Men - Mrs. Dalloway I

". . .there was a tap at the door. Could it be Sir William Bradshaw? Had he sent already?" (Woolf 144).


Virginia Woolf is considered to a great feminist. In her portrayal of Sir William Bradshaw, Woolf was putting every issue she had ever had with men into one character. He embodies upper class oppression; he is a rich, well respected psychiatrist who is actually quite bad at his job; and, the icing on the cake, he firmly believes that women should not be in control, or have rights.


Black, Naomi. "Virginia Woolf as Feminist." Cornell University Press. Web. 05 June 2012. <http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100470100>.
Woolf, Virginia, and Francine Prose. Mrs. Dalloway. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003. Print.

Gender Roles - Mrs. Dalloway II

"There was Regent's Park. Yes. As a child he had walked in Regents Park - odd, he thought, how the thought of childhood keeps coming back to me - the result of seeing Clarissa, perhaps; for women live much more in the past than we do, he thought" (Woolf 55). 


In this quote, Peter seems to be denying the fact that he is extremely sentimental; he says that women live much more in the past, and that it was Clarissa who brought his thoughts back to that time. In the meantime, Clarissa goes about worrying about her party, and making sure everything is right for it, and briefly thinking about all the times at Bourton, but she has resolve enough to not second guess herself. Peter, on the other hand, is all washed up about the whole deal. Woolf does this in order to illustrate how gender roles can differ completely depending on the people in the roles.


Woolf, Virginia, and Francine Prose. Mrs. Dalloway. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003. Print.

Happy Madness - Mrs. Dalloway III

"Through all ages - when the pavement was grass, when it was swamp, through the age of tusk and mammoth, through the age of silent sunrise, the battered woman - for she wore a skirt - with her right hand exposed, her left clutching at her side, stood singing of love - love which has lasted a million years, she sang" (Woolf 81).


In this quote, Woolf explores what society perceives as madness; the old lady looks like someone who has lost their mind, someone to be pitied, when she is actually the happy one. For although the lady does not fit into societal 'norms,' that does not keep her from her happiness; her song of love, true love, is all she needs to keep her spirit alive and well.


Woolf, Virginia, and Francine Prose. Mrs. Dalloway. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003. Print.

Sexual Freedom - Mrs. Dalloway IV

". . .she could not resist sometimes yielding to the charm of a. . .woman confessing, as to her they often did, some scrape, some folly. And whether it was pity, or their beauty, or that she was older, or some accident - like a faint scent, or a violin next door. . .she did undoubtedly then feel what men felt" (Woolf 31-32).


In her novel, Woolf explores sexuality in ways far ahead of her time. As noted in "An Introduction to The Bloomsbury Group," Woolf demonstrated her sexual freedom in various affairs over her lifetime, with both males and females. Woolf also wrote the book Orlando, a tale of a man who then becomes a woman, as if able to see into the future when sex reassignment surgeries are possible.
In Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa Dalloway often reminisces on when she was in love with Sally Seton; the most interesting part of the love affair was that it was almost completely based on character. In this quote, Clarissa notes that the only times she has really felt sexual it was brought on by a woman. Because women were still so sexually repressed in Woolf's days, she was making a statement about where she believes a person can find love.


Turner, Edwin. "Orlando - Virginia Woolf." Biblioklept. Web. 05 June 2012. <http://biblioklept.org/2011/04/19/orlando-virginia-woolf/>.
"An Introduction to The Bloomsbury Group." The Bloomsbury Group. Web. 05 June 2012. <http://bloomsbury.denise-randle.co.uk/intro.htm>.
Woolf, Virginia, and Francine Prose. Mrs. Dalloway. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003. Print.

Mental Health - Mrs. Dalloway V

"So, thought Septimus, looking up, they are signaling to me. Not indeed in actual words; that is, he could not read the language yet; but it was plain enough, this beauty, this exquisite beauty, and tears filled his eyes as he looked at the smoke words languishing and melting in the sky" (Woolf 21-22).


Woolf uses Septimus's character in order to give depth to society's perceived notion of madness. Septimus is always trying to communicate with things, but he never figures out how to communicate with the people he should really be communicating with. By portraying the emotions of a madman, Woolf is opening up a door to understanding and sympathy toward those dealing with metal illnesses. As the early nineteenth century was the dawn of how mental illness is treated today, Woolf's attention to current issues is obvious.


"Overview of Mental Health in New York and the Nation." New York State Archives. Web. 05 June 2012. <http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/research/res_topics_health_mh_timeline.shtml>.
Woolf, Virginia, and Francine Prose. Mrs. Dalloway. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003. Print.

Priorities - Mrs. Dalloway VI

"She had pawned her grandmother's ring which Marie Antoinette had given her great-grandfather to come to Bourton" (Woolf 188).


In this quote, Woolf alludes to the infamous French queen Marie Antoinette. She is known for being an unaware leader, and for the misattributed quote "let them eat cake." In this quote, Woolf shows that she has a good knowledge of history, as the queen truly did want to help her subjects. 
In this quote, Woolf also explores the strength of the ties formed from memories. Although the ring was extremely valuable, Sally felt it more important to visit a place than to hold onto that piece of family history.


"Marie Antoinette | Queen of France." Lucidcafé. Web. 05 June 2012. <http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95nov/antoinette.html>.
Woolf, Virginia, and Francine Prose. Mrs. Dalloway. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003. Print.

Consolation - Mrs. Dalloway VII

"Fear no more the heat o' the sun/Nor the furious winter's rages" (Woolf 9).


The piece of poetry that Virginia Woolf uses in her novel is alluding to the poem found in Shakespeare's Cymbeline. The poem is a type of funeral song, trying to find consolation after the death of a loved one. Clarissa reads the poem after thinking some tumultuous thoughts about how much life matters, and the poem almost seems to be there to console her.

Shakespeare, William. "Fear No More the Heat O' the Sun." Cymbeline. The Poetry Foundation. Web. 05 June 2012. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176855>. 

Woolf, Virginia, and Francine Prose. Mrs. Dalloway. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003. Print.

The Time of Memories - Mrs. Dalloway VIII

"What a lark! What a plunge! For so it had aways seemed to her, when, with a little squeak of the hinges, which she could hear now, she had burst open the French windows and plunged at Bourton into the open air" (Woolf 3).


In her book, Virginia Woolf plays with time in a way most books do not. In this quote, she is describing just how easily a memory can pop up and transport a person back in time. All it took for Clarissa to feel as if she was back at Bourton was the sound of a hinge squeaking, and that sound sends her into thinking back on, and questioning, the choices she made in her past.


Woolf, Virginia, and Francine Prose. Mrs. Dalloway. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003. Print.

Distraction - Mrs. Dalloway IX

“But what letters? A C was it? an E, then an L? Only for a moment did they lie still; then they moved and melted and were rubbed out up in the sky, and the aeroplane shot further away and again, in a fresh space of sky, began writing a K, an E, a Y perhaps?” (Woolf 20).

Virginia Woolf uses the symbol of the aeroplane to represent how short human attention spans can be; the people are all extremely interested in the car, and who is inside of the car, until they spot a shiny aeroplane. Then, the car is completely forgotten.

Woolf also uses the letters the plane is writing to symbolize the unclarity often found when analyzing symbols. After the letters are seen, the people all sit about trying to decipher the meaning of the letters; eventually, a few people agree that one of the words was “toffee,” but other than that, the letters stay muddled. 


Woolf, Virginia, and Francine Prose. Mrs. Dalloway. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003. Print.

Objective Information - Mrs. Dalloway X

"A charming woman, Scrope Purvis thought her (knowing her as one does know people who live next door to one in Westminster); a touch of the bird about her, of the jay, blue-green, light, vivacious, though she was over fifty, and grown very white since her illness" (Woolf 4).

In this quote, Virginia Woolf jumps from the thoughts of Clarissa Dalloway, and into the mind of one of her neighbors; Woolf does this in order to give the readers some information about Clarissa: she is thought well of by those who know of her; she is rather wealthy, as she lives in Westminster; she is a bit bird-like, which Clarissa comments about herself later on in her narrative; and Clarissa is over fifty, and has dealt with some sort of illness. Although Woolf could have let the readers know all this information through Clarissa's thoughts, by using a bystander the information becomes more objective.

Woolf, Virginia, and Francine Prose. Mrs. Dalloway. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003. Print.

Mattie's Grit - True Grit I

"I got up, my feet freezing, and arranged Papa's blankets and slicker over me as makeshift covers. Then I slept alright" (Portis 30).

Although Mattie is the one searching for a man with "true grit," it seems as if Portis has made her the character who truly has grit. Part of what makes her character so attractive is her lack of complaints toward things a girl would normally complain about, her resilience and unembellished mannerisms. If Portis had not giver her these qualities, the story whose have much less affect.

Portis, Charles, and Donna Tartt. True Grit. New York, NY: Overlook, 2010. Print.

Golden Memories - True Grit II

"I thought to ask him about the other gold piece, then checked myself, afraid he might force me to give over the one I had recovered" (Portis 198).

Mattie puts a large emphasis on the gold pieces and their meaning to her; she is ecstatic when they recover the first piece, and is constantly thinking about finding the second. It seems as if Portis uses them as a symbol of a piece of her father that Mattie needs to win back from Chaney; they are also symbolic in that they help lead her to avenge her father's death.

Portis, Charles, and Donna Tartt. True Grit. New York, NY: Overlook, 2010. Print.

Murderous Quantrill - True Grit III

"'I was told in Fort Smith that you rode with Quantrill and that border gang. . .I heard they murdered women and children'" (Portis 158).

The Civil War was a time of division in the Nation. When Portis references Captain Quantrill, he is referencing a man who was "notorious for being one of the most vicious butchers in the Civil War" (Sanders). Portis does this for many reasons, one of which may be to add some historical relevance to his fictional novel. Another reason could be to display Rooster in a different light, as he does not come across as a considerably dangerous or evil person; but when meeting one of Quantrill's men, most people would expect a scary man. Portis is making a statement about what war can do to a person, and how they can recover from that change.

Portis, Charles, and Donna Tartt. True Grit. New York, NY: Overlook, 2010. Print.

Sanders, Stuart W. "America's Civil War: Guerrilla Leader William Clarke Quantrill's Last Raid in Kentucky." Editorial. America's Civil War Mar. 1999. History Net: Where History Comes Alive - World & US History Online. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. .

Drinking Silly - True Grit IV

"He drank even as he rode, which looked difficult. I cannot say it slowed him down any but it did make him look silly. Why do people wish to be silly?" (Portis 171).

Throughout the entire novel, Mattie seems to comprehend things in a very level-headed way; she approaches most things quite logically and does not tend to make a big deal out of issues like danger or race. But when it comes to drink, Portis has Mattie express an absolute disgust and incomprehension as to why people do it, especially since her father was shot in a drunken disagreement. Portis may be using Mattie's story and how drink affects it by always leading to mischief to portray his own feelings about the substance.

Portis, Charles, and Donna Tartt. True Grit. New York, NY: Overlook, 2010. Print.

Superstitious Claptrap - True Grit V

"Some preachers will say, well, that is superstitious 'claptrap.' My answer is this: Preacher, go to your Bible and read Luke 8:26-33" (Portis 32).

From early in the novel, Mattie's strong religion can be seen. Portis probably gave Mattie this characteristic for many reasons: it puts her in the time period; it accounts for her strong opinions about alcohol and how criminals should be treated; and Portis may even be using Mattie's faith as a vessel for his own personal faith and moral standings, as recalling one of the only Bible verses that discusses animals being possessed by demons takes some Biblical knowledge, especially in the days before computer searches would bring up that exact verse. Although the verse itself is discussing swine, not cats, Mattie still gets her point across, and is perceived as being Biblically learned (Luke).

Portis, Charles, and Donna Tartt. True Grit. New York, NY: Overlook, 2010. Print.

Luke. King James Version. Biblical Proportions, 2004-2005. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. .

Pursue the Wicked - True Grit VI

"'The wicked flee when none pursueth'" (Portis 17)

Portis again uses his Biblical knowledge to quote Proverbs 28:1; using this verse alone gives Mattie's anger a controlled feeling, contributing to the characteristic of her willpower. In this quote, Mattie is referring to a fleeing Tom Chaney, fleeing after shooting Mattie's father; although there were many there to witness the shooting not a single one thought to pursue Chaney. The rest of the statement "but the righteous are as bold as a lion" has been left out (Proverbs). Although the entirety of the statement was not said, it seems to encapsulate the boldness in Mattie's pursuit of Chaney perfectly.

Portis, Charles, and Donna Tartt. True Grit. New York, NY: Overlook, 2010. Print.

Proverbs. King James Version. Biblical Proportions, 2004-2005. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. .

A Desperate Band - True Grit VII

"He and his desperate band killed a fireman and an express clerk on the Katy Flyer last night" (Portis 159).

Portis puts a lot of work into building the reputation of Lucky Ned Pepper; Lucky Ned comes across as the worst and most well-known criminal in all the Wild West, someone to be feared for his ruthless ways. Portis probably puts this much emphasis on Lucky Ned's character to build an extreme reputation, as well as a sort of foreshadowing for what to expect when Mattie finally meets the man in the climax of the story.

Portis, Charles, and Donna Tartt. True Grit. New York, NY: Overlook, 2010. Print.

Lucky Ned - True Grit VIII

"'I saw Billy was dead when he was struck. I thought Haze might have made it. He was tough as boot leather. I am sorry for him. . .[Billy] should never have been there. There was nothing I could do for him" (Portis 188).

After Portis has spent a good amount of time establishing Lucky Ned's reputation in readers' minds, he suddenly tears that reputation down when Mattie meets Lucky Ned and has a conversation with him. From his reputation, one would expect Lucky Ned to be harsh and easily angered, not generally kind and sympathetic toward others. Portis may be using Lucky Ned to explore reputations and how they can often give a wrong impression of a person; although Lucky Ned is white, Portis's explorations with reputation are very similar to his explorations with race and the reputation a race has.

Portis, Charles, and Donna Tartt. True Grit. New York, NY: Overlook, 2010. Print.

Wild Comanches - True Grit IX

"I will own I was somewhat afraid of them, although they were not, as you may imagine, wild Comanches with painted faces and outlandish garb but rather civilized Creeks and Cherokees and Choctaws. . .I though them on the cheerful side as they nodded and spoke greetings" (Portis 109).

The 1960's was on of the most pivotal times in the Civil Rights movement, with "numerous marches, rallies, strikes, riots, and violent confrontations with the police," as well as the assassinations of many of the leaders of these events ("Psychedelic"); yet in his novel, Portis generally uses white characters, except for the Native Americans Mattie meets in Indian Country, the black stable boy, and a few hispanic criminals.

When Portis does use "colored" characters, their race is a very understated facet of their character: after Mattie introduces the stable as being a "Negro," she goes on the converse with him the way one would converse with any stable boy; after the criminals are introduced using their race, they are spoken of as of any other criminal. Although Mattie is initially quite racist toward Indians, she soon realizes that they are just people with different colored skin, and states that fact in a very subdued way. Portis may be using race and the subtle way he approaches it to make a statement about how little it truly matters whether one's skin is black, red, yellow, or white. Although race can seem like something worthy of mass marches, and riots, Portis believes that at some point most people should come to realize that a person is a person no matter what color their skin.

Portis, Charles, and Donna Tartt. True Grit. New York, NY: Overlook, 2010. Print.

"Psychedelic 60s: The Civil Rights Movement." University of Virginia Library. University of Virgina, 16 Dec. 2009. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. .

Running the River - True Grit X

"We hit the river running . . . I drew up my legs behind me and held to the saddle horn and gave Blackie his head with loose reins. I was considerably splashed" (Portis 107).

The search for women's rights extends through much of history, but in the 1960's, gender equality became a prominent issue, with things like the Equal Pay Act being passed by Congress (Fuentes). When Charles Portis chose to make Mattie's character a fourteen year old girl, he was likely making a statement on how the difference between male and female can be less than it is perceived to be; Mattie Ross is extremely stubborn and tough, both of which used to generally be thought of as male characteristics. Portis also uses Mattie's inner thoughts as a way to show how logical and reasonable a woman can be.

Portis, Charles, and Donna Tartt. True Grit. New York, NY: Overlook, 2010. Print.

Fuentes, Sonia Pressman. "Keynote Address by Sonia Pressman Fuentes." 12 Oct. 2001. Web. 10 Jan. 2012. .