Richard is a Good Person

Richard Dalloway is pretty cool. He stands out as a character in the novel Mrs. Dalloway, not because he is awful but because he is really the only character who isn’t. He is compassionate and genuinely thinks about the ways he can do good. Richard was genuine and reading his pages did not make me feel resentment towards him as the other character’s did. All other characters seem to have traits that make them unlikeable, if not to you as a reader, to other characters in the book. 

He appears to have the universal love of everyone but Sally but even she seems to dislike him solely because of his conservative politics. Miss Kilman who expresses her hatred for all those who are wealthy and especially Mrs. Dalloway makes an exception for Richard. Lady Bruton and Milly Brush both thought that they prefer Richard to Hugh when they came to brunch. Even Peter, the man who was in love with his wife does not feel any resentment towards Richard and they talk like like old friends when they see each other after years at the party. Many other characters share this like of Richard because he has empathy towards all and shows he cares.

He thinks about others with compassion and who is in need of help. He thinks about the poor woman in the park, not with condescension like Clarissa does with poor people but about the help she needs. As someone with the power to affect change, it is nice to know that he considers the problems of others and not immigration to Canada and other trivial things governments deal with. He thinks about how much he loves his wife and what he should do to express his feelings of affection. He shows his devotion to Clarissa despite not having the words to say it out loud. His thoughts are very reflective of the type of person he is: a kind man.

Not just his thoughts but his actions are also reflective of his good nature. He goes out of his way at the party to speak with Clarissa’s cousin, Ellie Henderson, who sat alone. He purchases flowers and brings them home for Clarissa to show his love for her. At the party thinks that he should keep his pride to himself about Elizabeth but he can’t help it and tells her anyway. He doesn’t just think about doing nice things, he acts on the thoughts that he has. 

Overall, Richard is just a good and likeable guy which seem to be traits missing from almost every other character in this book. You can have other characters you may like and agree with but I find it hard to dislike or to find many faults with Richard. It was nice to have a breath of fresh air between Clarissa and Peter criticizing each other, Hugh being generally annoying, and other wealthy people.


Comments

  1. DemitriusOctober 2, 2020 at 3:10 PM

    I completely agree, by the end of the book we can certainly see how everything about Richard is good. Even though in the beginning of the book Richard sort of seemed like a boring character, we can appreciate him pretty much as soon as we actually experience his perspective. Although some may say the Richard is flawed for not being able to actually voice his affections to his wife and say "I love you", their mutual understanding of what he meant by the flowers makes him an even better character.

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  2. Edward KongOctober 14, 2020 at 1:24 AM

    I definitely agree that it's pretty hard to hate Richard. Woolf made him a character that was kind the top-notch respectable Englishman in my opinion. I think it was interesting that while he is described directly in the book as a "conservative politician" , the given examples of his political ideas actually seem pretty progressive and liberal for the time being. Maybe there is some outside knowledge not shown in the book, but I feel that it could mean something more actually...

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  3. YeowoonOctober 20, 2020 at 7:37 PM

    I guess I agree with what you said. Richard may not have had the best first impression but throughout the book we are able to see through his perspective and understand his thoughts and actions a bit more. I think in that way he becomes more likeable as a character to the reader.

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