Septimus Warren Smith Character Analysis In The Cold War

The inability of veterans to effectively communicate the emotional and mental trauma suffered during World War 1 results in the degradation of empathy and the neglect/denial of social issues. Septimus Warren Smith is a shell shocked veteran who criticizes the aloofness of modern persons to each other. He is incapable of communicating his troubles to those who are enthralled with modern culture. The repetition of the phrase “he could not remember it,” reiterates the inability of Septimus to express his very complex emotions (98). The war has gotten him so lost within his own thoughts he cannot clearly conclude how to begin to convey the anguish associated with the loss of Evans. The anxiety caused by the lack of catharsis builds up within Septimus. This is directly contrasted …show more content…
Septimus reaches out for help and vocalizes his intent to kill himself amongst a crowd of people and the only one to bat an eye at the remark is his wife Lucrezia, who already cares deeply for him. Conversely to Lucrezia’s sympathy, the crowd just stands in “veneration” of the car as it strolls away (16). The lack of reaction from the crowd shows a fundamental apathy within modern people and highlights the societal neglect for the troubles of other humans. The repetition of “people” throughout this section of the novel reinforces the idea that the average person has become disconnected from humanity (15). Septimus continues struggling to articulate the causes of his dejection to others, and as a result is cast aside as simply mad, and depressed. This idea of neglect persists in Dr. Holmes’s professional opinion that there is “nothing whatever the matter” with Septimus. Even when getting a second opinion from Sir William Bradshaw, Septimus’s condition is trivialized, and reduced into a “moment of depression,” spurred by a lack of “proportion” (97 and