In the stories of Mrs. Dalloway and The Silk Girl, both female characters, Clarissa and Doris, have different goals and ambitions for the life they they want to live live. Each of their life journeys further defines their character and gives special meaning to the choices they make. It is clear that achieving these goals is something that both Doris and Clarissa find challenging. While they may not have reached a desirable end point, it is the journey itself that allows them to learn and grow into the person they will eventually become. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In The Artificial Silk Girl, Doris packs her bags to travel to Berlin with the hopes of soon living an elegant life full of money and materialistic elements. He discovers that there is no way to pursue his dreams within the confines of his hometown and looks to the city of Berlin as a source of opportunity. This is where she uses men as a method to climb the social ladder. She longs to find a man who will provide her with money, love and support. Doris takes full advantage of the many men she finds during her time in Berlin, manipulating them to get exactly what she wants. Doris believes she can find complete happiness with someone who can lavish her with the most beautiful things. While pretending to be confident, she travels around the city in search of just that. Doris' pursuit of glitz and glamor begins to hit rock bottom when she finds herself broke and homeless. He turns to men as his only source of help and rescue. He begins to face the harsh reality that these goals and dreams may be far beyond his reach. Just like Doris, the city is dilapidated and in a time of desperation. He simply cannot provide her with the desirable lifestyle she dreamed of. Things begin to clear up when she meets a man named Ernst who provides her with a home and a kind of care she has never experienced. When he starts to notice that things between them just wouldn't work out, he realizes that pretending to get your way in life will only lead you to a dead end. He eventually realizes that being someone you're not will keep you from achieving any kind of true happiness. Ernst also shows her that true love and happiness exist beyond any sort of materialistic object. While Doris' trip to the big city doesn't end as planned, it certainly served an important purpose for her life as a whole. Doris has proven herself to be a driven and determined woman in chasing her dreams. Leaving her home at such a young age with the determination to change her life defines Doris as a new type of woman in this time period. Along the way she was able to evolve her morals and values for the better. Her exploration and time in the city teaches her that to live your life to the fullest you must embrace and accept who you are as a person. Clarissa, on the other hand, lives a drastically different and somewhat "stable" lifestyle. Playing a 1920s London housewife, Clarissa finds herself questioning the life she has chosen. Marrying Richard and becoming Mrs. Dalloway was simply the easiest way to achieve balance and stability. As she thinks back to her youth, especially with Peter, she recalls a feeling of bliss and happiness that she feels no longer exists. Clarissa masks her sadness and depression with a smile, telling herself that this is how her life should be. At the beginning of the book, Clarissa wakes up with the intention of throwing a party. She immediately declares that she will buy it,.
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