Ave Maria College

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

HEI Unique Institutional Identifier: 09077

NAME: Stephanne Dawn C. Lihaylihay DATE September 8, 2020

PROGRAM & YEAR: BSED-III SCORE:

Close Analysis No. 2

Instruction: Based on the “Biography Entry No. 6”, choose one literary work from the writer.
Then make a close analysis of your chosen literary work.

Title of the Literary Work: MRS. DALLOWAY by: Virginia Woolf

Mrs. Dalloway begins with Clarissa’s preparatory errand to buy flowers. Unexpected
events occur, a car emits an explosion noise and a plane writes in the sky and incite different
reactions in different people. When she returns home, her former lover, Peter arrives. They
talked and realized that they have still feelings for each other. Then Peter asked her if she’s
happy with Richard who is her husband. When Clarissa is about to answer, her daughter interrupt
them.

Then the narration switched to Septimus Warren Smith, a World War I veteran suffering
from post-traumatic stress disorder PSTD. He is waiting with his wife Lucrezia, to see a
psychiatrist named Sir William Bradshaw. He open up to Sir William about his case for suffering
from great depression since after the World War but Sir William underestimated Septimus’
testimony and instead adviced him to admit in a mental institution. Septimus felt hopeless and
thought of ending his life if that would be the case,to admit him in a mental institution he rather
choose to die.

And then shifts to Richard, Clarissa’s husband. He urgently returns home after having a
meeting with Hugh Whitebread and Lady Bruton, who are members of high society. He runs
home and thought of telling Clarissa how much he love her despite of his shortcomings but he
seems ashamed and instead just give flowers to Clarissa. Clarissa compromised to her husband
accepting the nature of marriage life.

The perspective shifts back to Septimus, after he was told to confine in a mental
institution, his depression becomes severe and he committed suicide, he jumped out of a
window. Then the narration switches again back to Clarissa, during her party. She is so concern
with entertaining her guests until Sir William arrives together with his wife. Suddenly, Mrs.
Bradshaw announces about the incident happened to Septimus, she told to the crowd the bad
news about the suicide committed by Septimus. Clarissa got annoyed and felt disappointed upon
hearing it, she thought that it was not the right time and place for Mrs. Bradshaw to announce
such news. Clarissa walked out and get in to a room where she was just alone. Despite what she
heard, she was thinking some realizations about the suicide of Septimus, she identified with how
overwhelmed Septimus have felt. She respects him for choosing death over compromising his
soul by allowing it to be confined. Clarissa felt ashamed of the ways she has compromised her
own soul in order to go on living. Thus, she returns to the party as it is winding down.

Theme: Privacy, Loneliness, and Communication

Depression is not a joke especially when you found yourself struggling to open up to
somebody about your personal problems because of the fear that you might be misunderstood by
others. This is what happened to Septimus, no one tries to understand his situation not even a
psychiatrist whom he trusted to cure him. The lack of communication between Clarissa and
Richard that instead they would express their thoughts to strengthen their marriage, they just
settled with understanding the situation without knowing the matter.

In this novel, Virginia Woolf seems to narrate her personal experience through a
characters, as she herself was once a patient of severe depression and once thinking of
committing suicide for losing some important persons in her life.