“…it was cowardly for a man to say he would kill himself, but Septimus had fought; he was brave; he was not Septimus now.” (pg. 23)
In this description of Septimus Warren Smith, shell shock is subtly alluded to. Shell shock, which is referred to as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder today, was a term used to described the psychological trauma suffered by many veterans of World War I. Common symptoms of shell shock included panic attacks, depression, and flashbacks of certain disturbing events. Woolf alludes to shell shock in order to develop Septimus as a character. She also mentions his contemplations of suicide to foreshadow his eventual demise.
"First World War.com - Encyclopedia - Shell Shock." First World War.com - A Multimedia History of World War One. Web. 29 Sept. 2009. http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/shellshock.htm
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