Septimus Smith: In his own world
One of the big points Virginia Woolf is trying to make in the essay "Modern Fiction" is that each character is a world unto him- or herself. In Mrs. Dalloway, this is especially true of Septimus Warren Smith.
Septimus's introduction is when he stands in the way of the motorcar. He does not do this intentionally; in fact, he does not notice the motorcar at first. Rather, what he notices is how the world around him seemed to come to a standstill, and that they all seemed to focusing, looking towards, being drawn to some point. His realization that he is in the way of motorcar is detached, not connecting the idea that he should get out of the way until Lucrezia tells him several times. Before Lucrezia interrupts him, he feels as though he has some great or grand purpose in that moment, but he has no idea what the purpose is.
The other defining characteristic of Septimus's world is that he appears to hallucinate. When blocking the motorcar's passage, "The world wavered and quivered and threatened to burst into flames." Later, when the skywriter passes overhead, the sound of a stranger's voice sends Septimus on a strange journey involving elm trees "rising and falling, rising and falling with their leaves all alight and their coloring thinning and thickening from blue to the green of a hollow wave." (more to say here?)
Septimus is not the only character with narration of things that don't necessarily happen -- this also applies to Peter Walsh. Yet Peter is very clearly different from Septimus. Peter's narration includes his flights of fancy, products of an overactive imagination and Peter's drive to seek out a new adventure, even if he must invent it himself. The tone of Peter's and Septimus's scenes are also very different. Peter, in his moment feels alive, vigorous, centered and determined and mobile -- he travels around two miles in and after his flight of fancy. Septimus is very much the opposite: detached, bereft, seeing but not perceiving, fixed to a point but the world cut out beneath him.
There are quite a few bits and pieces possibly explaining why Septimus is as he is. First off: the back cover tells us that Septimus commits suicide by the end of the book. (Spoiler alert) Next: Septimus is mentioned to be around 30 years old during the book (set in 1923). This means he would have been around 21 at the outbreak of the first world war. This, corroborated by the fact that Lucrezia describes Septimus as not being Septimus any longer, a dead man, and the presence of the phrase "no one kills from hatred" in his ramblings seems to suggest that Septimus is a veteran of the Great War, and he picked up some severe mental health problems during his time, such as suicidal intent and a thousand-yard stare, his hallucinations and a grip on reality that often fails.
Poor Septimus.
Septimus's introduction is when he stands in the way of the motorcar. He does not do this intentionally; in fact, he does not notice the motorcar at first. Rather, what he notices is how the world around him seemed to come to a standstill, and that they all seemed to focusing, looking towards, being drawn to some point. His realization that he is in the way of motorcar is detached, not connecting the idea that he should get out of the way until Lucrezia tells him several times. Before Lucrezia interrupts him, he feels as though he has some great or grand purpose in that moment, but he has no idea what the purpose is.
The other defining characteristic of Septimus's world is that he appears to hallucinate. When blocking the motorcar's passage, "The world wavered and quivered and threatened to burst into flames." Later, when the skywriter passes overhead, the sound of a stranger's voice sends Septimus on a strange journey involving elm trees "rising and falling, rising and falling with their leaves all alight and their coloring thinning and thickening from blue to the green of a hollow wave." (more to say here?)
Septimus is not the only character with narration of things that don't necessarily happen -- this also applies to Peter Walsh. Yet Peter is very clearly different from Septimus. Peter's narration includes his flights of fancy, products of an overactive imagination and Peter's drive to seek out a new adventure, even if he must invent it himself. The tone of Peter's and Septimus's scenes are also very different. Peter, in his moment feels alive, vigorous, centered and determined and mobile -- he travels around two miles in and after his flight of fancy. Septimus is very much the opposite: detached, bereft, seeing but not perceiving, fixed to a point but the world cut out beneath him.
There are quite a few bits and pieces possibly explaining why Septimus is as he is. First off: the back cover tells us that Septimus commits suicide by the end of the book. (Spoiler alert) Next: Septimus is mentioned to be around 30 years old during the book (set in 1923). This means he would have been around 21 at the outbreak of the first world war. This, corroborated by the fact that Lucrezia describes Septimus as not being Septimus any longer, a dead man, and the presence of the phrase "no one kills from hatred" in his ramblings seems to suggest that Septimus is a veteran of the Great War, and he picked up some severe mental health problems during his time, such as suicidal intent and a thousand-yard stare, his hallucinations and a grip on reality that often fails.
Poor Septimus.
Very cool! A character that we (5th hour) haven't talked about in class yet. Peter and Septimus to be complete opposites and yet it's interesting on how Woolf uses them the narrative supplements to Clarissa. Peter and Septimus are seen as opposite lives in comparison to Clarissa. Septimus is a PTSD veteran that is struggling to get through life which is very different from Clarissa's party planning lifestyle. Then Peter represents the "road not taken". Woolf seems to intentionally use these characters to reinforce Clarissa's life and the events that lead to it.
ReplyDeleteI find this comparison of Peter Walsh and Septimus fascinating. Both, as you say, have narratives of things that never really happened, and yet in completely different ways. Both, also, have been in some sense away from England for the 5 years since the end of the Great War. Peter physically, in India, and Septimus mentally, hallucinating messages from above and drifting farther and farther from his own family.
ReplyDeleteI like your examination of Septimus' character, though I disagree with your final statement of "Poor Septimus". I think that kind of categorization is actually what Virginia Woolf's essay "Modern Fiction" cautions writers against. Your final statement dismisses Septimus as a sad case of PTSD, which is entirely true, but that statement erases Septimus' creative spirit and poetic mind as invalid because he is a mentally ill person. As an author who has herself suffered from mental illness, Woolf would encourage us not to sympathetically shake our heads at those who are ill, but instead to be brave enough to delve into their consciousness and give them the respect and consideration they deserve.
ReplyDeleteI like your comparison of Peter and Septimus. I also think it's interesting to consider the effects of masculine ideals on Peter and Septimus. Before the war, Septimus' more poetic qualities are seen as a disadvantage, whereas Peter takes advantage of his "not altogether manly" qualities (p 152). However, both appear to have some kind of insecurity surrounding these ideals (Septimus when he prides himself on not being able to feel; I also think Peter's pocket knife is some kind of coping mechanism?).
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to read a post on Septimun written before some of the crucial scenes of him to Dr. Bradshaw's office and the suicide. I'd say that your description of Septimus at this point in the book is still a fairly accurate reflection later in the book. The other major insight we get into Septimus is that he regularly visits Dr. Holmes, who dismisses his mental issues almost entirely and encourages him to try harder and to find a hobby. We also see a more poetic side to Septimus's mental issues and that he sometimes does have entirely normal, happy moments with Lucrezia. Particularly in the moment where we see Septimus peaking over his hand because he is scared of hallucinating, I think Septimus becomes an even more sympathetic character as the book progresses.
ReplyDeleteSeptimus is not entirely in his own world. As we talked about in class, Septimus connects what he sees and hears around them, and twists them involuntarily, making his hallucinations. Yes, he becomes distracted and tunes others out, but he is still in contact with the real world. Septimus even goes and describes great details in a poetic nature, which isn't very easy to do if he ignores all around him.
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