Title: Time and Memory: The Role of Big Ben in Woolf’s Narrative Exploring Symbolism and Stream of Consciousness in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway*

Title: Time and Memory: The Role of Big Ben in Woolf’s Narrative
Exploring Symbolism and Stream of Consciousness in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway*

Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway is a masterful modernist novel that captures the inner lives of its characters through the fluidity of memory, consciousness, and time. One of the most iconic and recurring images in the novel is the sound of Big Ben, striking throughout the day as Clarissa Dalloway prepares for her evening party.

In this blog post, we explore the symbolic role of Big Ben in Mrs Dalloway and how Woolf uses the famous clock to examine the nature of time, memory, mortality, and the fragmentation of modern consciousness.

1. Big Ben as a Symbol of Objective Time

The tolling of Big Ben marks the passage of objective, linear time in the novel. It is a reminder of the structure of the day—something concrete and external in a narrative that is otherwise deeply internal. Big Ben’s regular chimes impose a kind of temporal rhythm, grounding the characters’ wandering thoughts in shared moments.

“The leaden circles dissolved in the air.”
— Mrs Dalloway

This recurring phrase not only represents the physical sound of the bell but also the diffusion of time into human experience. Time is not just measured—it is felt, absorbed, and fragmented by memory.

2. Time and Mortality: Big Ben as a Reminder of Death

As Big Ben chimes, it becomes a memento mori—a reminder of the inescapable passage of time and the inevitability of death. For Clarissa Dalloway, the sound often prompts reflections on aging, loss, and the fleeting nature of life.

Similarly, for Septimus Warren Smith, a traumatized veteran of World War I, time is both a burden and a prison. The structure imposed by Big Ben is a sharp contrast to the disorientation of his psychological trauma, underscoring the disconnect between individual perception and societal norms.

3. Big Ben and Stream of Consciousness

Woolf’s signature use of stream-of-consciousness narration is intricately linked to how her characters experience time. Unlike the mechanical certainty of Big Ben, their inner time is elastic, non-linear, and deeply shaped by memory.

The sound of the clock often triggers flashbacks, associations, and emotional responses. For example, Clarissa may hear the chime and suddenly recall a childhood moment or a lost love. This shows how external time intersects with internal time, allowing Woolf to explore how memory weaves itself into the present moment.

4. Big Ben as a Unifying Device in the Narrative

Though the novel’s structure is fragmented—moving from one character’s thoughts to another—Big Ben serves as a unifying thread, anchoring various experiences to a shared timeline. It connects characters who otherwise may never meet, emphasizing the interconnectedness of urban life in post-war London.

Every toll of the bell signals a moment shared, even if it is experienced differently. It is a subtle yet powerful way of linking the public and private spheres, much like Woolf's overall approach to the novel.

5. Time, Identity, and Change

Big Ben’s mechanical presence also represents the tension between permanence and change. It strikes the same way every day, yet each character changes—internally and externally—between chimes. Woolf uses this contrast to ask: How do we measure a life? Is it by the clock, or by the memories we carry and the moments that shape us?

Conclusion: Big Ben as More Than a Clock

In Mrs Dalloway, Big Ben is far more than a background detail—it is a symbol of modern existence, of structure amid chaos, of death within life, and of time as both oppressor and witness. Woolf uses it with extraordinary nuance to reflect the ephemeral, fragmented, and deeply personal nature of human consciousness.

Through the chimes of Big Ben, Woolf invites us to listen—to the passing of hours, to the voices within us, and to the silent rhythm of memory that defines who we are.

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Would you like a companion post on Clarissa Dalloway’s character development or a comparison between Mrs Dalloway and The Hours by Michael Cunningham?