Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Warren Smith Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Warren Smith are two of the character is in the book Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Warren Smith are unhappy with their lives. Although, Clarissa and Septimus are both unhappy the basis for their unhappiness stems from different reasons and / or events that have happened in their lives.
But the both fear the can not feel as others feel. Clarissa Dalloway, a middle aged upper class woman, is unhappy because of choices she has made in her life she also fears that she can not feel things as others do. Septimus Smith, a World War I veteran, is unhappy because of effects of the war. Septimus worries that when Evan’s died he did not feel anything. Clarissa Dalloway wanted to be a part of the upper class English society. That is the reason she married Richard Dalloway.
Throughout the novel Clarissa looks back on her experiences with Peter Walsh. She wonders if she made the correct choice in marrying Richard and rejecting Peter. Clarissa point out in… That one of the reason she didn’t marry Peter is because he would ask her to feel too much. Richard does not ask her to feel things as Peter would. Clarissa didn’t love Richard when she married him but has learned to love him.
Although she believes she made the right decision in marrying Richard, she still wonders how things would have been if she married Peter instead. Clarissa has a low self-confidence in her appearance as well as her skills as a hostess. “A ridiculous little face, beaked like a bird’s” is how Clarissa describes herself. Clarissa goes on with the description saying she is “nothing… this being Mrs. Dalloway; not even Clarissa anymore; this being Mrs.
The Essay on comparison within Clarissa Dalloway
Virginia Woolf creates interesting contrast within the character of Clarissa Dalloway using stream of consciousness narration in her novel Mrs. Dalloway. Clarissa?s inner thoughts reveal a contrast between her lack of attraction to her husband due to her lesbian feelings and her fear of loosing him as a social stepping stone. These contrasts and many others can be seen throughout the novel using ...
Richard Dalloway.” () Clarissa feels she is unimportant, that she has no self-identity, no purpose in life. Clarissa believes one of her duties being Mrs. Richard Dalloway is to throw lavish parties. Although, Clarissa enjoys throwing these parties also feels unsuccessful as a hostess. Party planning consumes her entire life and then she constantly worries that the party will be disastrous. Miss Kilman, Elizabeth’s tutor, does not like Clarissa and the feeling is mutual for Clarissa.
Clarissa feels inferior toward Miss Kidman this is noted by the line “she was never in the room five minutes without making you feel her superiority, your inferiority… .” (12) Clarissa feels like Miss Kilman is the enemy, like Miss Kilman is stealing Elizabeth from her. Clarissa is jealous because Miss Kilman seems to have a better relationship with her daughter than Clarissa does herself. Clarissa Dalloway always wanted to be a high society wife.
Now that she is Mrs. Richard Dalloway she is realizing that her life is not as happy as she thought it would be. Although, Clarissa believes she made the correct choice in marrying Richard she thinks about Peter quite a bit, she feels being Mrs. Richard Dalloway leaves her with no identity. Clarissa enjoys throwing parties but the planning of the party consumes her and she dwells on the outcome before the party has arrived. She has doubts in her standing is society as well as, her ability in throwing a fantastic party.
Clarissa’s relationship with her daughter is not what she would wish it to be. She feels that Miss Kilman is favored by Elizabeth. Although some of the issues are normal feelings Clarissa dwells on them until the parties consume all her energy. “I am unhappy.” Septimus Warren Smith is also an unhappy person. Septimus is unhappy because of things that he has seen or done in World War I.
Septimus is experiencing effects of shell shock from the war. During the war Septimus’ friend Evan was killed, Septimus watched his friend’s demise. Septimus felt nothing when his friend died; he feels that he should have felt something. Septimus thinks he has no feeling and he blames himself because he didn’t feel anything. When the war ended Septimus married Lucrezia to try to prove to himself that he did have feelings. I think that because of acts that he committed in the war Septimus is now feeling guilty.
The Essay on Ability To Feel One Feeling Types
And therefore, your men of imagination are generally given to sensual pleasure, because the objects of sense yield them a more delicate touch, and a livelier sensation, than they do others. But if they happen to live so long (which is hardly possible), in the decline of life they pay dearly for the youthful days of their vanity. Those rigid, stiff and unyielding fibres, have less warm sensations, ...
He blames himself for things that were necessary for his survival, probably blames himself for surviving when so many others had not. Since coming home from the war he believe that people’s human nature is bad. Septimus is fighting an internal war with himself. Septimus is confusing reality with his hallucinations. Although, Septimus does experience moments of lucidity most of the time he can not decipher between the two.
After Septimus goes to see Dr. Bradshaw he feels that there is no hope for himself. He understands that they are going to put him away in an asylum, take him away from Lucrezia. But he also imposes that reality with a hallucination that he is under the doctor’s power. Septimus doesn’t want to give up control on his life so he therefore, takes the power back by committing suicide. Both Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Warren Smith are unhappy people.
Clarissa is unhappy because she is never sure with her choices in life. She doesn’t have enough confidence in her decisions therefore dwells on the choices she has made. Clarissa is also unhappy because she doesn’t have any reason to live anymore. () Septimus Warren Smith is unhappy because of thing he could not control. Septimus was a normal, fun, exciting man before the war. He changed after the war, as war does too many people.
During war times soldiers see awful thing or commit dreadful acts for their survival. For a person to survive a war emotions must be either shut off or put aside in order for the soldier’s survival. Septimus is now feeling guilty for not having feelings during those awful times, this is playing tricks on the mind. Septimus is unhappy because he know what is it like to have control of his life but he also understands that that control is being taking away from him.
