In Mrs. Dalloway there is a lot of events and thoughts from the characters that signify mental illness. Clarissa's thoughts seem to signify depression through her unhappiness with her marriage and her questioning if she married the correct person. Septimus thoughts and actions seem to signify PTSD which was called Shell Shock in that time and suicidal thoughts due to his actions (attempted suicide which leads to death). Both of these characters seem to be experiencing mental illness, one being more prevalent than the other.
The mental illness in the book seems to relate to Virginia Woolf's life. In her life she struggled with suicidal thoughts and attempts, and bipolar disorder which led to depression. This seems to come out in her book which is written only a few years after her suicide attempt. Virginia Woolf's personal struggles seems to come out in the book through her characters. Her life was full of mental illness and by her book she was able to educate others and get out her internal struggle she had in a way that was healthy. At the time her book was written, people didn't even know what PTSD was and thought nothing was wrong with Septimus and that he was just weak. They called it Shell Shock back then which isn't really labeling it as a disorder or something that needs to be helped. I think Virginia Woolf wanted to bring light to the darkness she faced and wanted to show how the doctors treated her with her mental illness struggled. We see this in the scene with Septimus and the doctors where they want to send him to a house to rest by himself.
Overall it seems like the relation of the characters in the book and Virginia Woolf's struggles are relevant and are a message. The way they are connected is a good way to share them without explicitly telling Virginia Woolf's story because it is through background knowledge we can connect it. I think the relation at this time was very necessary and I am very glad Virginia Woolf included this in her story. To relate this at an even personal level, I feel like in the 21st century there is so much mental illness that I am glad it comes up to show others that they are not alone and that others have struggled with the same thing they have. It also shows the progression of the society from then to now because people are a lot more likely to support and help you now then before when they thought treatment was just resting alone in the country.
Really great post! I think it was really interesting to see how Woolf criticized the 'doctors' that were helping people with mental illness. The way Woolf represented the struggle between Septimus and Hughes was very powerful, and I think the themes of that struggle still apply today, as you have said. Nice post.
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