Septimus and Lucrezia Smith's Route
If route does not appear, zoom out to see green line and points.
Early Morning to 11:00 AM
A motor car seen on Oxford Street
1. Event: The Motor Car
Location: Mulberry’s shop window (pg. 14)
Interaction: The Motor car acts as a shift between the mind of Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus, who both witness the event and form different opinions about who and what the car is about.
Analysis: Septimus is a World War I veteran who is suffering from shell shock. He hears the car backfire and blames himself for the traffic congestion caused by the passing car, claiming that "It is I who am blocking the way" (15). His young Italian wife Lucrezia is with him and is simultaneously embarrassed by his behavior and also frightened since he recently threatened to commit suicide. This scene helps introduces the damaged relationship between Rezia and Septimus. He is a traumatized man who is unable to have a healthy relationship with his wife. Rezia is also unhappy because she uprooted her life in Italy to live with Septimus, a man she's in love with but unable to deal with because of horrors he dealt with during the war.
Location: Mulberry’s shop window (pg. 14)
Interaction: The Motor car acts as a shift between the mind of Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus, who both witness the event and form different opinions about who and what the car is about.
Analysis: Septimus is a World War I veteran who is suffering from shell shock. He hears the car backfire and blames himself for the traffic congestion caused by the passing car, claiming that "It is I who am blocking the way" (15). His young Italian wife Lucrezia is with him and is simultaneously embarrassed by his behavior and also frightened since he recently threatened to commit suicide. This scene helps introduces the damaged relationship between Rezia and Septimus. He is a traumatized man who is unable to have a healthy relationship with his wife. Rezia is also unhappy because she uprooted her life in Italy to live with Septimus, a man she's in love with but unable to deal with because of horrors he dealt with during the war.
The type of airplane seen over Regent's Park
2. Event: The Airplane Sighting
Location: Regent’s Park (pg. 19)
Interaction: The airplane allows for the narrative to shift between the minds of the onlookers in Regent's Park.
Analysis: Septimus & Rezia, along with several other characters, view an airplane flying overhead. All of them were trying to figure out what the plane was spelling out. When Septimus was looking at the words the plane was spelling out, he felt that it was secret code that was meant to communicate something to him. Rezia looks at the word and then begins to feel very depressed about Septimus's condition. She walks toward a statue of an Indian holding a cross and becomes very angry towards Septimus, whom Dr. Holmes says is perfectly fine when he is clearly not.
Location: Regent’s Park (pg. 19)
Interaction: The airplane allows for the narrative to shift between the minds of the onlookers in Regent's Park.
Analysis: Septimus & Rezia, along with several other characters, view an airplane flying overhead. All of them were trying to figure out what the plane was spelling out. When Septimus was looking at the words the plane was spelling out, he felt that it was secret code that was meant to communicate something to him. Rezia looks at the word and then begins to feel very depressed about Septimus's condition. She walks toward a statue of an Indian holding a cross and becomes very angry towards Septimus, whom Dr. Holmes says is perfectly fine when he is clearly not.
11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
A young British girl
3. Event: Elise Mitchell runs to her nurse.
Location: Regent’s Park (pg. 63)
Interaction: The child acts us a transition between Peter's mind and Rezia's thoughts of dissatisfaction with her life.
Analysis: When a small child runs into Rezia's legs, Rezia begins to think about how she can no longer tolerate Septimus's odd behavior. Septimus is longer connected to the rest of the world and considers all people wicked and once even suggested that he and Rezia should commit suicide to get away from society. This prompts Rezia to think back to her previous way of life of making hats in Milan, where "she had been happy; she had had a beautiful home, and there her sisters lived still, making hats." (pg. 64).
Location: Regent’s Park (pg. 63)
Interaction: The child acts us a transition between Peter's mind and Rezia's thoughts of dissatisfaction with her life.
Analysis: When a small child runs into Rezia's legs, Rezia begins to think about how she can no longer tolerate Septimus's odd behavior. Septimus is longer connected to the rest of the world and considers all people wicked and once even suggested that he and Rezia should commit suicide to get away from society. This prompts Rezia to think back to her previous way of life of making hats in Milan, where "she had been happy; she had had a beautiful home, and there her sisters lived still, making hats." (pg. 64).
A fountain in Regent's Park
4. Event: Peter walks across Regent’s Park
Location: Regent’s Park (pg. 69)
Interaction: As Peter is walking across Regent's Park, the POV shifts to Septimus, who believes Peter is Evans, an officer under whom Peter served.
Analysis: Septimus sees Peter Walsh walk across the park and believes that Peter is Evans, one of his comrades that died during the war. Septimus panics and screams out "For God's sake don't come!...for he could not look upon the dead." (68). This leads to a flashback of Septimus's life before the war, where he was an aspiring poet that fell in love with a teacher named Isabel Pole. He was happy and after he joined the military to fight in World War I, he became inseparable with an officer named Evans. After Evans was killed, he became hollow inside and lost much of his humanity. In an attempt to salvage what was left of his emotions, he married Lucrezia. However, this does not help him and he begins to see the world as an ugly place.
Location: Regent’s Park (pg. 69)
Interaction: As Peter is walking across Regent's Park, the POV shifts to Septimus, who believes Peter is Evans, an officer under whom Peter served.
Analysis: Septimus sees Peter Walsh walk across the park and believes that Peter is Evans, one of his comrades that died during the war. Septimus panics and screams out "For God's sake don't come!...for he could not look upon the dead." (68). This leads to a flashback of Septimus's life before the war, where he was an aspiring poet that fell in love with a teacher named Isabel Pole. He was happy and after he joined the military to fight in World War I, he became inseparable with an officer named Evans. After Evans was killed, he became hollow inside and lost much of his humanity. In an attempt to salvage what was left of his emotions, he married Lucrezia. However, this does not help him and he begins to see the world as an ugly place.
12:00 PM to 1:30 PM
A Victorian age doctor
5. Event: Septimus's Appointment with William Bradshaw (the Rigby and Lowdes clock strikes 1:30)
Location: Harley Street/ Oxford Street (pg. 100)
Interaction: Septimus goes for a doctor's appointment with Dr. Bradshaw, a famous doctor whom Dr. Holmes recommended.
Analysis: Rezia and Septimus go for a doctor's appointment at Sir William Bradshaw's residence. From the very beginning, Septimus distrusts Bradshaw and considers him to be the embodiment of the worst of human nature. Bradshaw is considered by many to be a "priest of science" because of the power he has over his patients. His goal was to get the mentally ill to his "sense of proportion" (94). Instead of delving at the root of Septimus's problems, which lie in his traumatic experience during war, an experience neither he nor Dr. Holmes share, William Bradshaw instead prescribes a lot of bed-rest instead in one of his country estates. This shows the lack of understanding on the part of the medical community when it came to diagnosing and treating mental disorders.
Location: Harley Street/ Oxford Street (pg. 100)
Interaction: Septimus goes for a doctor's appointment with Dr. Bradshaw, a famous doctor whom Dr. Holmes recommended.
Analysis: Rezia and Septimus go for a doctor's appointment at Sir William Bradshaw's residence. From the very beginning, Septimus distrusts Bradshaw and considers him to be the embodiment of the worst of human nature. Bradshaw is considered by many to be a "priest of science" because of the power he has over his patients. His goal was to get the mentally ill to his "sense of proportion" (94). Instead of delving at the root of Septimus's problems, which lie in his traumatic experience during war, an experience neither he nor Dr. Holmes share, William Bradshaw instead prescribes a lot of bed-rest instead in one of his country estates. This shows the lack of understanding on the part of the medical community when it came to diagnosing and treating mental disorders.
3:00pm to Late Afternoon
An omnibus
6. Event: The Arrival of the Westminster Omnibus
Location: Fleet Street (pg. 136)
Analysis: Elizabeth Dalloway thinks of her mother and realizes that her mom would not want her to be out at this hour, so she boards the Westminster omnibus as it arrives. During this time, Septimus is gazing outside the window of his home and sees the omnibus in the distance. The omnibus creates a connection between Septimus and Elizabeth and allows the narrative to flow from Elizabeth's thoughts to Septimus' thoughts.
Location: Fleet Street (pg. 136)
Analysis: Elizabeth Dalloway thinks of her mother and realizes that her mom would not want her to be out at this hour, so she boards the Westminster omnibus as it arrives. During this time, Septimus is gazing outside the window of his home and sees the omnibus in the distance. The omnibus creates a connection between Septimus and Elizabeth and allows the narrative to flow from Elizabeth's thoughts to Septimus' thoughts.
Late Afternoon to 6:00pm
A window from which Septimus committed suicide.
7. Event: Septimus commits suicide
Location: The Smith home/ Victoria Street (pg. 146)
Interaction: When Dr. Holmes comes to take Septimus away, Septimus decides that Dr. Holmes and William Bradshaw are trying to control his life so he instead decides to commit suicide.
Analysis: Septimus, for a few moments, was behaving like a normal husband and Rezia was very happy that he might be getting better. However, in the middle of the night, he wakes up terrified and calls out for Evans, a classic sign of Post-traumatic stress disorder from his days in the military. Septimus feels that he will forever be alone. Rezia, out of fear for his life, hopes that Sir William will come to take him away to the countryside. When Dr. Holmes comes to take Septimus away, he refuses and instead jumps out the window at his last attempt at being free. When Bradshaw told him that he must get rest, Septimus furiously thought, "What Power had Bradshaw over him? "What right has Bradshaw to say 'must' to me?"" (143).To Septimus, death is preferable over surrendering his soul to a society that doesn't understand people like him. Dr. Holmes and Sir William are both ignorant about the horrific effects war has upon people and thus are unable to truly understand his state. Septimus makes it clear that he'd rather not die, but must in order to prevent Dr. Holmes from deciding the rest of his life for him. To Septimus, committing suicide would at least maintain his dignity because he chose his destiny rather than having society do it for him.
Location: The Smith home/ Victoria Street (pg. 146)
Interaction: When Dr. Holmes comes to take Septimus away, Septimus decides that Dr. Holmes and William Bradshaw are trying to control his life so he instead decides to commit suicide.
Analysis: Septimus, for a few moments, was behaving like a normal husband and Rezia was very happy that he might be getting better. However, in the middle of the night, he wakes up terrified and calls out for Evans, a classic sign of Post-traumatic stress disorder from his days in the military. Septimus feels that he will forever be alone. Rezia, out of fear for his life, hopes that Sir William will come to take him away to the countryside. When Dr. Holmes comes to take Septimus away, he refuses and instead jumps out the window at his last attempt at being free. When Bradshaw told him that he must get rest, Septimus furiously thought, "What Power had Bradshaw over him? "What right has Bradshaw to say 'must' to me?"" (143).To Septimus, death is preferable over surrendering his soul to a society that doesn't understand people like him. Dr. Holmes and Sir William are both ignorant about the horrific effects war has upon people and thus are unable to truly understand his state. Septimus makes it clear that he'd rather not die, but must in order to prevent Dr. Holmes from deciding the rest of his life for him. To Septimus, committing suicide would at least maintain his dignity because he chose his destiny rather than having society do it for him.
