Branches

For God’s sake don’t come! Septimius cried out. For he could not look upon the dead. But the branches parted. A man in grey was walking towards them (Woolf 70). “

While Septimius is sitting on a bench in Regents park he is thinking out loud by talking to himself. Regents park is just like any other park, where people relax, clear their mind and get fresh air. While sitting in Regents park, Septimius has a lot of time to think, which allows his mind to wander about things in the past, especially about WWI. Septimius is severely impacted by WWI, that his mind always seems to think back to the past.  Septimius states “ but the branches parted. A man in grey was actually walking towards them. It was Evans! But no mud was on him; no wounds; he was not changed, I must tell the whole world Septimius cried ( Woolf 70).”  This specific flashback that Septimius is having in Regents Park highlights how Septimius is not yet able to control his anxiety in such a large public space in London. By Septimius seeing a vision of someone that he knew from the war brings him back to a time where he was happy because he was inseparable with his dear friend Evans but after his death he became dead inside. By Septimius having these visions in a public space, such as, Regents Park, it shows how much his views changed because of the war and his shell-shock. He now views the world as an ugly, horrid grey place.