Chapter Abstracts Chapter abstracts are short descriptions of events that occur in each chapter. ‘They highlight major plot events and detail the important relationships and characteristics of characters and “objects, The Chapter Abstracts ean be used to review what the students have read, or to prepare the students for what they will read. Hand the abstracts out in class as a study guide, or use them as a “key” for a class discussion. They are relatively brief, but ean serve to be an excellent refresher of the text for either a student or teacher. pages 1-43 Abstract * It is the middle of June and Clarissa Dalloway, a woman living in the Westminster section of London, is enjoying the beautiful day and thinking about her absent friends. * Clarissa thinks about the fact that World War I is over and it is time for garden parties, polo ponies and daneing. * Clarissa takes a walk through Westminster and sees an old friend, Hugh Whitbread, who has brought his ailing mother to see a doctor. pages 44-87 Abstract * Clarissa loves Hugh as they have been friends all their lives, even though Clarissa always feels awkward and under-dressed around the impeccable Hugh. * Clarissa thinks about how Hugh hates Peter Walsh and has never forgiven her for liking the man. * When Clarissa had been engaged to Peter, they argued all the time and she eventually broke off the engagement, * Clarissa then married Richard Dalloway, a man who gave her room; Peter married an. Indian out to sea, pages 88-130 Abstract * Clarissa goes from shop to shop, planning for the party she is hosting tonight. * As Clarissa selects flowers from a floral shop, she sees a chauffeured car pull up and the people in the area think someone of importance must be inside. + A couple named Septimus Warren Smith and his wife, Lucrezia, also witness the stir caused by the car. * Lucrezia (Rezia) repeatedly tries to distract Septimus and keep him focused on things that are real. pages 131-174 Abstract + Septimus cannot be dissuaded from his observations and pulls into himself while he talks aloud and writes notes on the backs of envelopes. * Clarissa arrives home to find her housekeeper, Lucy, and the Irish cook, Mrs. Walker, bustling with party preparations. * Lady Bruton has asked Richard to attend one of her famous lunch parties but Clarissa is notinvited. pages 175-215 Abstract * Clarissa retreats to her room and thinks about the emptiness of life and about falling, in love with women. * Clarissa remembers her younger days at Bourton and falling in love with Sally Seton with a love that was so pure and so unlike love with a man, * Clarissa would like to wear her favorite green dress tonight but it is torn so Clarissa decides to mend it herself sinee the maids are so busy, Abstract * As Clarissa sits in her room with her dress in her lap, Peter Walsh knocks on the door and enters, stunning Clarissa, * Clarissa is ashamed that Peter sees her mending a dress because his life is so adventurous and hers clearly is not. * Clarissa brings up the days at her father's house and Peter is tormented by remembering those days and wishes Clarissa would stop. * Peter blurts out that he is in love with the wife of a Major in the Indian army who has two children and Peter has returned to London to see about a + Peter worries that he is a failure in Clarissa’s eyes, and Clarissa thinks about everything Peter has done and how she cannot measure up. * Peter cries, not knowing what to do and thinking about the mess on his hands so Clarissa kisses him and realizes that perhaps she should have married Peter. * Peter is amazed that Clarissa should still have power over him and he is interrupted from holding her by Clarissa’s daughter, Elizabeth, who strolls into the room. + Peter leaves Clarissa's house and thinks about how Clarissa has become hard and how she had refused him, * Peter thinks about the days at Bourton when he was madly in love with Clarissa and how he hated to share her with anybody at parties. * At one party, Richard Dalloway was introduced and Peter knew immediately that Clarissa would marry him. * Peter was also jealous of the amount of time that Clarissa spent with Sally Seton, the brash young ‘woman who smoked cigars in her bedroom. * Peter knows that he badgered Clarissa to a point where she broke up with him and he wasdevastated. * The story switches back to Rezia who notes that the Septimus she had married was gone, replaced ‘with a Septimus who said cruel things, talked to himself and to his dead war buddy. * Rezia does not understand her husband's behavior and knows only that she should not be the one to suffer. * Peter continues his stroll in Regent's Park, thinking about Clarissa and how cold she seemed; Peter knows that Clarissa is still in love with him. * Septimus and Rezia walk to their appointment with Sir William Bradshaw, who Rezia believes will be able to cure Septimus + Septimus thinks about his youth and his love of Shakespeare and Keats and how those things still have appeal for him, * Septimus can still think, reason and appreciate the beauty of words but he ean no longer feel anything-the feelings had died in the war. + No matter what Septimus did, there was a sense of unfeeling blankness. * When Septimus was young, he wanted to write and left home for London but got lost among all the others with the same vocation. + Septimus went to war, got promoted and lived to come home yet he lost all feeling. * Rezia sent for Dr. Holmes who could not find anything wrong with Septimus. * Dr. Holmes visited Septimus frequently and became alarmed when Septimus talked about death yet he could find nothing wrong with him. * Rezia is hopeful about Sir William Bradshaw because of his wonderful reputation of being able to make a diagnosis in the first 2-3 minutes of seeing a patient. * Sir William can see that Septimus has had a complete mental and physical breakdown. * Septimus’ threat of suicide is what eauses Sir William to tell Rezia that Septimus should go into a home because he is not fit to be out and about as he is a danger to others and himself, * Hugh Whitbread attends lunch at Lady Bruton’s with Richard and Hugh helps Lady Braton with a letter she wants to send to the Times. + Hugh and Richard leave the luncheon and stop at a jeweler's where Hugh hopes to buy a necklace for his wife, Evelyn. * Richard never thinks to buy presents for Clarissa, and not trusting his taste in jewelry, decides to buy flowers instead. * Clarissa is thrilled with the flowers that Richard gives her and chats halfheartedly with him about his job. * Richard lets the flowers convey his love for Clarissa because he is unable to verbalize how he feels. * Richard insists that Clarissa rest for a bit and she falls asleep after he returns to work,* Elizabeth and her tutor, Miss Kilman, come downstairs and Miss Kilman is glad to see that Clarissa is asleep so she won't have to speak with her. * Clarissa awakens and speaks to Miss Kilman who interprets everything Clarissa says as an offense or slight. * Mill Kilman loathes Clarissa and Clarissa pokes fun at Miss Kilman for talking to herself and for her piety as a born-again Christian, * Miss Kilman and Elizabeth go to the stores but Miss Kilman does not buy anything because she is poor. * Miss Kilman looks old and dumpy and no man would ever look at her. * Miss Kilman feels even worse when she thinks about Clarissa, beeause she loathes Clarissa for her indulgent life. * Miss Kilman and Elizabeth then go to tea and Miss Kilman is annoyed when Elizabeth finishes quickly and leaves at her first opportunity. * Miss Kilman thinks about the church and struggles with her feelings about Clarissa, inwardly hating her and trying to reconcile those feelings with her newfound faith and recommended treatment of peace, not judgment. + Elizabeth explores the city for a little while before returning home to get ready for her mother's party. * Septimus lies on a sofa watching shadows in the room and feeling like he is floating. * Rezia agonizes watching her husband lying there smiling and hearing and seeing things that only he ean see. * Rezia writes down everything that Septimus tells her to, some of it beautiful and some sheer nonsense. * Rezia and Septimus share a few laughs about a hat she is making and she hopes that maybe the old Septimus is returning. * Rezia recalls meeting Septimus in Milan and being intrigued by his English nature. * Rezia tries to explain to Septimus that he must go to a home because of his talk of suicide, but she has a change of heart and collects his drawings and writings and puts them away so no one can find them and separate her from her husband. * Dr. Holmes arrives later and Rezia won't let him see Septimus but he pushes past her, headed to Septimus’ room. * Septimus hears the doctor coming and thinks there is only one answer; before Dr. Holmes ean reach him, Septimus throws himself out the window and falls to his death. * Peter walks along the street and notices the sound of the siren that is taking Septimus’ body to the hospital. * Peter thinks that it is odd that some relationships never change despite time and distance such ashis relationships with Clarissa and Sally. * Peter returns to his hotel where there is a letter waiting for him from Clarissa saying that it was heavenly to see him. * Peter thinks about how the relationship with Clarissa would have never worked out beeause he felt like he had to do and say things just right with her, and he always seemed to be criticizing her or trying to decipher her moods. * Peter's relationship with Daisy was easy even though she was 24-years-old and married with two children, * At Clarissa’s house, people have started to arrive for the party and Clarissa is elated that the Prime Minister and other dignitaries will be present. + Behind the scenes, Mrs. Walker has everything under control even though she does not like to delegate tasks. * Clarissa frets over small details, gushes over her guests and laments when she thinks she has forgotten something. * Sally Seton arrives unexpectedly and Cla and heard about the party so she invited hers * elf, hoping to have some time with Clarissa, * Clarissa notes that there is some sense of vitality Sally once had but everything else seems to have washed away as if Sally was wrung out a is thrilled to see her; Sally happened to be in town * Sally sits with Peter and talks about the times they used to spend together. * Sir William and Lady Bradshaw arrive and Clarissa always feels inept around them, * Clarissa overhears someone mention shell shock but assumes it is part of the Bill Richard had been discussing. * Later Clarissa hears about a man who had served in the army had just committed suicide; Clarissa thinks of all the fussing she had done today while that man lay dying on the ground after jumping out a window. + Everyone says that Clarissa is a perfect hostess as she continues to ensure that everyone is having a good time. * Sally talks about how she still can’t believe, after all these years, that Clarissa married Richard when it was clear that Clarissa loved Peter more than she loved Richard. * Peter enjoys talking with Sally talking about their youth. * Peter watches Clarissa, and no matter what logical arguments Peter could make against it, he still loves Clarissa, and once again, she is there in front of him.Character Descriptions ‘This section provides a short description of all the major characters in the book. This ean be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these deseriptions into a variety of question formats. Characters ‘Miss Pym - This character waits on Clarissa at the floral shop. Sir William Bradshaw - Although he immediately grasps the gravity and nature of Sept condition, he is nevertheless an unlikable character. Lady Bruton - She is a woman of strong character, active in public and political life, who always uses her influence in matters about which she feels strongly. Daisy - She is referred to in passing as the woman whom Peter Walsh is to marry. Clarissa Dalloway - She is the principal character of the novel since it is her party that gives definition to the narrative and her point of view dominates the book. Elizabeth Dalloway - She is just coming of age, and she is somewhat in the thrall of her history tutor. Richard Dalloway - He is a politician and member of Parliament and the Conserv. demonstrating his relative social and political conservatism. ive Party, Ellie Henderson - She is not well-off and gets out very seldom, so she is grateful to have the ‘opportunity to attend the party. Dr. Holmes - He is an overbearing and controlling man who does not understand Septimus’ condition and whose ignorance and arrogance do Septimus more harm than good. Miss Doris Kilman - She is a single, educated woman to whom life has not been particularly Kind or just. Luey - She is the principal housemaid in the Dalloway home, and she and the cook are primarily responsible for readying the house for the party. Mrs. Walker - This character is Lucy's Irish cook. Miss Helena Parry - She surprises Peter at the end of the book by still being alive and by being present at the party. Sylvia Parry - She was killed by a falling tree at Bourton Evan - This character was Septimus’ friend who died in the war. Lady Rosseter - This character is Sally Seton. Sally Seton - She was a member of the close triangle of friends who often spent time together at Bourton and who delighted her friends with her vibrant personality and her legendary exploits. Luerezia Warren Smith, Rezia - She met her husband in Italy where he was stationed forpart of WWI but he is no longer the man she knew due to war trauma, Septimus Warren Smith - He is a distressed man going through the hours of his last day, entertaining delusional thoughts and experiencing hallucinations, and ultimately, killing himself. Peter Walsh - He is defined by having been deeply in love with a young woman and intending to marry her but she rejected him. Despite this, he still seems to be in love with her. Hugh Whitbread - He always tried to please his mother and he dutifully looks after his ailing and fragile wife.