Every individual has an external part of their personality that is revealed to others and an internal part that is kept exclusively to themselves. As a result, there is a contrast between a person's appearance and the reality of who that person really is. In her novel Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf presents the theme of appearance versus reality through the thoughts and actions of the novel's protagonist, Clarissa Dalloway. The novel reveals a single day in Mrs. Dalloway's life, reflecting her memories of the past and her encounters in the present. As the story unfolds, it's clear that Clarissa's appearance and behavior on the surface are not at all consistent with how she feels on the inside. On the surface, Clarissa appears to have a regal and composed appearance. However, in reality, she is unhappy and dissatisfied with many aspects of her life, including physical appearance, social status, and her marriage. Because of Clarissa's inability to share herself with others, people who claim to be her friends do not truly know or understand the real Mrs. Dalloway. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay On the outside, Clarissa appears as a beautiful, happy, and confident 50-year-old woman. Yet inside her she is truly full of many fears and doubts. She doesn't like the way she looks or the person she's become. During an outing, Clarissa longingly imagines being able to start her life over, revealing that "it would look even different" (10). When she compares herself to Lady Bexborough, she reveals her true feelings about herself. Clarissa would willingly exchange her outward appearance for Lady Bexborough's appearance, stating: "She would have been, like Lady Bexborough, slow and stately; rather large; interested in politics like a man; with a country house; very dignified, very sincere " (10). Although Clarissa is attractive for a fifty-year-old woman, she has very low self-esteem. She is even dissatisfied with her body, describing it as "this body, with all its capabilities, seemed like nothing---nothing at all" (10). Besides her appearance, Clarissa doesn't like the person she's become. She is upset that she cannot do things simply for her own personal pleasure. Instead, “half the time she did things not simply for herself; but to make people think about this or that" (10). Clarissa's self-esteem is so low that she sacrifices her individuality to become liked by others. Yet Clarissa masks her melancholy well. She always keeps herself "light, tall and very straight", so on the outside she seems like a confident woman (12). However, Clarissa is not only unhappy with her appearance, but also with her place in society. One of Clarissa's fears is that one day she might be forgotten and no longer appreciated. Clarissa fears that this is imminent, explaining: "She had a strange feeling that she herself was invisible, unseen, unknown; there would be no more marriages, they would have no more children now, but only this astonishing and rather solemn progress with the rest of them , on Bond Street, this is Mrs. Dalloway; plus Clarissa is Mrs. Richard Dalloway" (10-11). Clarissa is distraught and worried that she will be forgotten and known only as Richard's wife. Dalloway. However, she is aware that she gave up all individuality when she married Richard, and now her identity is acquired through her husband. Clarissa dwells on her lack of importance to herself and others. When Clarissa's husband was invited to lunch with Lady Bruton, omitting herself, he made her feel "withered, aged, breastless... out of her now failing body and brain" (31). As for the.