The Power Behind Separation In Mrs. Dalloway

We live in a world which is constructed by multiple types of power relationships. Powerpermeates in every corner and every moments of our life. Society functions through thesepower relationships. It can be invisible but influential and manipulative.This thesis paper tries to analyze the power of separation in Mrs. Dalloway one of themost distinguished novels by Virginia Woolf. There are two regrets in the novel Clarissa’sleaving Peter despite of their love, and Septimus’s death. This thesis, in light of MichelleFoucault’s Theory of Power, means to analyze the reasons why couples in this novel areseparated physically and/or spiritually. Focusing on a substantial study of the relationshipbetween Clarissa and Peter, and the death of Septimus, the author of the thesis concludes thatthe separation between lovers in Mrs Dalloway is an inevitable result of a combined powerstruggle. To see the power behind separation, this study attempts to make its own tribute tothe studies of Mrs Dalloway and of Virginia Woolf.