Death is Another Form of Life The famous Russian writer Boris Pasternak ever said, “Art has two constant, two unending concerns: It always meditates on death and thus always creates life.” Like a coin always having two sides, the problem of life and death always interact with each other. In the 1925 published novel Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf declares the idea of life and death is consistent with individual consciousness. Some people die, their consciousness still live; some people live, their consciousness is empty, they are the walking dead. Although Clarissa has well material life, her spiritual life is empty and her consciousness surrenders to her life. In the case of Septimus, he has disconnected with the world, death becomes the
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The doctors Holmes and his wife Rezia didn’t even figure out his mental illness. In this case, those people indirectly isolate Septimus and become strangers for Septimus, as he questions the society, “The world has raised its whip; where will it descend?” (Woolf 14). Rather than saying he simply feels numb, he is too sensitive to the world, which make him away from the so – called society. Meanwhile, his nature desires the connection with others, as Septimus claims, “Communication is health; communication is happiness” (Woolf 93). Communication is the way for him to get the internal peace, is the Way to allow him to express himself. Since he has been indirectly isolated and disconnected from the reality. Since they can’t understand him, there is impossible to express him. Since Septimus fails to communicate with his consciousness, his internal peace can’t accomplish, the life seems to be meaningless to him. It is why Septimus makes his last call, “I’s give it to you” (Woolf 149). It doesn’t mean Septimus has given up and surrenders to the material world. He is sick in the eyes of those so – called people but in the way of not being understood by others. That is, suicide may contain insane nature, but turns into his rational act to chase consciousness. His death is not surrender, but the victory over the material pursuits that most people have. Rather than living the life in a miserable way, Septimus chose to follow the mind, to jump. The suicide ends his life in an impressive way; however, his mind which still lives through as the form of message consciously influences Mrs. Dalloway. Suicide takes away his life, but indirectly brings him the triumph of mind over the unconnected world. Instead of feeling coward to suicide as the doctor Holmes, Woolf twists the traditional meaning of suicide to function as the result of noble act.
The doctors Holmes and his wife Rezia didn’t even figure out his mental illness. In this case, those people indirectly isolate Septimus and become strangers for Septimus, as he questions the society, “The world has raised its whip; where will it descend?” (Woolf 14). Rather than saying he simply feels numb, he is too sensitive to the world, which make him away from the so – called society. Meanwhile, his nature desires the connection with others, as Septimus claims, “Communication is health; communication is happiness” (Woolf 93). Communication is the way for him to get the internal peace, is the Way to allow him to express himself. Since he has been indirectly isolated and disconnected from the reality. Since they can’t understand him, there is impossible to express him. Since Septimus fails to communicate with his consciousness, his internal peace can’t accomplish, the life seems to be meaningless to him. It is why Septimus makes his last call, “I’s give it to you” (Woolf 149). It doesn’t mean Septimus has given up and surrenders to the material world. He is sick in the eyes of those so – called people but in the way of not being understood by others. That is, suicide may contain insane nature, but turns into his rational act to chase consciousness. His death is not surrender, but the victory over the material pursuits that most people have. Rather than living the life in a miserable way, Septimus chose to follow the mind, to jump. The suicide ends his life in an impressive way; however, his mind which still lives through as the form of message consciously influences Mrs. Dalloway. Suicide takes away his life, but indirectly brings him the triumph of mind over the unconnected world. Instead of feeling coward to suicide as the doctor Holmes, Woolf twists the traditional meaning of suicide to function as the result of noble act.