In the build-up and in the aftermath of the heart-wrenching scene of Septimus' suicide, I noticed several abnormalities in the way that Woolf depicted what was occurring. The entire scene felt surreal, completely taking me by surprise and leaving in shock as the section concluded. Throughout the entire scene, Woolf portrays Septimus' suicide as a positive act of defiance, one that provided a brave escape from the loneliness and cruelty of society.
After the heartwarming scene where Septimus and Rezia make a hat together, the reader is left with optimism for their futures. We see Rezia feel less alone for the first time in the novel and Septimus almost content with his life. He describes Rezia as a "flowering tree" that would allow him to triumph over the likes of people like Dr. Holmes and Sir Bradshaw. But all joy carried over from this scene is immediately stripped away as Dr. Holmes forces himself into their home, causing Septimus to fling himself from the window, as that was the only escape he could think of. This death, as tragic as it is, has no immediate effect on Rezia. After watching her husband jump to his own death, she seems to finally understand him and is almost happy for him, even after Dr. Holmes claimed Septimus to be a coward.
This strangely positive perception of Septimus' suicide is also seen through the point of view of Clarissa. After hearing the news of his death at her party from Lady Bradshaw, she goes to another room and ponders his death alone. Although she had never met Septimus, she eventually begins praising his actions, seeing his suicide as a statement of bravery. She is proud of him and claims that because he died at the peak of his happiness, the purity of his soul was preserved, unlike hers. This entire thought process gives Clarissa clarity in her own life, motivating her to experience intimacy with Sally and Peter as they reunite in the final scene.
I completely agree that the circumstances around Septimus' death are odd and very juxtaposed with the previous scenes. The casual air around the suicide I think adds even another layer of depth, making it seem like an inevitable conclusion. It really makes you think about why Woolf portrayed it in such a way. She is such a careful writer and I doubt any level of nuance around the scene is an accident. I think you got the idea of it really well. She herself struggling with mental health (specifically suicide), really makes me wonder if she could be portraying her own experiences, and how much inspiration she borrowed from her own life.
ReplyDeleteSeptimus's suicide being viewed as an act of bravery is the opposite of how society normally sees suicide, especially during that time, where it is usually seen as cowardly and selfish. Woolf also struggled with mental illness, so maybe she made his suicide have a more positive tone, because it is how she wishes society would have responded to her mental health issues.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about it that way before, but now that you mention it I can definitely see the "statement of bravery" thing. I think it was also viewed as an act of revenge, because the doctors failed him completely, so instead he committed suicide.
ReplyDeleteI agree there's a pretty fine line between detecting suicide and romanticizing it, and I definitely get vibes from Woolf that she's somewhat romanticizing it, or as you noted "a brave escape" or a "positive act of defiance." Generally the people who I've seen romanticized suicide the most, generally musical artists in my experience, are people who really struggle with this idea of mortality, life, and depression themselves and are the ones most prone to suicide and experience suicidal ideation themselves (most notably one of my favorite musical artists/groups Suicideboys). And from this I definitely take that Woolf herself struggled with these issues, and through that lens, the romanticization of suicide you mentioned makes a lot more sense to me.
ReplyDeleteI think one thing I also got from that passage though was that Septimus's suicide was something that wasn't inherently going to happen. Although we saw him struggle for most of the book, we got to see that he had good days as well. This kind of gave the readers hope that maybe he would recover. However, as you mentioned, Holmes was the last straw that ultimately caused Septimus to take his life. If it wasn't for Holmes, maybe Septimus could have lived another day. That being said, I do think the scene has a general air of understanding.
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