Mrs. Dalloway and the Great War
The Great War shows its deep effects on English society throughout the sections of Mrs. Dalloway we have read so far. The clear candidate is the one of Septimus Warren Smith, but it shows through in other locations as well. It is mentioned explicitly in several locations beyond Smith, from mentions of “the dead, of Empire”, to talk of those who Clarissa knows have lost their children.
On page 19, we are given a description of the crowd watching the motorcar go by, from a Mr. Bowley, who “had rooms in the Albany” and is “sealed with wax over the deeper sources in his life”. But, the sight of the crowd, he admits, breaks past this seal over his character, and he gives a description of the people there: “poor women, nice little children, orphans, widows”, and then, “the War”. The war is given the status of human by Mr. Bowley, alongside the crowd, and alongside the results of the war, the widows and orphans of London. It is, of course, capitalized, not a war, but “the War”.
Septimus Smith, of course, is the most visible remnant of the war. While we do not appear to have seen the last of him (I highly recommend not reading the giant collection of spoilers on the back cover), we already have a good sense of his character. Septimus Smith, perhaps named for the Roman general Septimus Severus, is a broken man. He is occupied by delusions of grandeur, convinced that the messages in the sky are “them” communicating with him. This, of course, is interesting, because they in fact are communicating with him, but not in the ways that Septimus seems to believe that they are. The connection in his name, however, I found extremely interesting. Septimus appears to be named for a successful general, who won the 2nd Punic War, effectively destroying Rome’s greatest rival. And who is Septimus Smith? A byproduct of a great war, not a general, but an enlisted man, who was picked up and then spit back out. And what does Septimus Smith get, in exchange for his participation in a war? He certainly doesn’t get a grand triumph through the streets of London, he instead gets to stand in the path of a motorcar, public recognition coming only as he interferes with those society considers truly important. The war defines the life of one of our characters, and is important enough for another to list it in the same breath as entire groups of people.
First off, I second the recommendation of NOT reading the back cover.
ReplyDeleteWow, so many connections! I had no idea that there was a general who shared connections, if in name only, with our Septimus. I could understand how Woolf would take Septimus' name from that general. And I agree with our statement about the large part the War has taken from the characters' lives, and that it is important to keep that in mind as we continue reading Mrs. Dalloway.
I think that the connection to the Roman Septimus is very interesting, and adds another layer to an already complex character. Interestingly, while strengthening Hadrian's wall, essentially protecting the Romans in Britain, Septimus Severus fell ill and died in Britain. Perhaps this is foreshadowing what's to come?
ReplyDeleteUpdate: Some brief digging around on wikipedia suggests Septimus was assigned to the 23rd Infantry Division in Italy.
ReplyDeleteI agree even years after the war are still present in everyday life. Clarissa also thinks about it even though she was not greatly affected. As you mentioned you can see it the most in Septimus. He is still haunted all the time by the war. I think he also reflects what a lot of men from that generation must have felt. The connection that you made between the two Septimus' is really interesting I would have never had though of making any kind on connection with his name. I think its really cool that you were able to make that connection.
ReplyDeleteI like this post! I definitely agree with you, the War did have a lot of effects on society even well after it ended, especially on those who fought in the war, like Septimus Smith. Even Clarissa, who had minimal personal connection to the war, mentioned how glad she was that the war was over. I also liked how you noticed the capitalization and personification of "the War," that was a good observation! For the amount of lives it effected, I can see why Woolf humanizes it. it makes it seem more like a concrete thing that one could more easily blame for all the damage and pain it inflicted on so many people, rather than the more abstract concept that it actually is.
ReplyDeleteThe Great War had a profound effect on British society, unfortunately more so on some than others. In "Mrs. Dalloway," the character of Septimus Smith is a clear example of this. Septimus is a disoriented man, coming back to a society completely different from the one he had left. To add to that, Septimus is left emotionally scarred from the war, experiencing many horrors throughout his service. He is permanently unable to perceive the world the same way he did prior to the war, resulting in him appearing as a social outcast to the reader. You make a great connection explaining how differently Septimus views the message from the airplane than the others around him do. Septimus, triggered by the sound of the airplane, immediately connects it to another experience he had during the war. This tunnel of thought evokes his inner-sadistic feelings about himself and the environment around him, creating a permanent loop in his conscience. Experiences like these contributed to the development of Septimus's shell-shock and eventual suicide later in the novel.
ReplyDelete