Maddie's Nook

          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...

     The complexity and originality of The Mezzanine , depicting Howie’s life throughout the mundane, sets up opportunities for valuable lessons and personal applications. The Mezzanine delves into much more than what is simply a ride up the escalator, sharing quite personal experiences and thought processes of the character Howie. Throughout reading this novel, I was able to take into account different lessons applicable to my life.       The approach of life that is depicted through the novel allowed me to reflect on my personal perspectives of life. Howie seems to wallow in the present moment, taking life day by day and picking apart the small moments. In class discussions, phrases about the book including “expanding and diving into the complexity of life,” and “meaning of life through small and mundane things” stood out to me as highly accurate depictions of the author’s reflection of life. Considering my own life, I feel as though I have a mindset...