In my group's panel presentation, one of the things we discussed was Woolf's negative depiction of Dr. Bradshaw. Essentially, we introduced a literary argument which said Woolf made a mistake by creating a very venomous depiction of Bradshaw. I'll explain my thoughts on that critique of the book later in this post.
First however, I have some thoughts on Dr. Holmes. In our class discussions we were not at all sympathetic towards him, and for good reason. Obviously, he screws up Septimus' diagnosis so badly that in the end he became the major reason for Septimus' suicide. Woolf makes Holmes out to be a symbol of a patriarchal post-war culture who cannot come to terms with Septimus' shell shock. This is seen by his proposed treatment in his reaction to Septimus' suicide, after which he "could not conceive" the reason "why the devil he did it." His patriarchal side is seen before this scene, where he pushes aside Rezia despite her insistence on not allowing Holmes to see Septimus.
Septimus clearly sees Holmes as the epitome of the depravity of human nature, and there are certainly several examples indicating that Woolf tried to make Holmes in this way. However, when I read the novel, I couldn't completely blame Dr. Holmes. After all, there was no concept of PTSD during Holmes' time, and Holmes was also a product of a society which emphasized masculinity. I believe Woolf wrote Holmes in a way that we can have the slightest of sympathy for him. On page 90, we see Septimus saying that he and Rezia had to escape from Dr. Holmes because he came every day. We then see Rezia's perspective, and at this point in the book she sees Dr. Holmes as "such a kind man" who "was so interested in Septimus." When Dr. Holmes comes in on page 91 and is called a brute by Septimus, he responds in "the most amiable way in the world." With some of these passages, I can see some irony on Woolf's passages, but I also see a doctor who is dedicated to Septimus and is trying his best. Obviously, his "diagnosis" that nothing is wrong with Septimus ends up having Holmes make such a negative impact on Septimus that it leads Septimus on the road to suicide. Although Holmes is not supposed to be our favorite character, I would argue that you can read the book and feel a little bad for Dr. Holmes.
I think with Dr. Holmes, we have a character who is at least somewhat interested in being a caretaker. I don't see this with Dr. Bradshaw. Bradshaw is introduced by Woolf as a proud member of the upper class who "very properly charged" a "very large fee" for his services. He conducts his business in a very scientific manner, which is perfectly fine but it is connected with a colder attitude. As I read the book I never felt like Bradshaw felt anything for Septimus at all. I think Woolf does create Bradshaw as a colder character who isn't even the wannabe caretaker that Holmes is. An example of this is on page 96, when Rezia felt deserted by Bradshaw. She goes on to call Bradshaw "not a nice man." Woolf is clearly critical of both Holmes and Bradshaw, but I think Dr. Bradshaw is the character which incites the least sympathy, less so than Dr. Holmes.
Dr. Bradshaw is the ultimate example in Mrs. Dalloway of the patriarchal post-war British society that Woolf is so critical of throughout the novel. In our panel presentation, we presented an argument which said that this negative depiction of Bradshaw was an "artistic flaw" and that it was driven by too much emotion from Woolf's personal experiences with that kind of doctor. I agree with this criticism to an extent. Now that I focused on Woolf's depictions of Bradshaw, I can see how that might come off as a bit unwarranted, and possibly a little distracting from the main narrative. However, I think it was important and good for Woolf to put out her personal experiences with these doctors and the "rest cure," especially when considering her position in the patriarchal post-war British society. Therefore, to say this depiction of Bradshaw was a mistake is stretching it too far in my opinion. I enjoyed Woolf's critique of her society throughout the novel, and I think it is one of the best aspects of Mrs. Dalloway.
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First however, I have some thoughts on Dr. Holmes. In our class discussions we were not at all sympathetic towards him, and for good reason. Obviously, he screws up Septimus' diagnosis so badly that in the end he became the major reason for Septimus' suicide. Woolf makes Holmes out to be a symbol of a patriarchal post-war culture who cannot come to terms with Septimus' shell shock. This is seen by his proposed treatment in his reaction to Septimus' suicide, after which he "could not conceive" the reason "why the devil he did it." His patriarchal side is seen before this scene, where he pushes aside Rezia despite her insistence on not allowing Holmes to see Septimus.
Septimus clearly sees Holmes as the epitome of the depravity of human nature, and there are certainly several examples indicating that Woolf tried to make Holmes in this way. However, when I read the novel, I couldn't completely blame Dr. Holmes. After all, there was no concept of PTSD during Holmes' time, and Holmes was also a product of a society which emphasized masculinity. I believe Woolf wrote Holmes in a way that we can have the slightest of sympathy for him. On page 90, we see Septimus saying that he and Rezia had to escape from Dr. Holmes because he came every day. We then see Rezia's perspective, and at this point in the book she sees Dr. Holmes as "such a kind man" who "was so interested in Septimus." When Dr. Holmes comes in on page 91 and is called a brute by Septimus, he responds in "the most amiable way in the world." With some of these passages, I can see some irony on Woolf's passages, but I also see a doctor who is dedicated to Septimus and is trying his best. Obviously, his "diagnosis" that nothing is wrong with Septimus ends up having Holmes make such a negative impact on Septimus that it leads Septimus on the road to suicide. Although Holmes is not supposed to be our favorite character, I would argue that you can read the book and feel a little bad for Dr. Holmes.
I think with Dr. Holmes, we have a character who is at least somewhat interested in being a caretaker. I don't see this with Dr. Bradshaw. Bradshaw is introduced by Woolf as a proud member of the upper class who "very properly charged" a "very large fee" for his services. He conducts his business in a very scientific manner, which is perfectly fine but it is connected with a colder attitude. As I read the book I never felt like Bradshaw felt anything for Septimus at all. I think Woolf does create Bradshaw as a colder character who isn't even the wannabe caretaker that Holmes is. An example of this is on page 96, when Rezia felt deserted by Bradshaw. She goes on to call Bradshaw "not a nice man." Woolf is clearly critical of both Holmes and Bradshaw, but I think Dr. Bradshaw is the character which incites the least sympathy, less so than Dr. Holmes.
Dr. Bradshaw is the ultimate example in Mrs. Dalloway of the patriarchal post-war British society that Woolf is so critical of throughout the novel. In our panel presentation, we presented an argument which said that this negative depiction of Bradshaw was an "artistic flaw" and that it was driven by too much emotion from Woolf's personal experiences with that kind of doctor. I agree with this criticism to an extent. Now that I focused on Woolf's depictions of Bradshaw, I can see how that might come off as a bit unwarranted, and possibly a little distracting from the main narrative. However, I think it was important and good for Woolf to put out her personal experiences with these doctors and the "rest cure," especially when considering her position in the patriarchal post-war British society. Therefore, to say this depiction of Bradshaw was a mistake is stretching it too far in my opinion. I enjoyed Woolf's critique of her society throughout the novel, and I think it is one of the best aspects of Mrs. Dalloway.
Like, comment, subscribe (but mostly comment).
You make a good point, that Holmes is maybe not entirely to blame for his failure to grasp what's happening to Septimus: it sort of doesn't matter how much he's "at fault," if Woolf is using his character to expose the profound limitations of traditional medicine for grappling with the new, modern ailments created by the war. As Bradshaw says in frustration, "These general practitioners!" Holmes stands in for a traditional, nineteenth-century model of health and wellness--Septimus just needs to get out more, take an interest in things other than himself, be nicer to his wife. He quite literally doesn't *see* anything the matter, so of course he can't "diagnose" it. I agree that Holmes is being ingenuous when he declares that no one could possibly have predicted Septimus's suicide. The reader (and author) might differ--it seems rather easy to predict, we might say--but given the tools in his shed, Holmes isn't equipped to predict it. He's not particularly dumb as an individual, but his limited awareness stands in for the limitations of the medical field more generally at this time, according to Woolf.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree that Holmes represents the limitations of traditional, nineteenth-century medicine. Really, he would have to be quite revolutionary in order to take the proper steps for treating Septimus, and it is for this reason that I felt more sympathetic towards Holmes than Bradshaw. Bradshaw is really a more exceptional figure due to his different approach to Septimus' treatment, and yet due to this different approach that Woolf portrays him as a colder, less sympathetic person.
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