Septimus’s Fragmentation of Time in the Face of Societal Convention
Throughout Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf critiques veterans’ task of assimilation into London society once they return from the fronts. The character Septimus Warren Smith has returned from the war suffering from shell shock and hallucinations, yet society expects him to reinstitute himself into London life. Woolf highlights the experience of this veteran as he spirals into madness, stemming from his wartime past as well as the pressures put on him from society. In the passage, Septimus’s mental instability is a result of the fragmented time he experiences. Not only must Septimus comprehend the stimuli of the present, it is contested by intrusions of his past. The presence of Evans, a deceased friend of Septimus in the war, constantly undermines Septimus’s attempts at assimilation …show more content…
Time is given a place of respect for Septimus as the dedication of his ode. The ode is an elevated song that honors its subject; therefore, Septimus is reenacting the poet venerating his muse. When Septimus and Evans sing “an immortal ode to Time” they are paying tribute to a collection of experiences that compose Time (69-70). Unlike the Evans and the dead soldiers, the collective experience of the war as represented by Time, remains everlasting. After singing their ode, Septimus is drawn into his memories about the dead he left behind during the war: “The dead were in Thessaly, Evans sang, among the orchids” (70). Septimus sings his ode to his wartime past in honor of the dead he leaves behind. The ode enables Septimus to reflect on the impactful experiences of his life that led him to sing to Time. Thus, Time builds on his past, accumulating experiences in the war that haunts him in his present. Septimus is unable to shake these experiences; rather, they restrict his ability to fully immerse himself in
Throughout Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf critiques veterans’ task of assimilation into London society once they return from the fronts. The character Septimus Warren Smith has returned from the war suffering from shell shock and hallucinations, yet society expects him to reinstitute himself into London life. Woolf highlights the experience of this veteran as he spirals into madness, stemming from his wartime past as well as the pressures put on him from society. In the passage, Septimus’s mental instability is a result of the fragmented time he experiences. Not only must Septimus comprehend the stimuli of the present, it is contested by intrusions of his past. The presence of Evans, a deceased friend of Septimus in the war, constantly undermines Septimus’s attempts at assimilation …show more content…
Time is given a place of respect for Septimus as the dedication of his ode. The ode is an elevated song that honors its subject; therefore, Septimus is reenacting the poet venerating his muse. When Septimus and Evans sing “an immortal ode to Time” they are paying tribute to a collection of experiences that compose Time (69-70). Unlike the Evans and the dead soldiers, the collective experience of the war as represented by Time, remains everlasting. After singing their ode, Septimus is drawn into his memories about the dead he left behind during the war: “The dead were in Thessaly, Evans sang, among the orchids” (70). Septimus sings his ode to his wartime past in honor of the dead he leaves behind. The ode enables Septimus to reflect on the impactful experiences of his life that led him to sing to Time. Thus, Time builds on his past, accumulating experiences in the war that haunts him in his present. Septimus is unable to shake these experiences; rather, they restrict his ability to fully immerse himself in