I think I understand why Virginia Woolf included Septimus' story in Mrs. Dalloway. I think that Septimus and Mrs Dalloway are more similar than most people give them credit for. The basis for this assumption is the fact that on page 179, when Clarissa hears about Septimus' suicide, she seems immediately to understand and even see Septimus' death. The point I am trying to make is that I think that Clarissa can see herself as being Septimus in another life.
Allow me to explain this concept further: Throughout the book, Virginia Woolf gives evidence that all life seems to be interconnected, and that we are constantly affecting the people around us whether we intend to or not (and vice versa). One way that we can be affected is simply by feeling an inexplicable connection with someone. In life, there are some strangers that you meet or hear about that are just that: strangers. You don't really know them, understand them, or identify with them; even if you know a little bit about them. But in other cases, there are people you don't know that, after learning a little bit about them, you can identify with and even understand. For me, an example of the former would be some of the people you see and read about in the Guinness World Record Book. I would see people like the person with over 99% of his body covered in a giant tattoo and just feel completely alienated from him. An example of the latter for me is a man who goes by the name Professor Splash. Professor Splash was contestant on the popular reality TV show America's Got Talent. His act was simple yet insane: he would belly flop into a small inflatable children's pool from the ludicrous height of 36 feet! And he lives! Much like Clarissa Dalloway admires Septimus for having the courage of committing suicide, I admire Professor Splash for having the courage and skill of belly-flopping into twelve inches of water from insane heights. I felt especially connected to him when he said, "the pain lasts a minute, the glory lasts a lifetime," which is EXACTLY what I would have said. I can imagine myself being more like him in another life, much like I believe Clarissa can probably imagine being more like Septimus in another life.
The reason that Clarissa and Septimus seem so different can be explained by the Blank Slate Theory. The Blank Slate Theory basically states that we all start off as blank slates and as we grow up, the people and the environment around us shape the people we all turn out to be. Therefore, I think that early in their respective lives, Septimus and Clarissa started off relatively similarly: both were regular denizens of London society, both had deep thoughts about life, and Septimus was even portrayed as being rather effeminate when he was younger. The main factor that drove their personalities and lives in completely different directions was of course the war, where Septimus suffered from shell shock while Clarissa was leaving Peter for Richard. Basically, what I am trying to say that Clarissa and Septimus share some similar core factor, and this core factor may possibly be a result of their upbringings.
Much like me and Professor Splash don't have anything in common on a surface level, Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Warren Smith are very different on a surface level. However, if you look deeper than that, you'll find that we all have some sort of connection to one another, which is one of the main ideas that Virginia Woolf was trying to get across in this book. I guess it pays to look past skin deep appearances.
(my brother from another mother)
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