We briefly discussed the way in which Woolf wraps up this story. I believe we were all a little confused at the sub-plot of Septimus and Rezia when it was first introduced. It was difficult to determine if they were important characters and if they were going to keep appearing throughout the novel. As we read on we learned of Septimus and his story, but the question was still in my mind; What is Septimus doing in this novel about Mrs. Dalloway?
There are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between Clarissa and Septimus. It was mentioned in one of panel presentations that Septimus embodies Clarissa's dark impulses and thoughts. I find this quite an engaging idea. The first thought that comes to my mind is the connection with windows. Clarissa first mentions windows in the scene with Miss Kilman and Elizabeth. After Miss Kilman leaves with Elizabeth for the stores, Clarissa looks out the window (p 126). She sees the old lady next door walking upstairs and go to her bedroom. In the midst of Clarissa's hostile thoughts towards religion, love, and Miss Kilman she takes a moment to realize the solemnity of the moment. She respects her in a way that is unknown to us. She sees the lady and thinks how peculiar it is that she moves away from the window as soon as Big Ben strikes "as if she were attached to the sound"(p 127). She realizes there is a connection between something "gigantic" and the "midst of ordinary things".
We see that she has some sort of almost subconscious connection with this neighbor and she feels connected to something bigger. Woolf uses this idea to articulate the relationship between Clarissa and Septimus. Towards the end of the novel Clarissa finds out about the suicide of one of Mr. Bradshaw's clients. Somehow she recounts the events in almost the exact way they happened. I believe Woolf used this to re-articulate the idea of this broader connection. The connection is supported when Clarissa looks out the window again during the party. She sees the old woman, but this time the woman looks back at her. The woman pulls the blinds in response to the sound of Big Ben. By thinking of this gigantic vs ordinary connection she somehow connects with Septimus. She thinks of his suicide and realizes his situation and we get a sense of contrast between Septimus and Clarissa. "He made her feel the beauty, he made her feel the fun." (p 186) I think this shows that Septimus was the dark side of her thoughts, the suicidal insane part, and by connecting with these darker idea she was better able to appreciate the beauty and fun of life.
The idea that Septimus is sort of like Clarissa's darker alter ego is one that we discussed especially towards the end of the Mrs. Dalloway, and I agree that it is probably the most promising of all the explanations we have come up with as to why Septimus is in the book. In addition to all the evidence you provided, it also ties in with Virginia Woolf's real life, and I think it was this experience that she was trying to express. On three separate occasions, Woolf went through traumatic events as close family members died. These caused her to lose her sanity for short periods of time, and she was often extremely misunderstood. Perhaps Septimus was her way of trying to explain what actually went on in her mind during those difficult periods.
ReplyDeleteI like how this suggests to some extent that all characters in Ms. Dalloway are manifestations of various parts of Woolf's mind. Ms. Kilman could be her nagging hatred of the upper class (I know I have conflicting feelings about things I supposedly like), Ms. Dalloway herself in that vein would represent Woolf on the whole, as she is featured the most.
DeleteClarissa and Septimus' relationship in Mrs. Dalloway is tricky since other than a few moments during which they are in the same place, they have no other physical connection. This leaves the mental aspect (which makes a lot of sense in a book focusing primarily on different characters' consciousness) and just as you said, the relation seems to be that Septimus is the darker side of Clarissa. Your last sentence embodies this idea, and if I can add on to this, I believe that Virginia Woolf has a good motive for having these similarities and differences between Septimus and Clarissa. From the essays that we read in class we learned that Woolf has wanted to write about characters and what would seem to be mundane. Through these two characters, Woolf shows us that normal people can think differently on the same topic, one more dark than the other, and that we can not generalize peoples thoughts since we are all so different.
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