A Warped Mirror: How Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Smith Reflect Virginia Woolf Through the Book's Pages

        In Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Smith are distinct and seemingly disconnected characters; they have vastly different identities, life experiences, and goals, but they are tied together by something deeper—they both, in some way, reflect Virginia Woolf. Woolf put aspects of her identity into both characters (Clarissa and Richard's marriage, Septimus' delusions and mental health struggles, etc.), making each character's identity overlap with the others in at least minimal ways. Septimus' and Clarissa's mental states definitely overlap; death is described as 'freeing' multiple times, and they both quote the phrase "fear no more the heat of the sun." Both characters are a form of outlet for Virginia Woolf to express parts of her true life in the form of fiction. 

        We discussed in class that Clarissa and Richard Dalloway's relationship structure is quite similar to Virginia and Leonard Woolf's. Woolf describes the Dalloway marriage in section three, showing their separate sleeping situations, Clarissa's reflections on her "virginity preserved through childbirth," her assumed "failures," and the independence between husband and wife. Woolf's own relationship with her husband is similar in many ways. The Woolfs never consummated their marriage, reflecting the lack of physical intimacy within the Dalloways' relationship. There is also a shared aspect of care coming from the husband in both relationships; Richard Dalloway helps with Clarissa's recovery from influenza, providing care and (sometimes too much) gentleness and room for healing; Leonard Woolf similarly helped Virginia through multiple severe mental health crises. Both couples share a deep love for the other member, but without the obvious intimacy that many expect to see in a marriage, leading people on the outside to doubt the love within the relationship. Even within our class, a few people had uncertainty regarding Clarissa's feelings towards Richard, especially after section three—but later, when Richard buys Clarissa flowers, we can see how they understand each other and the affection that is conveyed without words. While modern-day historians understand the complex relationship between Woolf and her husband, I think it is safe to assume that, at least at some point, people most likely questioned how much affection was truly involved in their relationship. Similarly to Richard and Clarissa's relationship, though, Virginia and Leonard shared a deep bond of mutual understanding and respect—something far less common at the time than the typical 'man is in charge and woman throws parties and looks pretty while being quiet' structure of marriage.

        We have also discussed in class that Septimus Smith's mental health issues almost directly reflect many of the things Virginia Woolf suffered through in her life. Throughout the novel, Septimus experiences hallucinations, apathy, and general despair, mirroring the debilitating mental health episodes and depressive states that Woolf suffered throughout her life—sometimes even directly copying real experiences of Woolf (like the hallucination of birds singing in Greek). They also both represent failures of the medical system in the 20th century. Septimus is subjected to patronizing and coercive treatment by doctors (Dr. Holmes and Sir William Bradshaw) who prioritize social conformity over human empathy. Woolf similarly experienced patronizing, harmful, and uncomprehending medical interventions during her own breakdowns. While they had common experiences, the dismissive nature of their medical treatment was due to very different reasons; Septimus' treatment was due to the lack of understanding surrounding post-war traumatic disorders, the altered mental states of victims being blamed on a lack of masculinity rather than a solidified medical condition; Woolf's treatment was also primarily due to biased views of gender: the belief that her illness was because her intellectual work, writing, and lack of physical rest were overstimulating her "delicate brain." Septimus Smith and Virginia Woolf show different ends of the medical views of gender in the 20th century; Septimus shows the warped view of masculinity and the need to be 'tough,' crediting any mental illness to a lack of manlyness; Woolf shows the idea that women were too fragile to do things typically done by men (like intellectual pursuits) and that any altered mental status was because their 'frail woman brain' was too weak to handle their actions, ultimately blaming it on them for 'over-exerting themself.'

        Overall, Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Smith both represent important aspects of Virginia Woolf's identity. This 'mirroring' of Woolf's identity into her novel allows for the societal issues brought up in the story to potentially reach a wider audience. Mrs. Dalloway is a deeply personal novel for Woolf, and I think it's important to recognize the real-life experiences that influenced the creation of the characters. Woolf seemed to split herself into two in order to create Clarissa and Septimus, creating characters that have a deep connection even without ever actually interacting.