Discussion Question 8 **SPOILERS**

8. Threats of disorder and death recur throughout the novel, culminating in Septimus's suicide and repeating later in Sir William Bradshaw's report of that suicide at Clarissa's party. When do thoughts or images of disorder and death appear in the novel, and in connection with which characters? What are those characters' attitudes concerning death?

Another interesting one. lets see:

First instance: Page 5 in my version which mentions Mrs. Foxcroft eating her heart out about that nice boy killed.

Septimus - no feelings toward death, in this case his comrade at arms Evans (which we learn is really a part of the bigger picture that he cannot feel anything). I think the same holds true for Clarissa - death for her is a social annoyance or faux pas that is shocking, for the reasonable amount of time that is sociably acceptable, and then life goes on.

Death tends to crop up throughout the book, Clarissa father and sister's deaths immediately come to mind, but I didn't view death as a resounding theme throughout the book - the prose of the book is more reminiscent of happy days in spring, not of death, once you remove the sections regarding the POV of Septimus and his wife.

The big view of death seems to be unspoken. What exactly happened during the war and to poor Evans? I would have thought that the war would overshadow everyone in the book, but Septimus is the most clearly affected. It seemed like Clarissa thought that suicide was a good idea when she heard about it. Clarissa seemed to me to like everything orderly, and disorder disturbed her (like when someone uninvited had to be invited at the last minute.)
--BJ

Frankly, this question seems lame to me, and I can't figure out what the hell the question-writer is asking.