Similarities Between Septimus and Clarissa in Mrs. Dalloway
...imus, on the other hand, verbalized his mental arguments. He thought about his dreadful days in the war and began to argue with himself, the voices, and his friend Evans, who was killed in battle. The onset of mental arguments, for both characters, is brought on by thoughts of their past which are seemingly traumatic. Another common thread between Clarissa and Septimus is their mood swings. These mood swings are brought on by experiences in their lives. Clarissa meeting with Peter is an example of her changing mood. She seems happy to see him when he arrives, but becomes increasingly moody, jealous and upset throughout their visit. As Peter leaves, Clarissa is once again happy as she yells to him “Remember my party to-night” (48). Clarissa rarely makes her moods visible to others. Throughout the novel she is seen as the always happy, Mrs. Dalloway. Like Clarissa, Septimus also has mood swings. His changing moods are visible, though, and known to those around him. Septimus is “started up from terror” (145) one moment and the next he is laughing and joking about a hat his wife is making. This lightheartedness moves her to say “they were perfectly happy now” (146). Clarissa and Septimus are similar in that they are often having mood swings, but the main Savoie 3 difference is that Clarissa keeps them hidden and Septimus acts his out. Clarissa and Septimus are both in marriages that are distant. Clarissa did not want to marry Peter because she felt that he would stifle her. She married Richard, a man with whom she thought she could have everything she wanted while keeping her independence. Her marriage turned out to be the opposite of her expectations and their independence soon turned into distant. Richard could not even “bring himself to say he loved her; not in so many words” (118). This demonstrates a distance in their relationship. Septimus and his wife, Lucrezia, also had a marriage that was cold and detached. This is because of Septimus’s condition. Their troubled marriage can be seen through Lucrezia’s thoughts. She “was so unhappy, for weeks and weeks now, [she] had gi...