Throughout Virginia Woolf’s novel, Mrs. Dalloway, the reader encountered many different people living in post-WWI London. These characters that Woolf created have different backgrounds, points of view, concerns, and mental states. Through these variances she clearly showed the many intricacies of life in the city. One of the most intriguing of all the characters she crafted is Septimus Warren Smith. Through intertwining story lines, from all the different points of view including his own, it becomes obvious that Septimus was very unique. The relationship between him and the rest of the city had an interesting dynamic as well. Septimus was wrought with the overwhelming feeling of isolation because of the other character’s lack of understanding …show more content…
Septimus came to London from Stroud to become a poet, and when notice of the “European War” broke out, “Septimus was one of the first to volunteer” (82-84). He went to fight for England, which in his mind symbolized all that he held dear in life. England was where he enjoyed Shakespeare’s plays, and where his love, Miss Isabel Pole resided. At first, in the army, he flourished. He developed into a man of authority, and also made one of the most defining friendships of his life. His officer, Evans, and him, “had to be together, share with each other, fight with each other, quarrel with each other” (84). The war had been changing Septimus from the beginning, but with the death of Evans right before Armistice, Septimus had undergone his last transformation. He reflected on Evans’s death at first by “[congratulating] himself upon feeling very little and very reasonably. The War had taught him” (84). However, when the war was over he realized the cause for his “reasonable” reaction to Evans’ death: “He could not feel” (85). In reaction to this revelation, he married Lucrezia who was the younger of two sisters, and likely reminded him of how he used to enjoy things in his life with vigor. They moved to England together, and his condition didn’t improve. The war had made him a “hero” to the people of the city, but to Septimus, “it might be possible that the world was without meaning” …show more content…
Bradshaw, who at first glance seemed to care about Septimus’ welfare enough to condemn Dr. Holmes’ diagnosis, yet upon further inspection of what his prescribed method of healing was, seemed to be just another version of the same thing. He did admit that there was something the matter with Septimus, “a case of extreme gravity. It was a case of complete breakdown,” but when he asked him what was making Septimus feel the way he did, he didn’t let Septimus answer even though he was making the effort to open up (93). He said he was going to send Septimus to the country to teach him how to rest, and that he should, “’try to think as little about [himself] as possible’” (96). Now Septimus was not only going to be alienated mentally, but also physically. Dr. Bradshaw wasn’t doing this for Septimus – he was doing it for the public. His philosophy was that most people lacked a “sense of proportion.” This proportion theory was perfect for negating the true reason behind the people of the society that didn’t fit in because of their thoughts or emotions by saying they lacked the perspective that seclusion would give them. Dr. Bradshaw became just another person who represented society to Septimus; self-centered and self-serving. The culmination of all this turmoil is regrettably in the suicide of Septimus Warren Smith. He ended his life when he heard Dr. Holmes coming up to visit him despite his wife’s protestations, and
In Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa Dalloway undergoes an internal struggle between her love for society and life and a combined affinity for and fear of death. Her practical marriage to Richard serves its purpose of providing her with an involved social life of gatherings and parties that others may find frivolous but Clarissa sees as “an offering” to the life she loves so well. Throughout the novel she grapples with the prospect of growing old and approaching death, which after the joys of her life seems “unbelievable… that it must end; and no one in the whole world would know how she had loved it all; how, every instant…” At the same time, she is drawn to the very idea of dying, a theme which is most obviously exposed through her reaction to the news of Septimus Smith’s suicide. However, this crucial scene r...
Social class is one of the main topics that are examined in both Pride and Prejudice and Mrs. Dalloway. Both Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf look at how it affects the characters and their views of each other.
1966 was a turning point in American history. It was the height of the Space Race as well as the Vietnam War. In the entertainment industry, The Beatles had released the album Revolver, the show Star Trek premiered on television, and the play Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? was adapted to film. This film was controversial for several reasons, including its depiction of violence and drinking, as well as its theme of sexuality. For a movie to take on such bold scenes and topics requires other bold cinematic choices as well. These choices included casting glamorous actors and actresses in not so glamorous roles, filming in black and white as opposed to color, and using unique cinematic film shots in various scenes. The choices that the filmmakers
In Virginia Woolf’s novel, To the Lighthouse, childhood is portrayed as a time of tribulation and terror, rather than the stereotype that claims that childhood is a blissful period of innocence and wonder. Because of her more realistic point of view, Woolf molds her characters into complex adults that are products of their upbringings. This contributes to the piece as a whole because it has a sense of reality that allows readers to relate with the characters on a personal level. Throughout the novel, Woolf uses two main characters to embody her representation of childhood. Even though Charles Tansley is an adult, the reader can see the full effects his childhood had on his adult life. Moreover, the reader sees the troubling events of childhood and their effects on adulthood in James Ramsay’s life.
As Septimus reveals his past, audience is able to understand the effects behind his disorder, however the audience is still unable to conceive the thoughts of Septimus and truly understand his justification for his thoughts. In the beginning of the novel, a plane draws letters in the sky to distract the attention of the characters from the blown out car. Septimus perceives these letters, which spell toffee, as a form of communication specifically messaging him. However the audience does not understand why Septimus believes the sky writing is messaging him. At this point the audience does not share the same view of the world that Septimus experiences because the justification behind his perceptions are unclear. As the book progresses the audience seems to begin to understand Septimus's perception. Towards the end of the novel Septimus goes into a mental home. There he hears Dr. Holmes coming up the hall and at that moment Septimus would rather die than see a man that does not try to understand him. The audience could clearly experience why Septimus does not wish to see Dr. Holmes, however the whole audience might not understand how seeing Dr. Holmes, possibly for the last time, would justify committing
In Virginia Woolf’s “To the Lighthouse”, the struggle to secure and proclaim female freedom is constantly challenged by social normalcy. This clash between what the traditional female ideologies should be and those who challenge them, can be seen best in the character of Lily Brisco. She represents the rosy picture of a woman that ends up challenging social norms throughout the novel to effectively achieve a sense of freedom and individuality by the end. Woolf through out the novel shows Lily’s break from conventional female in multiply ways, from a comparison between her and Mrs.Ramsey, Lily’s own stream of consciousness, as well as her own painting.
The physical and social setting in "Mrs. Dalloway" sets the mood for the novel's principal theme: the theme of social oppression. Social oppression was shown in two ways: the oppression of women as English society returned to its traditional norms and customs after the war, and the oppression of the hard realities of life, "concealing" these realities with the elegance of English society. This paper discusses the purpose of the city in mirroring the theme of social oppression, focusing on issues of gender oppression, particularly against women, and the oppression of poverty and class discrimination between London's peasants and the elite class.
Clarissa Dalloway and Peter Walsh are defined by their memories. Virginia Woolf creates their characters through the memories they share, and indeed fabricates their very identities from these mutual experiences. Mrs. Dalloway creates a unique tapestry of time and memory, interweaving past and present, memory and dream. The past is the key to the future, and indeed for these two characters the past creates the future, shaping them into the people they are on the June day described by Woolf. Peter and Clarissa’s memories of the days spent at Bourton have a profound effect on them both and are still very much a part of them. These images of their younger selves are not broad, all-encompassing mental pictures, but rather the bits and pieces of life that create personality and identity. Peter remembers various idiosyncracies about Clarissa, and she does the same about him. They remember each other by “the colours, salts, tones of existence,” the very essence that makes human beings original and unique: the fabric of their true identities (30).
The extensive descriptions of Mrs. Dalloway’s inner thoughts and observations reveals Woolf’s “stream of consciousness” writing style, which emphasizes the complexity of Clarissa’s existential crisis. She also alludes to Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, further revealing her preoccupation with death as she quotes lines from a funeral song. She reads these lines while shopping in the commotion and joy of the streets of London, which juxtaposes with her internal conflicts regarding death. Shakespeare, a motif in the book, represents hope and solace for Mrs. Dalloway, as his lines form Cymbeline talk about the comforts found in death. From the beginning of the book, Mrs. Dalloway has shown a fear for death and experiences multiple existential crises, so her connection with Shakespeare is her way of dealing with the horrors of death. The multiple layers to this passage, including the irony, juxtaposition, and allusion, reveal Woolf’s complex writing style, which demonstrates that death is constantly present in people’s minds, affecting their everyday
According to Viktors Ivbulis (1995: 23 - 29) in Modernist fiction a special attention is paid to an individual who degrades because of the pressure from the society and is therefore shown as a small part of the society being unable to do miracles. Moreover, the 20th century's fight for the power makes the rights of an individual be dependent on the rights of the society. This individual is not a personality anymore that was established in the 19th century literature. It is a simple person, who is depressed by the highly technological world and the demands of the society and is therefore lonesome and isolated. An individual cannot compete successfully for his place in the society, as he does not even know his enemy. Therefore, he has to die at the end of the novel either physically or morally. One of the famous novels of the Modernist period in literature is "Mrs Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf, written in 1924. In the centre of it is a rich woman Clarissa Dalloway who holds high position in the society. In her life she does not lack anything from the material values, except that she starves for love and support.
The entirety of the novel Mrs. Dalloway is focused on juxtaposing exteriority against interiority, surface against depth. The characters project selves for the world they inhabit to see, but have entirely different selves with which only they are familiar. This lines up fairly reliably with the primary tenet of modernism: a focus on the projection of surfaces and how those surfaces relate, either by confirming or contradicting, to the true nature of an object or being. In Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf uses free indirect discourse to inhabit her characters’ minds, giving the reader not only a sense of the self a given character projects to others, but also an understanding of that character’s internal being. This is especially present in the following
Septimus was once a young man who was very sentimental. Septimus was into poetry and things of that nature which allowed him to express his emotions. However, he joined World War one to become a man. Thus, this ultimately led him to be trapped. Although Septimus excelled as a soldier, he lost all sentimental nature.
In reality, Life after war is a living nightmare for other people, especially Septimus. The life of Septimus Smith was taken during World War I, but he came home with a beating heart. The only difference is Septimus’ world was ruined during those months fighting, and he had no one to reach out to with the same life changing event. As Septimus attempted to readjust to life at home, he struggled to find himself or his purpose in life, and he only saw death through his eyes. Septimus’ world did not get better for him as the idea of death lurked inside of his mind, and he calmly commented, “I will kill myself” (Woolf,15). Septimus’ depression was taking over his thoughts, but mostly his chance of living a normal life again started to deteriorate. In Septimus’ eyes, his life ended at war. The critic Margret Blanchard understood Septimus’ character as a young man, who has shell shock and depression, and unexplainable message that those, who were supposed to have been there for him, did not understand. His message was a cry for help from anyone who understood his pain. Since his message was unanswered, he drowned with his thoughts, and Woolf implied, “So, he was deserted. The whole world was clamoring: kill yourself, kill yourself for our sakes” (Woolf,103). Why should Septimus fight to survive in a world where nobody understood his mental illness? Since the doctor
Woolf presents three characters who embody three different gender roles. Mrs. Ramsay is the dutiful wife and mother. Mr. Ramsay is the domineering patriarch. Lily Briscoe is an independent, aspiring woman. Woolf sets these three roles in contrast with each other. She allows the reader to see the power and influence each character has. Mrs. Ramsay’s submissive and supportive nature arouses admiration. Mr. Ramsay’s condescending manner provokes animosity. Lily Briscoe’s independence enables her to find meaning and fulfillment in her life.
Dalloway, Virginia Woolf described the doctors as evil and heartless. Doctors who are dealing with mentally ill people should take into consideration that their actions can cause harm. They should display more love and the passion to assist those who need help. Although Septimus’ wife, Lucrezia, shows a lot of love for him, it wasn’t enough. Septimus still felt distant from society. Dr Holmes calls Septimus a coward and expresses a complete lack of understanding about why Septimus would do such a thing.