In Mrs. Dalloway, each of the characters have something that has been hidden in their past. Some characters have feelings towards another character or towards an event that occurred and do not act upon them. Those characters just choose to hide their true intentions from others around them. They continue to keep appearances and hide their emotions. Virginia Wolfe's short story shows the consequences that suppressed feelings can have on people.
Three characters in the story all are hiding some part of them selves. Peter is hiding his true feelings for Clarissa and the resentment that he holds for her rejecting his marriage proposal. He continues to think about er even after visiting her again. Instead of addressing this to Clarissa he hides these feelings of sadness and resentment and then goes on to stalk another girl in the park. He begins to form a relationship with this girl in his mind and later discovers this self induced relationship. He thinks to himself that the relationship is "made up, as one makes up the better part of life". Later on, he returns to Clarissa's house in order to attend the get together that she is throwing and is filled with joy once he sees her again.
Clarissa herself is hiding feelings of others. She begins to become resentful over the her marriage. Her husband, Richard, cannot tell her that he loves her and this begins to trouble her. She begins to think on the day that she choose to marry Richard instead of Peter and wonders if she really did make the right decision. Not only this but she is also resentful over how her old friend Sally has changed. Sally is now a married woman with many children, much different from the Sally that Clarissa once knew. The relationship with Sally was one of complete love , the way "as men feel" for women. She thinks on this feeling after remembering a kiss that she once shared with Sally.
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