Did Clarissa really love Sally?
From the surface it seems pretty clear that Sally was the one who got away. Their kiss was the most exquisite moment of Clarissa’s life and when it happened she felt out of this world. On the other hand, Sally wasn't mentioned until later in the book, after Peter and Richard, and technically she married Richard and was content with the way their relationship panned out.
I believe it was pretty obvious that when Clarissa thought of Sally there were some elements of passion and curiosity. The reason it’s unclear whether Clarissa loves Sally is because Sally represents these radical ideas that go against society and as we have noted in the past Clarissa doesn't love the idea of being Mrs. Richard Dalloway and is interested in what Sally talked to her about. I think Clarissa’s amusement with the anarchical ideas of Sally gave her too much to think about her mind was already blown by these new ideas she never considered the more radical idea of being in love with a woman. If Sally had been a man I think Clarissa would have “chosen” Sally. Sally had the elements of Peter Clarissa was attracted to, the sense of adventure but Sally didn’t seem to pose the same self centered attitude Peter does. Additionally, we can see in the long run Sally went the stable route which is another quality Clarissa seeked out by marrying Richard.
Clarissa often thinks about how her life would have been had she not chosen Richard, I think there is no way of knowing that if she had chosen Peter or if she could have chosen Sally it would have worked out. Although Clarissa does show interest in Peter she also talks about not reading his letters because they are often boring and just about himself this could signify had Clarissa chosen Peter they may have not worked out or she would have been unhappy. Additionally, it is hard to say that Clarissa and Sally would have been happy together. Even if society had let them be together Clarissa is infatuated with Sally because the worldview she has, eventually Sally ended up following the status quo.
Another factor to consider is whether or not Clarissa’s view of the past is romanticized. The idea of Clarissa not being as happy now as she was when she was younger seems plausible. In that case, it wouldn't be unreasonable for Clarissa to imagine Peter and Sally in a much more positive light. When we meet Peter in the book he doesn't seem to have to same charm Clarissa describes he did when they were young. Sally also now married a man and doesn't continue to pursue socialist ideas, it is possible that Sally had those ideas but maybe they weren’t as intense and mind blowing as Clarissa remembers.
To conclude it is hard to say if they loved each other based on Clarissas description there was definitely curiosity and passion but whether or not there relationship could have panned out to anything is hard to say because there isn’t more background to there relationship.
I think you make a good point in that there are a lot of factors that contributed to Clarissa's infatuation with Sally. The point that really intrigued me was Clarissa's romanticized view of the past. I know this is definitely something that I do and it's easy to look at the past through rose-colored glasses. This could also explain the fact that Clarissa remembers her feelings in a detached way that she no longer feels. Time makes the heart grow fonder and her nostalgia for a fun time when she was younger may have clumped Sally in with those memories. However, I do think that there had to have been something substantial there for her to have these fond memories to branch off of.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's easy to view the past in a more romanticized view, and I think it's important to take that into account when discussing Clarissa's relationship with Sally. Still, Clarissa describes Sally Seton with such passion that it's obvious she really loved and admired Sally. I wonder what would happen if middle-aged Clarissa met middle-aged Sally?
DeleteAn interesting point where if Sally was a man would Clarissa have "chosen" her. I think (which you pointed out earlier) that the reason Clarissa remembers the relationship so fondly is because in some way the relationship is frozen in these perfect moments. They both knew that the relationship couldn't really become serious. I think that because they always had to be in this vague, undefined, defiant relationship they couldn't develop problems that we see later in the relationships between Clarissa and Peter and Richard. On the other hand Clarissa doesn't feel that she can fully connect with a man so maybe the relationship between Clarissa and Sally could have been more developed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you're implying about what was going on between Clarissa and Sally. I don't think Clarissa even truly realized her true feelings about Sally, especially because such a thing was unfathomable at that time. I can't help but wonder how Clarissa's later life would be different if her and Sally had continued this relationship though.....?
ReplyDeleteEither way, it is very possible that maybe her view of the past is a bit romanticized simply because of the episodes of melancholy and nostalgia she gets from time to time in her later life that leave her longing for her youth days.
You pose some great questions in this post! I think it’s really interesting to ponder how things might be different if Sally had been a man. It brings into question what, exactly, it was that Clarissa was looking for in a life partner. You point out that Clarissa sought out the safe option (Richard) and it’s hard to say whether she would have done the same if a more “bad girl” character like Sally, in the form of a man, had been in the mix. But I think that she would have, and her reflections about the alternative choices that she could have made aren’t an expression of unhappiness with her current life as much as just the natural tendency of the human mind to consider “what ifs.”
ReplyDeleteI agree, especially the point about Clarissa possibly romanticizing her past. I think Clarissa uses her memories as a form of escapism from a life she's not quite satisfied with. Sally is no longer as radical as she was, and maybe she never was as radical as Clarissa believed, but the passage of time allows for Clarissa to modify her memories into whatever will make her happy. Certainly she was infatuated with Sally at a time, but it seems that she is happier just by remembering this short time. This is further compacted by the social prohibition of homosexual love, which Clarissa likely has internalized and which prevents her from viewing homosexual love as a viable life choice.
ReplyDeletegreat argument about romanticizing the past! Woolf makes the story of sally and clarissa particularly interesting because it's all narrated through a lens of different characters. In addition to the "what if" questions of marrying peter or being with sally, it is interesting how sally and peter affected clarissa's current life. At the end of the book I would say that clarissa is truly happy with richard but her crush on sally changed the way she views happiness, makes her reflect on the past more, and definitely affects peter
ReplyDeleteI recall in a class discussion, Mr. Mitchell referred to Sally as the "bad boy" of the school. The idea of a bad boy refers to someone who breaks the rules and challenges the norms that society imposes, and that defiance is what makes them irresistible. Clarissa's recollection of her kiss with Sally seems to have stemmed from attraction to the danger of living life on the edge, but also true feelings at someone who could make her feel this way. It is due to the social constraints of the time that Clarissa is unable to properly classify her feelings in a way we could today (sexuality).
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