『댈러웨이 부인』에 나타난 삶과 죽음의 주제

Abstract

Virginia Woolf was an esthetic modernist and pioneer feminist writer who had a unique position in the beginning of 20th century English literature. This thesis deals with Mrs Dalloway of Virginia Woolf’s representative work. Woolf wanted to criticise the social system of her time by showing the cruelty of war and irrationality of imperialism. She intensely expressed her views on life and death as well as sanity and insanity through Clarissa Dalloway’s party. The main characters in the work are one female and two males who have important meanings to each other; Clarissa Dalloway, who represents life and sanity; Septimus Smith, who represents death and insanity; and Peter Walsh, who plays a role in showing the historical times in Mrs Dalloway. As soon as Clarissa regains her health, she wants to throw a party as a way of showing her love for life. Peter comes back from India that day and regards her party as ostentatious. Septimus, who suffers from severe mental illness due to the war, comes to London for treatment with his wife. Although Clarissa seems to live a perfect life, she fears death inside. Septimus is dying of the spiritual wounds from the devastating war. These two figures are linked by a thirst for life and fear of death. Septimus’s illness becomes serious but he refuses mental treatment. He thinks it is another violent assault of society upon him. Against the power of society, Septimus chooses suicide as a way out. On the way to attend Clarissa’s party, Peter sees an ambulance carrying the dead Septimus. Clarissa is embarrassed to hear about Septimus’s death during the party. By indirectly experiencing the moment of Septimus’s death, Clarissa accepts that he completed his life in the way he wanted. In this way all the characters are connected through consciousness of death at the party. Through this stream of consciousness, Woolf connects the characters and captures their inner feelings. After Septimus dies, Clarissa realizes that life and death are two sides of a whole. She is no longer afraid of death and age. Peter realizes the true meaning of the party which Clarissa intends to convey. Woolf set London after the First World War as background of novel. During the entire day of Clarissa’s party, Woolf used Septimus to convey the vandalism of war and foolish desire of mankind. She Also highlights the fallacy of the ruling class and the truth of life through the party. Woolf said that life and death are the essence of living, and there is no other side without either side. She expressed her idea admirably in the work. Mrs. Dalloway is a representative work of Woolf’s views on life, death, war, and humanity.