Imagery of Depression, Trauma, and Suicide in Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath's Writings

The imagery of Depression,
trauma, and suicide in Virginia
Woolf's and Sylvia Plaths'
Writings

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
The imagery of depression, trauma, and suicide in Virginia Woolf's writing.............................3
Sylvia Plath and her imagery of depression, trauma, and suicide...............................................7
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath were two vital contributors to literary modernism who
inspired several generations of feminists with their bold choices of writings. These writers
pioneered confessional narratives to portray their chaotic and trauma-based lives. The lives of
both these authors were dislocated and reflected hyper-realistic experiences of their lives. The
most blatant similarities between these authors were their struggles with mental illness. It is safe
to mention that both women wrote against fascism. Woolf suffered from bipolar disorder
following the death of her mother. Likewise, Plath led a depressing life as a result of her troubled
marriage. Their writings signify that both these authors used their literary skills as a tool to
express themselves. Plath was a pioneer for confessional style of poetry however, on the other
hand, Woolf wrote her novels with a unique stream of consciousness. This dissertation will
highlight the Imagery of Depression, trauma, and suicide in Virginia Woolf's and Sylvia Plath's
writings. This discussion will include various texts produced by these authors along with the
problems faced by them as a result of which they chose to embrace death. Imagery is represented
as a visual symbol that helps in evoking other senses of impressions and literary work. It is the
creative thinking of images that are used along with key concerns for image framing. Depression
is a common and serious mental illness which causes persistent feelings of sadness and loss of
interest in work. Depression also affects the physical health of individuals. Trauma is an
emotional response to a terrible event that has taken place in the life of an individual. It is caused
by the due occurrence of a terrible event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster. It is the shock
that occurs following a serious event (Briggs, 20). Suicide is a form of death where an individual
harms or injures oneself. It is the intent or action which is done to death. Suicide is an act of self-
harm leading to death.
The imagery of depression, trauma, and suicide in Virginia Woolf's writing
It has been seen and analysed that the Adeline Virginia Woolf was an English writer who
was considered as one of the most important modernist during the times of the 20th-century
authors. The writings of Virginia Woolf portrayed financial and intellectual freedom. There was
also mention of the relationship between women and society in general. The author’s style of
writing is poetic which enabled her to create a legacy for women writers. One of her most
famous writing includes Mrs. Dalloway. This novel by Virginia Woolf gives details of different

aspects of the life of Clarissa Dalloway. Mrs. Dalloway is a complex story through which the
writer is trying to depict her struggles. It has been seen that the story tends to travels from
backward and forwards in time that is helpful and vital in constructing of a better image of
Clarissa's Life. Mrs. Dalloway expresses the reality of England post World War I. The structure
of the novel highlights the texture of the characters which are similar to the author's personal life.
The main protagonist of the story is Clarissa Dalloway who is described as a vivacious woman
who cares a lot about other people and is particularly self-reflective (Beer, 2019). The story
unfolds with Clarissa Dalloway going around London in the morning and preparing for hosting a
party that evening which signifies her motive to make preparations to make her house look
beautiful and her guests happy. Her physical movement around the city favours the production of
different thoughts in her mind. The author has been a direct access to Clarissa's rich inner life in
spite of which she suffers from numerous incursions from her past. Clarissa had married a
reliable man named Richard Dalloway, instead of enigmatic Peter Walsh. These descriptions by
the author gives the readers fragmentary insights of the protagonist's past life. The physical
portrait of her character is minimalistic. However, she is defined by the elasticity of her thoughts.
Another character in the story is Septimus Warren Smith, a First World War veteran suffering
from the trauma of the war, now commonly known as PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder). It
has been seen and analysed that the Mrs Dalloway was an English writer who reflects about the
facts and situation that takes place on one day in June 1923 to properly show case and reflect
about the imaginary of the death, depression and trauma, she has reflected in her work that how
the First World War continued to affect the those who had lived through it even after the five
years after it ended. Beside this, the David Bradshaw also tend to explores the novel's
commemoration of the dead as well as also tend to reflects about the evocations of trauma and
mourning in her writing.
Septimus also tend to suffers from PTSD because of which he tends to hallucinates about
his friend who died in the war. Thus. The character of Septimus is tend to reflect and describe as
a shell-locked war veteran and an individual who did not believe in god or even a doctor that is
because of the fact that he is suffering from the high level of the trauma. Further, the level of the
dilemma and trauma was so high that he even refused to consult a doctor for treatment of his
illness. This was followed by his hospitalization in an involuntary hospital. Septimus is portrayed
as Clarissa's male counterpart as he experiences sight and auditory hallucinations. His