Mrs. Dalloway: Ahead of its Time
Mrs. Dalloway is a groundbreaking novel for many reasons, one reason being the topics that it touches upon. Virginia Woolf doesn’t shy away from stigmatized topics including PTSD, suicide, and sexuality. The raw and intimate depictions of these concepts shed a light upon undiscussed matters prevalent during the 1920s. PTSD is present through the character Septimus, as he is severely impacted by the death of his friend Evans from the war. This is shown throughout the novel, for instance as seen on page 91, “A voice spoke from behind the screen. Evans was speaking. The dead were with him. ‘Evans, Evans!’ he cried.” Septimus consistently has vivid memories of the war and the death of his friend. This is partly due to him surviving through four years of the war, something that was an uncommon feat given the time period. While Septimus does go to receive help for his PTSD from Dr. Holmes and Sir William Bradshaw, Dr. Holmes claims that Septimu...