"One of the triumphs of civilisation, Peter Walsh thought. It is one of the triumphs of civilisation, as the light high bell of the ambulance sounded. Swiftly, cleanly the ambulance sped to the hospital, having picked up instantly, humanely, some poor devil; someone hit on the head, struck down by disease, knocked over perhaps a minute or so ago at one of these crossings, as might happen to oneself. That was civilisation" (Woolf 151).
This entire passage stinks of irony. Just a few pages ago, Woolf describes Septimus's hatred for the constricting and efficient nature of British society; however, when Peter views the ambulance that is sent for Septimus, he sees it as a sign of the humanity and care of the British. This sharp contrast just adds to the theme of multiplicity that appears throughout the novel: the ideals and beliefs of a nation that appear horrible and restricting to one person also seem heroic and beautiful to another. Septimus does not believe that a rigid structure of civilization is important when compared to the beauty inside people's minds (especially his). In contrast, Peter believes that this structure is very important; this is why he wants to be seen as equals by the higher members of society and why he is afraid of their mockery. In addition, the possible conditions Peter gives to the man in the ambulance are eerily accurate. Septimus was not hit only on the head, but he certainly was hit, as his body ends up mangled and distorted. In addition, Septimus did develop a mental disease after coming back from the war; this PTSD-like condition is one of the reasons why he killed himself. The last possible condition, while not relating to Septimus, symbolizes his views on the importance of every individual.
This entire passage stinks of irony. Just a few pages ago, Woolf describes Septimus's hatred for the constricting and efficient nature of British society; however, when Peter views the ambulance that is sent for Septimus, he sees it as a sign of the humanity and care of the British. This sharp contrast just adds to the theme of multiplicity that appears throughout the novel: the ideals and beliefs of a nation that appear horrible and restricting to one person also seem heroic and beautiful to another. Septimus does not believe that a rigid structure of civilization is important when compared to the beauty inside people's minds (especially his). In contrast, Peter believes that this structure is very important; this is why he wants to be seen as equals by the higher members of society and why he is afraid of their mockery. In addition, the possible conditions Peter gives to the man in the ambulance are eerily accurate. Septimus was not hit only on the head, but he certainly was hit, as his body ends up mangled and distorted. In addition, Septimus did develop a mental disease after coming back from the war; this PTSD-like condition is one of the reasons why he killed himself. The last possible condition, while not relating to Septimus, symbolizes his views on the importance of every individual.
"I'm a symbol of British civilization"
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