Like Mick Jagger, Laura Brown, a suburban housewife living in late 1940s Los Angeles, just can't get no satisfaction. That's a common theme in The Hours, but more than any other character in the novel, she exemplifies the toll that constant, relentless dissatisfaction with one's circumstances and prospects can take on a person's physical, mental, and emotional health.
Questions About Dissatisfaction
- How did Laura Brown get to be in her present situation? Why did she agree to marry Dan?
- Besides Laura Brown, which other characters in The Hours are dissatisfied with their circumstances? What are their reasons?
- On the whole, Clarissa Vaughan is a happy, satisfied woman, but even she feels a twinge of dissatisfaction now and then. What aspects of Clarissa's life don't quite measure up to her hopes and expectations?
Chew on This
It isn't dissatisfaction itself that makes Laura Brown so glum; it's the sense of hopelessness that comes with it. Not only is Laura unhappy in her circumstances, but she can't see any way of making a change.
Artistic dissatisfaction is a recurring theme throughout The Hours. Virginia Woolf and Richard Brown both end their lives feeling as if they've failed to accomplish anything worthwhile—and Laura Brown and Clarissa Vaughan put the very same weight on their cake and party, respectively. In the end, none of the novel's characters feel as if they've lived up to their own expectations.