Elizabeth Dalloway Research Paper

Elizabeth Dalloway represents the beauty of youth that comes from the freedom of choice that the previous generation did not seem to have. While the previous generation was able to make choices, they were highly affected by the views of the society they were a part of. Elizabeth’s generation seems to have the ability to make their choices without as much of an influence by their society, and that results in many different reactions from the people around them, which can be seen through other character’s reactions to Elizabeth. Peter Walsh seems to use Elizabeth to criticize her mother, at no fault of Elizabeth. His mind is so centered on trying to force himself to move on from Clarissa that he instead obsesses over her in a critical

Richard had always cared for his daughter, and this is shown in the middle of the novel when it says, “For the worthlessness of this life did strike Richard pretty forcibly––buying necklaces for Evelyn. If he’d had a boy he’d have said, Work, work. But he had his Elizabeth; he adored his Elizabeth” (111). Despite the fact that Richard felt his life was worthless, he cared for Elizabeth, and she made his life better. His pride in her is further shown at the end of the novel when it says, “And Richard and Elizabeth were rather glad it [the party] was over, but Richard was proud of his daughter. And he had not meant to tell her, but he could not help telling her. He had looked at her, he said, and he had wondered, Who is that lovely girl? and it was his daughter! That did make her happy. But her poor dog was howling” (189). This particular quote reminds of earlier in the book when Richard wanted to tell Clarissa that he loved her but he couldn’t. Only, in this case, he hadn’t meant to tell Elizabeth he was proud of her but did it anyway. Elizabeth is happy that her father is proud of her, but is more worried about her dog than this and the party. She is basically being told she is beautiful yet again, but she is more interested in her own concerns, her