flung
But he would wait till the very last moment. He did not want to
die. Life was good. The sun hot. Only human beings — what did they want? Coming down the staircase opposite an old man stopped and stared at him. Holmes was at the door. “I’ll give it your” he cried, and flung himself vigorously, violent
down on to Mrs. Filmer’s area railings” (Woolf 149).
https://collage.cityoflondon.gov.uk/view-item?i=172333
Septimius is at his house on Victoria Street. This is the final seen where he decides to end his life due to living in a constant state of uncontrollable fear. During this scene at Septimius’s house, Dr. Holmes arrives at the house to come and take Septimius away because he believes that not only is he a danger to himself, but he is a danger to others around him. During this scene, Septimius can hear his wife talking to the doctor. The doctor is there to pick up Septimius and put him in a home. As Septimius can hear the doctor, his thoughts are racing back and forth. He knows that if he accepts the reality of his life and goes with the doctor, his fate will lie in the hands of society. Septimius finally comes to the conclusion that he would much rather kill himself than living in a society in which no one will ever understand what he went through, the thoughts in his mind and the way he feels almost all of the time. Throughout the book, Septimius is seen in a light where he would rather stay alive than die, but ultimately, he realizes that death is his only option because he would much rather choose his own path than allow society to choose his own destiny for him.
Suicide was very common for people who were in the war. After WWI , PTSD, also know as shell-shock, was something that not even doctors were familiar with. Living with shell-shock post war was difficult. The implications of PTSD caused victims of this illness to face depression, fear, and even anxiety. Shell-shock was not just something that effected the person who had it, but it also affects loved ones too. In this case, Rezia was suffering as well because her husband, Septimius could not receive the proper care. This ultimately led Septimius to commit suicide.
[…] old man stopped and stared at him. Holmes was at the door. “I’ll give it your” he cried, and flung himself vigorously, violent down on to Mrs. Filmer’s area railings” (Woolf […]