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Chapter 14: Mrs. Dalloway
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Hours, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Passage of Time
Suicide and Mental Health
Marriage, Relationships, and Personal Fulfillment
Reading and Writing
Summary
Analysis
Vanessa has left Virginia’s house. As Nelly prepares dinner, she’s in a surprisingly good mood. Leonard is writing in the study while Virginia looks out the parlor window and watches it get dark. She’s afraid that she feels a headache coming on but realizes it’s just the memory of a headache. She thinks of the dead bird in the yard and then goes out to look at it.
Although this passage initially seems to paint a blissful scene, the darkening sky, Virginia’s fear of a headache, and the dead bird show the turmoil beneath the peaceful scene. This passage is the opposite of the hopeful anticipation that many characters long for—it conveys instead the oppressive feeling that something bad is on the horizon.
Themes
Virginia goes out the gate and starts heading toward the center of Richmond, not knowing what she’ll do when she gets there. She gets there and overhears conversations of people talking, but they just make her feel more alone. She heads toward the rail station and considers taking a spontaneous trip to London.
Like Laura, Virginia begins to feel a sense of freedom and possibility as soon as she gets out of the house, suggesting the heavy burden of household responsibilities. Still, Virginia continues to face disappointment—despite her desire for independence, she also seeks intimacy and connection, and the strangers she hears talking remind her of what she doesn’t have.
Themes
When Virginia steps inside the Richmond train station, she sees that it will be almost 25 minutes until the next train to London. She wonders what to do, fearing what will happen if she gets ill again while away. She’s over 40 and feels her life is slipping away from her. She buys a ticket and waits at the station for a while, but eventually she decides to walk out toward Kew Road, which will give her just enough time to get back.
Once again, Virginia alternates between hope and dread, as the train offers her the possibility to escape but also more waiting and potential disappointment. Virginia’s inability to wait at the station shows her impatience, which is relate to her fear that her life is passing so quickly.
Themes
As Virginia is walking, she happens to see Leonard. She wonders if she can get away, but he sees her. He asks what she’s doing, since it seems like she just disappeared. Virginia accuses Leonard of acting strange himself. Leonard says they must get back in time for dinner so that Nelly doesn’t get angry.
In the home, Leonard often controls Virginia in subtle ways, and here, he foils Virginia’s whole escape plan simply by happening to go for a walk in the same area. Once again, Virginia and Leonard have a seemingly innocuous conversation that reveals a lot about their marriage and about the more powerful status of men compared to women in this time period.
Themes
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Virginia says it’s about time for them to move back to London. Leonard isn’t sure but says they can discuss it over dinner. They both agree that they wish they could be happy with a quiet life, but they can’t. Virginia keeps her train ticket in her bag but plans to never tell Leonard about it.
Although Virginia fears Leonard’s authority and how he can keep her trapped in Richmond, this passage reveals that he is yet another character with more going on beneath the surface—he too struggles to feel satisfied with his life, even though he knows he has a lot to be thankful for. Virginia’s unused train ticket represents all the other choices she could have made in her life but didn’t.
Themes
