The Symbolism of Airplanes and Trees in Mrs. Dalloway

✈️The airplane symbolizes the swift changes in London's urban society after World War I.

🌳Trees symbolize an everlasting life force that gives meaning to existence in the post-war chaos.

🌃The airplane also represents the war and the shadow of the war that still lingers in the lives of characters.

👥The airplane brings together Londoners from different walks of life, emphasizing London as a character of its own.

🌿Trees represent a mysterious femininity and a force that is comforting to the characters in the novel.

What does the airplane symbolize in Mrs. Dalloway?

—The airplane symbolizes the swift changes in London's urban society after World War I.

What do trees represent in the novel?

—Trees symbolize an everlasting life force that gives meaning to existence in the post-war chaos.

How does the airplane bring Londoners together?

—The airplane brings together Londoners from different walks of life, emphasizing London as a character of its own.

What does the airplane represent besides the war?

—The airplane represents the war and the shadow of the war that still lingers in the lives of characters.

What is the significance of trees in Mrs. Dalloway?

—Trees represent a mysterious femininity and a force that is comforting to the characters in the novel.

00:01[Music]

00:10Airplanes and trees are recurrent symbols growing and soaring in and out of the characters' minds in the modernist masterpiece Mrs. Dalloway.

00:22An airplane flies over London early in the novel, becoming a catalyst for the thrills, fears, and anxieties of various characters.

00:31The airplane symbolizes the swift changes in London's urban society after World War I, inspiring the modernists to reflect on human feelings of confusion and helplessness.

00:49The airplane brings together Londoners from different walks of life, emphasizing London as a character of its own.

00:53The airplane also represents the war and the shadow of the war that still lingers in the lives of characters like Septimus.

01:14Trees are key symbols, especially in the minds of Septimus and Clarissa.

01:35Trees symbolize an everlasting life force that gives meaning to existence in the post-war chaos.