Mrs. Dalloway and the state of equilibrium

One of my favorite things about Mrs. Dalloway is that it doesn’t have the sense of coming together at the end- that is to say, I don’t feel like characters were intentionally placed and constructed so that everyone reaches a happy equilibrium at the end. While each character does eventually find a way to confront their own problems, they do not necessarily find an answer to them. It is almost as if the entire novel is suspended between emotions, because no one character is supposed to represent one idea or emotion; instead all of the characters appear to be at the point in their lives when they are currently unstable and seeking balance.
Clarissa is the most prominent and developed of all the characters, as she is the cornerstone for most of the other relationships we see. Hers is a life that has lost its edge some time ago, and now Clarissa spends her time thinking about countless what-if scenarios and reminiscing in her younger days. Her relationship with Richard is becoming tired, and she even ponders the gap that has formed between them at one point, but overall Clarissa is not one who is tethered by her relationship. Instead she leads a very solitary, introverted life. Most of the main characters who are invited to the party are people Clarissa hasn’t seen in years, or may not know very well, and it gives us a setting that allows Clarissa to explore these what-ifs as she compares her current and former relationships with the other characters.
Septimus is particularly important because throughout the novel he fears he is losing his soul, being psychologically scarred by war. His meeting with Sir William Bradshaw confirms this in his eyes, as Sir William wishes that he be sent away to live in a psychological ward. Fearing the permanent loss of his sanity, Septimus decides to end his own life instead of succumb to such conditions. This is especially important to Clarissa because it seems to put into perspective the magnitude of her own problems.
Peter is another good example of a character seeking balance. He has returned from India, and while he and Clarissa have led separate lives for some time, it is clear that Peter has not achieved everything he once desired in life. Being in the presence of Clarissa seems to make him happy, but he must remain content in knowing that what could have been will never be- something that Clarissa herself may need reminding.
This unbalanced state of emotion is a great tool that allows Woolf to explore the various aspects of the emotional spectrum without being obligated to deliver any (or at least the majority) of characters to a balanced state. Like much of her work, Mrs. Dalloway is not about the beginning or the end, but about the middle, or any passing moment, in which one would experience these types of thoughts and feelings. This is augmented by the fact that the entire plot takes place within and entire day. While it may be easy to provide background information on any number of characters, what this does, and what Woolf wants to avoid, is build an expectation with the reader that any given character will meet a specific end based on pre-established information. Woolf prefers to enlighten through one fleeting moment, and see how much of reality she can fit into it.