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Setting in Wuthering Heights and Mrs Dalloway
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Setting in Wuthering Heights and Mrs Dalloway
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Setting in Wuthering Heights and Mrs DallowayOverall Point
The use of setting as a narrative device in both “Wuthering Heights” and “Mrs Dalloway”is
employed as a vehicle to mirror the internal landscapes of characters within their respective
societies. In Wuthering Heights, the dichotomy of the Heights and the Grange encapsulate
Heathcliff’s isolation and inner turmoil, whereas in “Mrs Dalloway,” Woolf employs Septimus’
traumatic experiences during the First World War as a lens to highlight the London setting,
Dalloway Point:
Woolf utilises omniscient narration to channel Septimus' perspective, critiquing societal power
dynamics that overlook veterans' emotional struggles. The setting becomes a revealing lens,
exposing the instability of his psyche, as Septimus perceives the external landscape as a
reflection of his internal turmoil. The firing of the
motorcar acts as another “Proustian Moment,” propelling Septimus back to traumatic memories
of the first world war. The instability of Septimus’ psyche is exposed, with him viewing the
external landscape as a reflection of his own internal state, most prevalently when he declares
in a moment of utter panic that “the world wavered and quivered and threatened to burst into
flames.” The lexical choice of the verbs ”wavered, quivered, threatened” conveys Septimus’
inherent fragility, rendering him vulnerable to society’s passivity in acknowledging the
devastating consequences of the war and deeming his eventual demise inevitable. Septimus’
portrayal therefore depicts the incoherent experience of mental distress and the motorcar itself
becomes a symbol of British patriotism, portraying those in power as responsible for propelling
England into war. Woolf uses this to raise awareness of those systemically taught to glorify
empire and the painful experiences which arose as a result of blindly following propaganda.
Woolf goes on to utilise short sentences, such as “Septimus looked.” and “Traffic accumulated,”
exemplifying the sense of urgency and panic which overcomes Septimus and speeding up the
pace of the passage. Woolf's portrayal of characters deviates from realist traditions,
emphasising the inner life and the constant flux of thoughts and emotions. Septimus,
experiencing alienation and isolation heightened by auditory and visual hallucinations, mirrors
Proust’s exploration of loneliness as endemic, aligning with Woolf’s exploration of Septimus’s
isolation due to shell shock. Alex Zwerdling perceives Septimus to have “come through the war
unscathed...but afterwards discovers a psychic wound from which he has no wish to recover
because it is a badge of honour in a society that identifies composure with mental health.”
Similarly, Woolf critiques the authority of the patriarchy and acknowledges that all people suffer
within a society demanding stoicism. Furthermore, Clarissa’s contemplation of death, repeatedly
quoting from William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Cymbeline,”reveals her awareness of life’s
dangers and simultaneously, the comfort which death brings. The recurring motif of the “heat o’
the sun,” whether comforting or warning, takes on the role of a constant endurance everyone
must face. Death is suggested to be a release from the burden of endurance, providing both
liberation and peace, a sentiment embodied in the visually indented funeral hymn. The
departure from Clarissa’s usual vibrant and exhilarating outlook on life exhibits an oscillation
between the frenetic energy and love of life, and revelations of life’s futility. Her revelations
serve
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