The Meaning Of Life

Virginia Woolf, as a famous British writer, is a pioneer representative ofmodernism novel. Mrs. Dalloway, as a stream of consciousness novel, is Woolf’sclassic. For a long time, different methods of criticism focused on narrative strategy,psychoanalysis, life and death, etc. The meaning of life is raised in Mrs. Dalloway byVirginia Woolf, also discussed by many existentialists.This thesis will firstly examine Heidegger’s and Sartre’s existentialism. And thenit will study the meaning of life revealed in Mrs. Dalloway, focusing on the way ofbeing in life, interpersonal relationship and fighting for freedom.This thesis presents a study of the way of being in Mrs. Dalloway. The way ofbeing can be found in the attitudes of Clarissa and Septimus towards the authenticexistence and in-authentic existence perspective and death-towards-being andbeing-towards-death perspective. It reveals the writer’s perception of life value. Thenthis thesis dwells on how the major characters face the interpersonal relationship. Itconveys their attitude and action in the exterior world, also shows Woolf’s intelligenceof balancing life, namely, standing up to people and social environment. Last but notleast, it reveals the individual freedom and responsibility for freedom. It exploresWoolf’s pursuit and belief of free life.This thesis gives the existentialist interpretation of Mrs. Dalloway, and therebyilluminates Virginia Woolf’s concern for the significance of individual life and thepursuit of life meaning, that is, to live for love for each other and cherish life.