After Death
After Death
In the novel, Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf constantly presents death throughout her story to emphasize the idea that death is not an ending of life, but the beginning of a chain of related events. Woolf creates this idea by revealing the thoughts and emotions of her characters so that the readers can understand their responses to the deaths of other characters. She demonstrates the influential attribute of death by comparing it with the cycle of nature to verify that death, just like nature is indeed a cycle. In this way, Virginia Woolf conveys that after death, the essence of a person’s soul remains in the environment that he or she was once a part of.
Septimus was deeply affected by Evan’s death as parts of Evan stuck with Septimus after he died in the war. Most likely suffering from Post Tramautic Stress Disorder from seeing his friend die, Septimus “let himself think about horrible things” (66). Almost feeling the pain for his friend, Septimus would argue with his wife, Rezia about “killing themselves and explain how wicked people were” (66). Even after Evans’s death, Septimus continued to see and hear Evans as “the death was with [Septimus]” (93). In the beginning of Woolf’s novel, she introduced Septimus as if he was communicating with something that was not alive (Evans). A voice in Septimus’s head “communicated with him…lately taken from life to death” (25). Woolf’s describes the feelings as eternal, “forever unwasted, suffering forever, the scapegoat the eternal sufferer…the eternal loneliness” (25). Although Evans died, his presence was eternal and carried on with Septimus.
In Clarissa’s theory of life, she suggested that one’s being was not just her in his/her her body, parts of her whole were found in other “people who completed them,” such as her family, and Peter Walsh (153). Not only the people, but “even the places” that tell so much of Clarissa’s life, such as Bourton (153). Clarissa extended it to the situation when someone dies, suggesting that part of people live forever. Peter says of Clarissa, “with her horror of death…the part of us which appears, are so momentary compared with the other, the unseen part of us, which spreads wide, the unseen might survive” (153). Clarissa implies that the parts of people that were attached to other people and other places survive, meaning that some part of the dead person also survives. In Clarissa’s fright, or even curiosity of death, she finds some comfort in knowing that parts of her will survive, in Bourton and in the people closest to her. At the end of the “theory” discussion, Peter thinks about it and relates Clarissa to a place. He says that “he saw her most often in the country, not in London” (153).
Woolf develops the theme of the continuation of the soul after death in her novel, which is important in figuring out the meaning and purpose of Septimus’s death. Most of the novel concerns people’s innermost thoughts rather than what’s on the surface, their visible actions. The people’s thoughts (like when Clarissa informed the readers of Bourton, her past with Peter etc.) connect people and places. Woolf’s choice of adding this theory into her book gives the three main characters, Clarissa, Peter, and Septimus, comfort in leaving life.
posted by Ms. Clapp @ 9:01 AM
12 comments
12 Comments:
I agree with the idea that Virginia Woolf revealed the thoughts of each character in order to further convey the emotions that they felt when it was revealed someone close to them had passed, and I like the idea of the soul remaining; it explains Richard constantly seeing Evans, despite his passing. It also makes up for the idea where Clarissa Dalloway didn't pity him when she heard of Septimus Warren's suicide; she instead understood him, and in turn was comforted by the idea that once she leaves life, there will still remain a small imprint of her somewhere, where she'll be remembered, be it either the memory of her parties, or the memory of the woman she was.
Figuratively, Mrs. Dalloway died at Bourton or rather part of her is there. With two roads set before her, she had the choice of passion or stability; choosing stability caused a part of her to die. This figurative death is consistent with characters such Peter Walsh, who also died at Bourton. Rather than to forget the climax of one’s life, the circle of recollection is extensive and they cannot escape.
I find it interesting that you said that "after death, the essence of a person’s soul remains in the environment..." Maybe it is just me but I read this to suggest to an extent that there exists a form of life even once one dies. I think in Mrs. Dalloway, what is shown more is the effects of a persons life (and death) in the people that are still alive. In that sense, I wouldn't say that the person continues to live.
In Mrs. Dallwoay, Woolf portrays death, to an extent, as an escape from life, and that escape wouldn't be possible if one continued to exist afterward (a bit depressing?)
I think we agree however that the person's death and life continue to affect those that continue to live. Evans' effect on Septimus was a good example of that.
I'd have to disagre with you how you said that people's death stay in that place where they died. Like I understand how someone's death might affect a close friend or whoever and would be deeply bothered and drive them to think that they are actually there like for Septimus. I don't think that a part of person stays in that place where they died.
There are memories just like Peter Walsh remembers Clarissa going to the country alot, but I don't think a part of her stayed in the country. It is more of a memory than a part of that person staying.
Dario, perhaps I should have explained Clarissa's theory better, but I was trying to focus on the death part. But since you brought it up, I'll explain it. Clarissa's theory is that one must seek the things that complete a person in life to truly understand his/her complete being. It is told in Peter's point of view, so at first thought, he didn’t want to think about the validity of that statement, but he later had “agreed, how little one knew people” (152). Clarissa continued explaining, “she felt herself everywhere; not ‘here, here, here’” (152). Her description of “everywhere” was in other people, in other places. Clarissa’s person was not just her in her body. Parts of her whole were found in other “people who completed them,” such as her family, and Peter Walsh (153). Not only the people, but “even the places” that tell so much of Clarissa’s life, such as Bourton (153).
So it was Clarissa who originally thought that to know a person completely, one must search for the people and places that completed that person (let's say Clarissa). Now imagine that Clarissa dies. Because the story at Bourton still exists and Peter is still alive, there is a part of her that is still alive, those two important parts of Clarissa remian after she is gone. We did not mean that quote literally, that something remains. I mean literally, Bourton and Peter remain, but we meant it more like you restated it, that the effects of people surive. And you were correct in saying that the person still lives, because it's apparent that Clarissa is dead. However, part of her (those parts (people and places) that one had to search out to fully understand her person), ya, they survive, meaning that a part of everyone who dies survives.
And Ashley, I too don't think that a part of person stays in that place where they died. Hopefully my response to Dario clears that up. But if not I can still give another example, since you said that part of Clarissa doesn't remain at Bourton. So let's take Clarissa's bedroom, her house even. When she dies, is there no part of Clarissa in that house (where she threw her parties)? Has she just vanished from the scene? Are there no pictures, no memories from that house?
The point is that if Clarissa were to die, her whole being doesn't vanish from the side of the Earth. Richard could be reminded of her, of her personality the next time he walks into that flower shop where he bought the "I Love You" flowers. Like Dario said, even though the literal body is gone, the effects of the person remain.
It seems that the point Katie is trying to push could be related to the footprint-in-snow image. She's gone, but her imprint, her presence, is felt. And as long as some of that story remains, one doesn't really vanish from earth but exists in memories and in the souls of the lives she helped change.
I relate this to the book 1984 by George Orwell. It's a dystopian novel written around World War I predicting what life would be like seventy or so years later. The whole of the book is pretty depressing, but it talks about existence and perception, as vague as that sounds. The past was being erased by a fascist, totalitarian government through people like the narrator whose job was to edit the records in books. When people "vanished," their existence was erased from records, replaced or removed from pictures, dates changed. So if say you had "vanished," that would be a vacancy in the cafeteria, an hour or two of erasing, and suddenly you never existed.
However, as long as one contains a memory of this or that person, his/her existence is kept safe, and one's death is only a sleep to be awoken in memories..
I completely agree with Dario, Katie, and keVien, with the whole idea of one’s presence remaining long after they are gone.
For instance, in Mrs. Dalloway, I am pretty sure that Septimus’ memory will continue on amongst people, such as Clarissa. Clarissa will always be reminded of/intrigued by Septimus’ death, since she can relate Septimus’ character to herself—one who felt unhappiness, whether it be at times or constantly. She too had contemplated death, and the fact that she decides to live her life instead of end it, could show the two different paths taken by people who held certain similarities—the feeling of being misunderstood, the feeling of a lack of achievement, etc.
When people pass away, they have affected their own lives, as well as the lives of others. The lives of close family and friends could be affected greatly, in that they feel that their spirits have been taken along with their loved one—their lives too have ended.
Once in discussion we talked about how death was a form of communication. By "the essence of a person’s soul" remaining, that is the method in which people communicate with eachother. They talk about the person who is gone, and they bond over the fact that they were a part of his or her life. This creates stronger bonds between people, thus creating a deeper understanding as well.
I always thought that Septimus, Clarissa, and Peter always feared death and the relentless ticking of the clock or Big Ben is a reminder to them the approach of death, which in turn makes every memory and event into something more than it actually was. Also Clarissa views everyday of hers to be possibly filled with death; she constantly quotes Shakespeare which also reasons why every memory and event is so emphasized as she is trying to live everyday of her life as if it was her last. I would have to agree with Dario about how death is an escape. It seems that Septimus would rather choose death, than to be oppressed and live another day in that situation.
I agree with Dario when he writes that, "in Mrs. Dalloway, what is shown more is the effects of a persons life (and death) in the people that are still alive". When someone dies they leave an impression on the people around them and in that sense their souls do remain.
Life after death is usually seen as a sort of religious theme. However in Mrs. Dalloway the thought of one living in the places they left a piece of them is an interesting theory. By allowing Spetimus to know that after death Rezia will remember him and always love him, this allows him to be content. Also he knows that he will ultimately be relieving her of a lot of stress that he puts on her and he also gets relief from this. He knows that he will be in a place where he will be understood and wont have to explain himself to any one. Upon Septimus’ suicide Mrs. Dalloway wonders if she would be in a good enough place to die. Meaning that if she were to die today, did she think that she had left her mark on enough places in society and people that when she left that she could be content on knowing that she had touch the lives of these people and would continue living through them .
I agree with the main point that this group is portraying that a death brings on influences in the people around. When Evan’s died, he stayed a part of Septimus’s mind and soul and added to the way that he was traumatized from the war. When Septimus jumps out of a window on the same day of Clarissa’s party, the death brings upon feelings of helplessness in Clarissa. The ending of one’s life brings about the questioning of the happiness of another. Clarissa brings the death of Septimus into her mind and stays with her as she questions if she is truly happy in her life. Death in the novel brings out a change in the main characters. Like life, the death of a person that one knew, always stays with a person and causes them to question their actions and decisions.
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