Term Paper on "Mrs. Dalloway"
Term Paper 3 pages (1135 words) Sources: 1 Style: MLA
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Mrs. Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf. Specifically it will discuss the place of Septimus Warren Smith in the novel, not only in terms of plot but also in terms of his importance to the book's theme. Septimus Smith represents the insane world in this novel, while Clarissa Dalloway represents the "sane" world and all that represents, from settling for someone without passion, to the details of a highly social lifestyle. Septimus is insane, but he sees the world with a clarity that Mrs. Dalloway does not, and he serves as a commentary on society and morals at the time the novel was written.Septimus Smith is clearly insane. He thinks to himself in stream-of-consciousness short bits of information, such as, "Men must not cut down trees. There is a God. (He noted such revelations on the backs of envelopes.) Change the world. No one kills from hatred. Make it known (he wrote it down). He waited. He listened" (Woolf 24). He lacks interest in his surroundings and his wife, and threatens to kill himself. Septimus is a pivotal part of this novel because he appears to be the antithesis of Mrs. Dalloway, who is always in control of her life, but in fact, they share many commonalities from "beak noses" (Woolf 14) to the way Woolf follows both of them throughout one momentous day in their lives. In addition, Septimus mirrors many of Mrs. Dalloway's feeling, but always with a touch of insanity, which may indicate how close we all are to insanity, according to Woolf. They are the most different in that Septimus is not afraid to show his feelings and be afraid, and he is also unconcerned with how others perceive him, in fact, for the most part, he is unaware of anyone but himself and his imagination. The scene in the p
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Both Septimus and Clarissa see humanity with skepticism, although they can see the beauty around them. Clarissa sees humanity as a "doomed race" (Woolf 76), while Septimus equates all his experiences with the horrors he saw in war and the people around him, people he thinks have neither "kindness nor faith" (Woolf 89). Thus, while the two represent two very different sides of English society, they take very dim views of the people around them. Clarissa, however, can rise above these feelings and still be happy, while Septimus is unable to see true happiness in anything.
Septimus goes to war to save an England that still believes in classes and royalty (Woolf 86), and that is one way he affects Clarissa in the novel. He is fighting for people like her, and she does not even realize it or appreciate it, it seems. In fact, the war is far… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Mrs. Dalloway" Assignment:
Please answer the following question, only pick ONE. Make sure to quote anything used from the text. Please notate it with (p. XX). Please even do this for unquoted material, if it is still information taken from the text. Please make sure to use appropriate quotes. There is no need to include the question in the essay. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
1. One of Virginia Woof's primary concerns in her work was to find some kind of meaning or significance, some "pattern," in the random events that impinge themselves upon our consciousness. Discuss some of the means by which this attempt is carried out in Mrs. Dalloway.
2. Discuss the importance of the emphasis on time throughout the novel. Show some of the means by which the reader (as well as the characters) is kept constantly aware of the passing time; and explain how this emphasis on time is important to the book, especially how it is related to the theme or idea behind it.
3. Discuss the place of Septimus Smith in the novel, not only in terms of plot but in terms of his importance to the book's theme. Consider especially the fact that he enters Mrs. Dalloway's life in important ways even though they never meet.
How to Reference "Mrs. Dalloway" Term Paper in a Bibliography
“Mrs. Dalloway.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2007, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/mrs-dalloway-virginia-woolf/9095436. Accessed 6 Jul 2024.
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