Mrs. Dalloway begins to realize, through the course of her day, that she may have lost her individuality in order to become the "perfect hostess". Virginia Woolf switches narratives from the perspectives of Peter, once a lover of Clarissa's, to the people that make up her day. Use of stream of consciousness narratives and ultimately ending the novel through the perception of Peter, concludes Mrs. Dalloway in such a way that the reader, not necessarily Clarissa, finds resolution in the sense that she has not become ineffectual; on the contrary, she is interconnected to many and whether she realizes it or not, it is her parties and her relationships with these people which makes her important and gives her life meaning.

Virginia Woolf introduces the character of Clarissa with an opening, which in its simplicity, effectively communicates Clarissa's struggle in obtaining individuality; "Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy...