capable of existing outside the social structures which later define them. That Sally that Clarissa knew, or at least the one she remembered, has been destroyed with adulthood.
At the same time, I do not believe that Woolf intends Sally’s later life to invalidate the freedom she represented, instead she aims to show how Clarissa’s imagination of this freedom is deeply flawed. Sally Seton’s development into Lady Rosseter represents how rebellion, as long as it remains symbolic, will surrender to the accepted reality. She represents the futility of solely dreaming for change, exactly what we see Mrs. Dalloway do for the entire novel. Clarissa is so restricted by society that her only chance for escape, even in childhood, was her imagination. She views Sally not as a person, but as a symbol, and in her memory this symbol becomes distorted through her dissatisfaction with her own life.
Interesting read Leo! I would also say that generally, our memories are often tainted by our current desires. Clarissa is constantly thinking about how to live a more meaningful life, therefore she remembers Sally as representing exactly that. So maybe that's why when Sally is revealed to be different from what Clarissa imagined, Clarissa thinks that she has been "destroyed with adulthood", as you said.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting post! I definitely felt like the relationship between Sally Seton and Clarissa was one of the most interesting in the novel and I was confused when Sally came back into the story married to a man. I like your point that Sally acted more as a symbol for Clarissa freedom and youth and it does seem like Clarissa reflects on their relationship with rose colored glasses. I’m curious as to how our opinions on their relationship would have differed if we had viewed their memories through Sally’s perspective.
ReplyDeleteHey Leo! This was a very interesting take that I didn’t consider when reading the book. It was refreshing to read new take on this novel. I found a part of one of your sentences very interesting: “She represents the futility of solely dreaming for change.” I agree with this statement a lot and would have loved to see it expanded. At the end of the day Clarissa chose the more social stable lifestyle but constantly reminisces about the old days. I think the transformation of Sally Seton to Lady Rosseter actualizes the finality of Clarissa’s choice, and how her simply thinking of change is nothing more than a dream.
ReplyDeleteHey Leo, I really like your point in the final paragraph about how Clarissa turns Sally into a symbol rather than viewing her as a real person. It explains why Sally’s reappearance as Lady Rosseter feels so unsettling. Through Sally, Woolf shows that youth and nonconformity aren't immune to social pressure. By treating Bourton and their kiss as the ultimate lost possibility of real connection, Clarissa protects herself from facing the fact that rebellion will eventually fade away. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteCiao Leonardo! I liked how you talked about Sally Seton in your post because she is, in my opinion, an underrated character in the plot just because she doesn’t have THAT much of a role in the story. Clarissa shows disappointment in Sally’s return as Lady Rosseter, not because she is married, but because she has broken that symbol of freedom, just as you beautifully explained it. I personally wonder what happened to Sally in the empty time period in her story. Did she change just because of maturity, or is it because of her partner? Overall, I really enjoyed this post. Ciao!
ReplyDeleteHey Leo! I thought this was a really interesting post. One of the most underrated things about Mrs. Dalloway in my opinion is how Woolf tackles mid-life crises and the disillusionment of getting older, and Clarissa's relationship with Sally Seton encapsulates this perfectly. Sally and Clarissa once were both propelled by the passions of youth and rebellion, and now the two of them have found themselves conforming to society far more than their younger selves would have wanted. I sort of wonder if Sally might even view a past version of Clarissa the same way Clarissa views a past version of Sally: as a symbol of what it meant to be young, and a reminder of what could have been had things turned out differently. Great work!
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely a depressing aspect to Sally's character arc--a version of the cliche about a youthful rebel who grows up and sells out, renouncing their younger self. Indeed she seems to represent an alternative path when Clarissa first meets her, and Clarissa is clearly intimidated by that freedom and what it represents. But she does indulge this period of "youthful experimentation," staying up late with Sally talking about reforming society, reading controversial authors, basically having her "college experience" at a time when women weren't allowed to attend college. The novel ultimately frames all of this as a mere "phase" these young people went through--if anyone is true to their younger self, it would probably be Peter, and as we see, his "freedom" is experienced as rootlessness and confusion. Clarissa's conventional route looks pretty good by the end of this novel.
ReplyDeleteBuongiorno Leo, mama mia what a very insightful and thought provoking blog. I like your point that Clarissa may be remembering an idealized version of Sally rather than who she actually became. It’s kind of sad that the rebellious girl Clarissa admired ended up living a pretty normal life too. It makes you wonder if Clarissa misses Sally herself or the freedom she associates with their past. Great post and keep it up. Ciao!
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