Hours/Dalloway #5

“It might be possible, Septimus thought, looking at England from the train window, as they left New Haven; it might be possible that the world itself is without meaning” (88).

Throughout Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf portrays many of her feelings through Septimus. It is clear that “her” character is Septimus since he is the one who commits suicide in the end of the book. In this quote, Woolf demonstrates her belief that life itself may be meaningless. The “itself” suggests that there is a bigger picture that she is comparing this to, which is most likely that fact that she cannot feel things just as Septimus claims to be unable to feel things. The fact that life may be without meaning is her explanation as to why she is unable to feel things. The entire novel however refutes this argument. Woolf explores just how much can happen in one single day and therefore proves that life really does have a point behind it. Septimus’ thoughts about the meaning of life are Woolf’s way of clearly stating the very belief she is trying to contradict throughout the rest of the novel. Since she herself dealt with depression and suicide, Mrs. Dalloway may be her way of attempting to contradict her own beliefs and prove to herself that there is meaning behind life.