Septimus Smith

In Mrs. Dalloway, Septimus Smith suffers from a severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As a veteran of World War One, Septimus is haunted by countless, gruesome memories of trench warfare. What haunts him most though is the death of his friend, Evans. When he dies, Septimus fears there is something is wrong with himself because he feels very little emotionally. This hints towards his later psychological problems. When Septimus returns to England after the war, with his new wife Rezia, his PTSD becomes increasingly apparent. From the first scenes of the book when a car backfires to his death, his PTSD hardly leaves him. Rezia Thinks it is best for him to see a doctor once Septimus begins to talk about killing himself. Septimus sees two doctors. The first is Dr. Holmes, who believes Septimus is fine and only needs to sleep and adjust his diet. The second is Sir Williams. His conclusion is entirely different from Dr. Holmes. Sir Williams believes Septimus is "out of proportion" and Should relocate to one of his homes out in the country for treatment. It is interesting how Sir Williams uses the term "out of proportion". He does this as a way of convincing his patients he has some power in curing them, when he really does not. Septimus' PTSD is a large part of the story and who Septimus is.