During one of our discussions, one of the most interesting topics we discussed was the intricacy of Septimus's mind. Woolf's depiction of shell shock is one of the most powerful things in the novel, as rather than describing the physical/outward symptoms, she decides to plunge right into the mind of Septimus, forcing the reader to literally place themselves in his shoes. What we've observed is that Septimus has a rationale, and can find order within the world, but is unable to feel. As a result, he decides to blame the world. This paradox of not being able to respond emotionally but also being hyperaware of the fact that he can't feel anything, and being anxious is such a complex, but also powerful detail Woolf highlights. While the mind of Septimus is functioning logically, it is his inability to feel that leads to his bouts of anxiety, depression, and hallucinations. The lack of emotions that humans require to be human is what makes him seem "mad" to the world. The symptom of shell shock isn't just this idea that Septimus is absolutely crazy, it's the specific lack of emotion that drives him to this craze we see. It's extremely fascinating plunging into the mind of this tumultuous character who sees the world in a completely different lens from any of the other characters. The shifts between Rezia and Septimus provide excellent contrast, as we shift back and forth.
Just like the rest of the characters we've met this year, Milkman, our protagonist, is a conflicting one. On one hand, his entire personality throughout the novel seems to be one of an adolescent in an adult's body, characterized by his immaturity and brattiness. Yet as the story progresses, the metaphor of a bird learning to fly seems to clarify, and we end with the baby bird leaping and finally flying. After learning about his family history, the change in Milkman is astounding, as he is able to let go of all his curiosity, trauma, and truly understand the implications behind his ancestry. Since this novel focuses on the lives of African Americans, I wonder how Morrison intends for us to interpret the ending of the novel. Initially, I thought the friendship between Guitar and Milkman was a subtle way of criticizing Milkman, of his lack of interest in black rights and equality. But the ending of the novel has proved otherwise. If anything, Morrison states that the power of kno...
Woolf provides excellent insight into the mind of someone with shell-shock considering it was just beginning to be recognized as a mental condition in her time-period. Septimus embodies her views, being used to convey her thoughts on the matter. She portrays Septimus as a disoriented being, accusing those around him for not understanding his philosophy. Septimus blames himself for his absence of emotion, but concurrently observes all those around him as well, putting into perspective how deep his disdain goes. Woolf wants the reader to understand how various people perceive the world in differentiating circumstances. Septimus seems to be the anchor of this spectrum, having been the most affected by his environment. He is a fascinating character to decipher indeed.
ReplyDeleteAccurate. Woolf's style of writing really provides us a nice possible insight into the thoughts and emotions (or lack of) of a person with shell-shock. I think what makes Septimus seem so real and less of the 'generic-crazy-character' is the fact that we can see into his mind, and that we see that his logic and rationale is unharmed but his heart is dead. If we just saw him through the eyes of Rezia, I might be less able to understand his character.
ReplyDeleteNot only is it incredibly interesting to be able to see the world from Septimus' perspective, but it's also interesting to see it from Rezia's point of view. She clearly knows something is wrong with Septimus and tries to help him and still loves him, even when he has this shell-shock and she's not in Italy anymore. Most of the portrayals of Septimus are through Rezia's eyes and she helps Septimus seem less crazy and more human.
ReplyDeleteWhat's really interesting about the look into Septimus' mind that Woolf gives us is how advanced it is for the time period in which it was written. It is much more common these days to see literature written by people who have a scientific understanding of mental illnesses or often people who have a personal experience with the illness itself. However, this was not the case in the 20s when this book was written and published and therefore it was very much ahead of it's time.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting point that you bring up is that what makes Septimus "mad" is his incapability to experience human emotion. I wonder if this is a criticism on Woolf's part of toxic masculinity. We expect men to be strong and not show emotion, yet when they achieve that, we think there is something wrong with them.
A. I think your point about the contrast between Septimus and Rezia as the narrator switches between the thoughts of them is really interesting. Both Rezia and Septimus spend so much time out of this day in distress and I think the way that Woolf depicts the difference between them is fascinating. As you mentioned, Septimus' distress stems from his inability to feel emotions. Rezia's distress on the other hand is very emotionally driven as she is struggling with her feelings for Septimus and her worry over his mental state.
ReplyDeleteB. You misused the word literally in the 5th line
Interesting observation! I really like your point about the contrast between Rezia and Septimus. It's always really revealing to see Rezia's point of view versus Septimus' - she sees him as a near mad-man while he sees himself as a near scholar.
ReplyDelete(On a slightly different note - one really great example of Septimus' emotionlessness is the exchange between them about childhood. Lucrezia is crying about not being able to have children with Septimus, and Septimus sits there with a sort of unexpressed horror - my wife is crying because of me, and I feel nothing.)
To expand on your theory, I actually think that Septimus CAN experience emotion, to some extent - he cries when he first sees the letters, describing them as "one shape after another of unimaginable beauty". I think he might THINK he is emotionless because he doesn't respond to the same stimuli that he used to. My own personal theory is that Septimus, while trying to feel again, ended up rebuilding his emotional ladder differently. He could have tried to feel anything about everything - trees, clouds, eternal love, for example. He was no longer able to feel emotion in subjects that had incited emotion in him before (Miss Isabel Pole and the war, for example), but could exercise emotion through becoming hyper-reactive to everything else.
I agree when we plunge into Septimus mind I never know what to expect. Woolf does an excellent job of showing us what the mid of someone with shell shock might be. It is also something that we never really get to see in novels. We might see the outwardly physical aspects of shell shock but never ever detail of what is going on in their minds. I agree I think Spetimus is mad a the world because he feels like he can no longer fit in a be a "normal" human and that leads him to be "insane".
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