Often, one of the most heart-wrenching things a book can do is create a character that you bond with, only to kill him/her off. In Mrs. Dalloway, I don't know how much I loved Septimus, but I definitely started understanding him. I was quite touched by how he and Lucrezia were able to have happy moment together, for the first time in a while. It was all Lucrezia wanted. And it helps us see that Septimus and Lucrezia weren't in a completely loveless or lifeless marriage.
Maybe I'm reading too deep into their scene of friendship and enjoyment. Maybe I don't understand exactly went on in that moment. But at that point, both Septimus and Lucrezia really started growing on me. Their points of view even started becoming similar. They thought about each other, rather than worrying about their own worlds. In the beginning of Mrs. Dalloway, I felt like Septimus and Lucrezia were so far apart. Septimus was in a different world and Lucrezia, much to Septimus's dismay, had to drag him back to the "real" world. But now, they were enjoying themselves. Septimus was struggling to keep himself in Lucrezia's world, but he did it, at least for a moment. I don't know if he did it for himself or for her, but it was nice to see.
When Holmes knocked on the door, both Septimus and Lucrezia immediately reacted negatively. This is another example of their having similar points of view. Lucrezia told Holmes to leave, but instead, he pushed her aside and came in. His level of insensitivity at that moment was astonishing, considering that he probably knew Septimus didn't like him. I believe Woolf was trying to antagonize Holmes at this point. His behavior is rude and borderline idiotic. If there was even a slight chance that he could be a trigger for Septimus's suicide (which there was), he should have been much more careful.
Holmes didn't intentionally cause Septimus's death, but it's really easy to feel like he did due to the tension of the moment. It just happened at the worst possible time, because Lucrezia was finally content. I appreciate how Lucrezia tried to keep Holmes out of the house; it really displays her loyalty to Septimus. But, Holmes still got in. It's obvious that Holmes triggered Septimus's suicide because Septimus wasn't feeling as tense before Holmes came (and if he was, he found ways to lessen the tension), so Septimus probably wasn't planning on killing himself before Holmes came. Septimus didn't want to die either, which made it worse. All he wanted to do was escape from Holmes and the "human nature" that he represented. Septimus saw jumping out of the window as his only option.
To make things worse, Holmes called him a coward for doing so. This especially shows that Holmes had no understanding of or sensitivity to what Septimus was feeling. It's easy to become completely angry at Holmes; I know I definitely am. I think Holmes's behavior is definitely supposed to anger the reader. So Virginia Woolf might have been trying to make a point of how (psychiatric) doctors of her time behaved (and treated her). Doctors didn't necessarily treat Woolf the same way they treated Septimus, but Woolf definitely had some negative feelings towards her doctors.
Mrs. Dalloway may sometimes seem like it lacks heavy and obvious emotion, because the characters have so many emotions fused together that it's hard to read just one. But this scene definitely has emotional depth that can manifest heavy feelings among readers. I didn't like Septimus or Lucrezia that much before this scene, but I came out of this scene enraged with Holmes and sympathetic to Septimus and Lucrezia for the trauma that they went through.
Maybe I'm reading too deep into their scene of friendship and enjoyment. Maybe I don't understand exactly went on in that moment. But at that point, both Septimus and Lucrezia really started growing on me. Their points of view even started becoming similar. They thought about each other, rather than worrying about their own worlds. In the beginning of Mrs. Dalloway, I felt like Septimus and Lucrezia were so far apart. Septimus was in a different world and Lucrezia, much to Septimus's dismay, had to drag him back to the "real" world. But now, they were enjoying themselves. Septimus was struggling to keep himself in Lucrezia's world, but he did it, at least for a moment. I don't know if he did it for himself or for her, but it was nice to see.
When Holmes knocked on the door, both Septimus and Lucrezia immediately reacted negatively. This is another example of their having similar points of view. Lucrezia told Holmes to leave, but instead, he pushed her aside and came in. His level of insensitivity at that moment was astonishing, considering that he probably knew Septimus didn't like him. I believe Woolf was trying to antagonize Holmes at this point. His behavior is rude and borderline idiotic. If there was even a slight chance that he could be a trigger for Septimus's suicide (which there was), he should have been much more careful.
Holmes didn't intentionally cause Septimus's death, but it's really easy to feel like he did due to the tension of the moment. It just happened at the worst possible time, because Lucrezia was finally content. I appreciate how Lucrezia tried to keep Holmes out of the house; it really displays her loyalty to Septimus. But, Holmes still got in. It's obvious that Holmes triggered Septimus's suicide because Septimus wasn't feeling as tense before Holmes came (and if he was, he found ways to lessen the tension), so Septimus probably wasn't planning on killing himself before Holmes came. Septimus didn't want to die either, which made it worse. All he wanted to do was escape from Holmes and the "human nature" that he represented. Septimus saw jumping out of the window as his only option.
To make things worse, Holmes called him a coward for doing so. This especially shows that Holmes had no understanding of or sensitivity to what Septimus was feeling. It's easy to become completely angry at Holmes; I know I definitely am. I think Holmes's behavior is definitely supposed to anger the reader. So Virginia Woolf might have been trying to make a point of how (psychiatric) doctors of her time behaved (and treated her). Doctors didn't necessarily treat Woolf the same way they treated Septimus, but Woolf definitely had some negative feelings towards her doctors.
Mrs. Dalloway may sometimes seem like it lacks heavy and obvious emotion, because the characters have so many emotions fused together that it's hard to read just one. But this scene definitely has emotional depth that can manifest heavy feelings among readers. I didn't like Septimus or Lucrezia that much before this scene, but I came out of this scene enraged with Holmes and sympathetic to Septimus and Lucrezia for the trauma that they went through.
Holmes' behavior towards Septimus' illness is deplorable, but it's also just a reminder of the period this novel was written in. After World War I, the influx of veterans suffering from PTSD and depression were treated as cowards and told to "man up." I think Woolf was intentionally using this scene to critique the medical practices of the time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point here. I was definitely heartbroken when Septimus jumped. It seemed as though all was finally falling back into place, with his and Lucrezia at least. Their connection at that moment was very happy and soothing for us readers. But as soon as Holmes comes in Septimus, Lucrezia and us readers are immediately disrupted and upset. Septimus wanted a way out, but the reality that Dr. Holmes represented for him left him no option.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree that a good moment was ruined. When Septimus had actually started to connect with Rezia again, helping her pick out a hat design and making substantial and understandable comments, I felt a surge of hope for Septimus. Up until that point, I was feeling worse and worse about Septimus' condition... and it didn't end well because of Holmes. I think you bring up a good point that Holmes was incredibly insensitive; calling Septimus a coward is completely misunderstanding his trauma and condition. This is why it doesn't surprise me that Septimus had seen the two doctors as a couple of the very faces of humanity. They didn't understand Septimus.
ReplyDelete