Mrs. Dalloway- A Choice

I think the issue in the first half of this novel is determining who the characters are. However, in typical classical style, Woolf describes the characters through their actions, not her words. For instance, we learn about Mrs. Dalloway through her walk, and her past thoughts, but not through a descriptive page of her personality. This is very expected. What I don’t expect is the way Mrs. Dalloway is portrayed. It seems as if Woolf really likes Mrs. Dalloway, not necessarily because she is a strong woman of an independent woman by any means. Instead, Mrs. Dalloway seems to be a woman aware of her position and proud of the path she chose. The key thing here is that she chose her path.  
 Just as she chose her walking paths, something she did alone, to appease herself, so does she choose her path in life. She was able to think logically and choose someone who was financially sound and fit for society. While she does play into the role of a woman who maintains her position inside of the household, concerned with the public perception of her she also maintains the position of a woman not afraid to make her own decisions. Instead of being completely dominated by what society deems appropriate she does what makes her happy first and foremost.  
 I think this addresses the conflict between the women adjusted to the old way of life yet still desiring to modernize. It shows that while a woman can be “stuck” she can be so by choice.