Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway criticizes social conventions as it portrays the internal thoughts of its protagonist, Clarissa Dalloway, and the various characters who surround her in post-war London. Woolf illustrates the mental repercussions of war and the past in general through the perspectives of individuals from a variety of different backgrounds and experiences. The two central characters of the narrative, Clarissa and Septimus, initially could not appear more different. Septimus is a male war veteran suffering from undiagnosed PTSD while Clarissa is a matriarch who dedicates her life to trying to maintain a healthy composition. Arguably, the decision to have the male defeat the one diagnosed with madness could be a result of Woolf's feminism but, with access to her inner thoughts, we quickly see that Clarissa is not as sane as she initially appears . Woolf juxtaposes Clarissa and Septimus to illustrate the inability to escape social oppression, except through death, and the consequences of choosing whether or not to sacrifice one's soul to conform. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayBoth Septimus and Clarissa are trapped in social submission; the two are victims of false relationships, emotional repression, social pressure to conform and the inevitable passage of time. Clarissa and Septimus are stuck in degrading marriages without a solid foundation from the beginning. While we are given clear textual evidence about Clarissa's relationship with Sally Seton, Woolf suggests that Septimus may also have been in love with another man with whom he served in the war: Evans. Septimius claims to be guilty of a “sin for which human nature had condemned him to death; that he didn't hear. He hadn't cared when Evans had been killed; it was the worst thing,” (89), but he is so haunted by Evan's death that it is impossible to believe he doesn't care. Clarissa is also forced to represent herself to the world differently than she feels internally. Unlike Septimus, Clarissa has excessive feelings for Sally, for what people think of her and for the past. This homoerotic behavior and insecurity contributes heavily to the deterioration of Septimus and Clarissa's marriage, other relationships and, consequently, their own. mental stability Physically, the two are compared to birds: Clarissa has "[t]he touch of the bird upon her, of the jay... there she perched," while Septimus is depicted as "beak-nosed" (4). , 14).This comparison with birds, particularly the “perched” ones, illustrates the desire of both Clarissa and Septimus to be free. Furthermore, Septimus commits suicide by literally flying out of a window, escaping the “cage” that is society . Septimus is repressed by his physician, Sir William Bradshaw, who “swoops” and “devours,” as if he were a bird of prey (99). Sir William worships conformity and prescribes that Septimus means "grooming" who he has become with the intent of molding him to fit the ideal, obedient social mold. Clarissa and Septimus's infatuation with death connects them and at the same time illustrates that the only escape from social oppression is through death. While Septimus is haunted by Evan's death, Clarissa is infatuated with the inevitability of her own. Both protagonists see death as a victory, although neither wishes to die. Clarissa believes that death is an “attempt to communicate,” that it provides an “embrace” (180). He explicitly says that he has no mercy on Septimus after he kills himself. Death.