This paper explains that, in "Mrs. Dalloway", which is considered the most
schizophrenic of English novels, Virginia Woolf
creates the character Septimus as the protagonist Clarissa's doppelganger to mirror Woolf's struggle with mental illness; stream of
consciousness inexorably binds together Septimus, Clarissa and Woolf. The author points out that, as Woolf's multi-layered consciousness building becomes increasingly complex, so do her revelations about her characters, which are each a study in contrasts. The paper relates that all of Woolf's characters are broken souls and Woolf is quite evolved in understanding that misery is ultimately about
self-absorption; therefore, it is understandable that, by focusing on the theme of madness, "Mrs. Dalloway" explores the enforced development of a society of outsiders.