Two Sides of the Same Coin

The Mrs. Dalloway Reader follows a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway. It begins with her shopping in London as she prepares for a party followed by interactions with other characters such as Septimus, a World War II vet. My essay will focus on Clarissa’s relationship to Septimus. 

Septimus is introduced with him observing the same event as Clarissa, the explosion coming from a car.  The story shifts to focus on him waiting for an appointment with Sir William Bradshaw. Bradshaw is a psychiatrist and a friend of Clarissa who later attends the party. Septimus is as the psychiatrist’s office because he is a World War II vet. He was injured during the war and suffers from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). This is evident on page 206 after the loud explosion, “Septimus thought…as if some horror had come almost to the surface and was about to burst into flame, terrified him.” But we can see that Septimus is aware of his own problem when he further goes on to think, “It is I who am blocking the way” (206). However, even the doctor and his wife dismisses Septimus’ grief and sorrow as nothing more than just him being irrational, “He was selfish. So men are. For he was not ill. Dr. Holmes said there was nothing to the matter with him” (213).

Clarissa does not become aware of Septimus’ existence until Bradshaw’s arrival at the party. However, it is the news of Septimus’ suicide. Septimus is suicidal because he no longer sees the same London around him. He does not see the London he fought for. Daily life is agony and he lives in constant fear. This is quite in contrast to the outlook on life Clarissa possesses. She wants to have this positive outlook on life. She’s always buying flowers and throwing parties while trying to mingle with high society. She is always concerned with her outward appearance and how others perceive her. This is something that Septimus does not concern himself with as Septimus is part of the working class and does not experience the luxuries that Clarissa enjoys. However, there is a similarity between the two characters. Septimus also find beauty in the world around him, in the same way that Clarissa buys flowers. They both appreciate what exists in the world around them.  Also, they both seem to be concerned with the world around them and about themselves. They are both concerned about death.

In this novel, one can say that Septimus and Clarissa are like two sides of the same coin. Both inevitably have the same fear of death, but the way they confront it is vastly different. The two characters also complement each other quite well. I think this is really interesting what Woolf has done. With these two characters, she was able to present the same topic through two different perspectives with two different characters. To emphasise the differing viewpoints, she uses two characters who have no direct relationship to each other. In the end, the only relationship between the Septimus and Clarissa is the topic of life, and accepting death.