Plot Summary

2008-07-09 21:59:49 　　来自: 云梦泽
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　　 Based on Michael Cunningham’s novel, "The Hours" combines a real life story--Virginia Woolf, an interpretation of "Mrs. Dalloway"--Laura Brown and an original creation of present day--Clarissa Vaughn.
　　 In 1923, Virginia Woolf，a famous novelist of the 20th century, is starting to write her book Mrs. Dalloway. Meanwhile, she is doing daily battle with her own mental illness, a disease that is slowly destroying her. The story begins after she has been released from an institution and been sent to spend a quiet, uneventful and restful time convalescing in the country with her husband, Leonard Woolf. That day Virginia begins to write her famous novel “Mrs. Dalloway”, an introspective tale of a woman, who comes to realization that her well-ordered life is really just a collection of meaningless routines meaninglessly performed. In the afternoon, Virginia receives a visit from her sister Vanessa and her children. The daughter of Vanessa finds a dead bird and holds a little funeral for it, which places a strong influence on Virginia's emotions. On Vanessa’s leaving, Virginia kisses her sister unexpectedly on the lips. Eventually, Virgnia feels an urge to run back to London, where the doctors forbid her to go and where she longs for. Leonard catches her in time and the couple had a tough but deep conversation. In the end, Virginia goes home with her husband.
　　 In 1951, Laura Brown, an ordinary housewife, is reading Virginia’s novel Mrs. Dalloway. As a pregnant mother, she seems to be living a happy life with her husband Dan, a World War II veteran. However, Laura finds her domestic existence to be as much a prison as she struggles with the fact that she is unable to find the fulfillment she seeks out of life in the role of wife and mother. This leads her to a feeling of perpetual depression. That day is Dan’s birthday and all she had to do is to prepare a birthday party for him. During the daytime her neighbor Kitty calls on, who needs a small operation and probably will lose the ability of procreating. On comforting Kitty, Laura, exceeding all expectations, kisses her friend on the mouth. In the afternoon, Laura left her son Richard in a neighbor’s and goes to a hotel room, bottles of sleeping pills and the novel Mrs. Dalloway with her, to commit suicide. Lying in bed, on thinking of her unborn baby, she suddenly realizes that she can not make it, such a brutality. So she picks up her things and drives back home, to throw a party to celebrate Dan’s birthday.
　　 In 2001, Clarissa Vaughn, an editor living in New York City, is going to give a party, just like the fictional character Mrs. Dalloway. The party is for her ex-boyfriend Richard, who is dying from AIDS and receiving an award for his poetry. Clarissa is a lesbian, living with her mate for more than ten years with a daughter, Julia, born through artificial insemination. She seems to be living a life well ordered and fulfilling, yet she gradually realizes that it is really a life built around meaningless triviality. That day Clarissa spends most of her time preparing the party and with her daughter Julia she recalls the happiest moment of her life that is but already passed. Late that day, Richard jumps off the window and commit suicide, for he wants nothing more than to rant against the injustice of his fate.
　　 Richard’s mother flies back from Canada to see him off, and she happens to be Laura Brown, protagonist of the former story. Laura left her family after her second child was born and started a brand-new life in Canada. That’s why Richard had such an awful relationship with his mother and arranged her death in his autobiographic novel.