Hours/Dalloway #14

“I don’t think two people could have been happier than we’ve been” (200, 7).

Cunningham places this line twice in the novel. The first time the line appears is in Virginia’s letter to her husband before she commits suicide. The second time, this line is Richard’s last words right before he jumps out of the window. Cunningham uses this line twice to create the connection between Richard and Virginia. These characters lived parallel lives. Similarly, Leonard and Clarissa have similar lives since they are in the position of trying to help Virginia and Richard. The way Cunningham uses this line enforces this idea; just as Leonard was the one to whom Virginia was speaking, it was Clarissa to whom Richard was speaking. Placing this line in the first few pages of the book and then the last few pages brings the book full circle, connecting seemingly unrelated lives.