Mrs Dalloway and Septimius

514 Words3 Pages
The climate of Mrs Dalloway is Clarissa’s party, when the protagonist learns about Septimus’ suicide. Discuss the relationship between Clarissa and Septimus as regards the theme of death and suicide, pointing out what they share and what is different. Clarissa is a fifty-years-old woman belonging to upper class. She is lively, dynamic and loves organizing parties. However she is also fragile and feels the oppression of life. Septimus is a veteran of World War 1. He is married but after his return from war he has deeply changed. A friend of him died and all the horrors he experienced provoked a deep depression. He is now patient of doctor Bradshaw, who does not understand his problem, considers him mentally disturbed and decides to send him to an asylum. Septimus however does not accept it and prefers to commit suicide, which is therefore an act of despair. The two characters do not directly come to know each other. Only at the end of the novel Clarissa listens about S’s death from doctor B who has been invited at her party. This information deeply shocks her. At first she is very annoyed by the superficiality with which other people speak about that death at her party. She is sensible and understands the importance of his gesture, also because Clarissa herself has may times thought about suicide. Her reaction is also physical; indeed she immediately feels burning and enters in a small and dark room to be alone. She imagines his death and understands why he committed suicide. He was sensible and after his experience in war did not accept anymore the superficiality of the world around him. He, committing suicide, has preserved his dignity going against corruption. He did not accept other people’s values and therefore his death is a form of rebellion, a mean of communication. He felt the impossibility to live without conforming to conventions and this is his
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