The Intriguing Peter Walsh
The Intriguing Peter Walsh
In this book, Peter was probably the character who really got me into Mrs. Dalloway. He is the judgemental, know-it-all kind of guy. He judges the people around him, especially Clarissa. He critiques her lifestyle, the way she acts, and most importantly, her marriage to Richard. Sadly, with this judgemental attitude comes a problem about Peter: he’s not happy with his life. While visiting Clarissa, he seems a lot less confident than he is. He plays around with his little pocketknife and becomes emotional.
I think Peter judges Clarissa partly because he still hasn't gotten over their past. He keeps thinking about her decision to marry Richard instead of him, despite it happening years ago. He remembers thinking, "She will marry that man,” showing how strongly that moment stuck with him. Instead of admitting that he's still hurt by it, Peter often turns those feelings into criticism of Clarissa.
I always had a feeling that Peter judged Clarissa due to his inability to get over their past. Instead of thinking about his relationship with Daisy Simmons, his Indian girlfriend, whom he fell in love with, he goes in circles with his mind about Clarissa’s decision to marry Richard over him. Instead of admitting his hurt feelings, Peter tries to convey them by criticizing Clarissa. He’s like Richard, except a toddler who tries to throw the stuffed animal instead of hugging it.
Despite his tantrums, he understands Clarissa better than everyone else. Yet his feelings for her probably hinder him from being able to see the true Clarissa, the Mrs. Dalloway. That’s why Peter was one of the characters I had a soft spot for.
I agree with the idea that Peter criticizes Clarissa due to her past rejection of him however I have to disagree with you saying that the true Clarissa is "Mrs. Dalloway". In the beginning of the book Clarissa states that she feels that she has lost her drive in life and that she feels her true identity has been swallowed up by becoming Richard's wife of "Mrs. Richard Dalloway". She says that she was no longer Clarissa and that is one of the major reasons why she is unhappy in her life because she had lost all of the youthful joy and energy that Clarissa had to become the perfect hostess of Mrs. Dalloway.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right in that Peter copes with being rejected by Clarissa by criticizing her, and I think that Clarissa felt similarly about Peter. Even in a happy relationship with Richard, she still feels strangely about Peter Walsh, and pushes away those feelings with justifications about why her and Peter wouldn't have worked out. Because of this, her thoughts about Peter often embitter her moments of happiness. Neither character sees the inner core of the other, and both perceive each other through their own egos in order to justify their separation. Great post Darshan!
ReplyDeleteWho can even say what it means for Peter to be "in love" with Daisy--by his own admission, he hasn't even been thinking about her since he's come to London, even though he's ostensibly there in order to arrange her divorce. It's true that Clarissa experiences his attention as too much, too critical, and we talked about how he exists in her mind throughout her life, looking on and offering a critical takedown (all stemming from the "perfect hostess" quip). But as with so many aspects of this novel, we don't want to settle on just one take--this post mostly reflects Peter as Clarissa thinks of him. It would be great, if we really want to unpack Peter's own complexity, to really dig into the extended passages where he is alone thinking about Clarissa. We get a lot more detail as to what he admires about her, why he loves and respects her, and it seems like he's not all that critical of her at all--he remembers young Clarissa as full of interesting and original ideas, someone he could talk to for hours, and he even remembers her "theory" of intersubjectivity and how well we "know" each other, years later. It seems to me that Clarissa might change her view of Peter if she truly knew how highly he thinks of her.
ReplyDeleteHey Darshan! Peter was also a character that intrigued me because of his relationship with Clarissa. He strays from the traditional characters in the book with his adventurous personality and the fact he is still in love, something that seems to make Clarissa jealous. Interestingly they both seem to judge each other quite harshly, but talk very amiably. However, I don't quite think Peter knows or understands the "true Clarissa" as he critiques her party throwing, a core element of her life.
ReplyDeleteHey Darshan, funny seeing you here. I loved the parallel on Peter's character reflecting a toddlet throwing a stuffed animal instead of hugging it. It really helps my visualize what type or character he would be in real life. It also makes complete sense that Peter's arrogant and critical attitude towards Clarissa and her marriage might root from his unresolved regrets about their past. Overall, great read!
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