Mrs. Dalloway's Artifical Life

Woolf strived to illustrate the vain and artificial life of Clarissa and her involvement in it. The detail given and thought provoked in one day of a woman's preparation for a party or a simple social event exposes the superficial lifestyle of England's upper classes at the time of the novel. Even though Clarissa is affected by Septimus' death and is bombarded by profound thoughts throughout the novel, she is also a woman for whom a party is her greatest offering to society. Women like Clarissa found self-worth in offering to host or entertain guests.