Characters

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Mrs. Barnet
Mrs. Barnet works as a maid in the Dalloway household. Although her actions when greeting Mabel Waring and taking her coat may seem ordinary to the reader, they trigger significant feelings of insecurity in Mabel about her appearance and social standing.

Clarissa Dalloway
Clarissa Dalloway is the party hostess that Mabel attends. She is gracious and polite to her guests, leaving a lasting impression even though the reader only hears her speak once in the story—to urge Mabel not to leave the party early.

Mrs. Dalloway
See Clarissa Dalloway.

Mabel Waring
Mabel Waring is a middle-aged woman who constantly, and some might say obsessively, reflects on her sense of alienation from the higher social class she aspires to join. Invited to a party hosted by the wealthy and socially prominent Clarissa Dalloway, Mabel is consumed with anxiety over her inability to afford fashionable clothing. She wears an old-fashioned dress made from a pattern book that belonged to her mother, then spends much of the party worrying about its suitability and attracting the notice of other guests because of it. Her brief conversations at the party further highlight her disconnect from this social tier.

Rose Shaw
Rose Shaw is another guest at Clarissa Dalloway’s party. Mabel Waring describes her as always being dressed ‘‘in the height of fashion, precisely like everybody else, always.’’ Rose compliments Mabel on her new dress, but Mabel believes she is being subtly ridiculed.

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Critical Essays