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The Depression Symptoms of Virginia Woolf As the Author Portrayed in Mrs Dalloway Novel

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The Depression Symptoms of Virginia Woolf As the Author Portrayed in Mrs Dalloway Novel e-ISSN 2549-7715 | Volume 4 | Nomor 4 | Oktober 2020 | Hal: 594-613 Terakreditasi Sinta 4 THE DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS OF VIRGINIA WOOLF AS THE AUTHOR PORTRAYED IN MRS DALLOWAY NOVEL Ruspika Margiana, Singgih Daru Kuncara, Indah Sari Lubis Department of English Literature, Faculty of Cultural Sciences Mulawarman University Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to find the depression symptoms of Virginia Woolf as the author portrayed in the characters Septimus Warren Smith and Clarissa Dalloway in Mrs Dalloway novel. It could be seen from the analysis of the data from biographical information of Virginia Woolf, narrations and utterances of the major characters Septimus and Clarissa. In order to determine the depression symptoms, Beck’s cognitive theory of depression was used in this research. This research belonged to qualitative method. The data sources were Mrs Dalloway novel and the biographies of Virginia Woolf. The data were the biographical information of Virginia Woolf, narrations and utterances in the novel refers to Woolf’s depression symptoms portrayed in the characters Septimus and Clarissa. The finding showed the depression symptoms of Virginia Woolf as were portrayed in Septimus such as negative expectation, self blame and self criticism, paralysis of the will, avoidance, escapist, and withdrawal wishes, suicidal wishes, loss of appetite, sleep disturbance, loss of libido, and hallucination.Meanwhile, the depression symptoms that were portrayed in Clarissa such as dejected mood, negative feeling toward self, low self evaluation, delusion of worthlessness, and suicidal wishes. Key words: depression, depression symptoms, psychological approach ABSTRAK Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menemukan gejala depresi Virginia Woolf sebagai pengarang yang tergambarkan dalam tokoh Septimus Warren Smith dan Clarissa Dalloway di novel Mrs Dalloway. Hal ini bisa dilihat dari analisis data dari informasi biografi Virginia Woolf, narasi dan ujaran-ujaran dari tokoh utama Septimus dan Clarissa. Untuk menentukan gejala depresi, teori kognitif Beck tentang depresi digunakan dalam penelitian ini. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif. Sumber data dalam penelitian ini adalah novel Mrs Dalloway dan buku biografi Virginia Woolf. Data dalam penelitian ini adalah informasi biografi Virginia Woolf, narasi dan ujaran – ujaran dalam novel yang mengacu pada gejala depresi Woolf yang digambarkan dalam tokoh Septimus dan Clarissa. Hasil dari penelitian 594 e-ISSN 2549-7715 | Volume 4 | Nomor 4 | Oktober 2020 | Hal: 594-613 Terakreditasi Sinta 4 ini menunjukkan gejala depresi Virginia Woolf seperti yang digambarkan dalam tokoh Septimus adalah harapan negatif, menyalahkan diri sendiri dan kritik diri, kelumpuhan kehendak, penghindaran, pelarian, dan keinginan penarikan, keinginan bunuh diri, kehilangan nafsu makan, gangguan tidur, kehilangan libido, dan halusinasi. Sementara itu, gejala depresi yang digambarkan dalam tokoh Clarissa seperti perasaan sedih, perasaan negatif terhadap diri sendiri, evaluasi diri yang rendah, khayalan tidak berharga, dan keinginan untuk bunuh diri. Kata kunci: depresi, gejala depresi, pendekatan psikologis A. INTRODUCTION A work of literature is as a result of author’s views, thoughts, feelings, personalities, and experiences of life that are expressed in it (Griffith 5). The experience of life of the author’s life can be portrayed in the literary work such as in a novel. A novel entitled Mrs Dalloway was chosen as the object of analysis in this research. There are two major characters in the novel named Septimus Warren Smith and Clarissa Dalloway. Clarissa Dalloway was described as a middle class woman who always gives parties to her friends. Her life seems perfect. She is the wife of a Prime Minister, Richard Dalloway. Her husband loves her so much. There is no significant disturbing event happens in her life. Meanwhile, Septimus Warren Smith was described as a man who has psychological problem after his friend died in a war. His life is full of mourning and loneliness. He has no child. Although he has a wife who is always beside him and loves him so much, but Septimus does not even notice her wife and has no sexual desire with his wife. Both Clarissa and Septimus’ life seem different, but they have the same intention to end their life. The experience of life of both major characters in the novel is similar to Virginia Woolf’s life experience as the author of the novel. Virginia Woolf herself had a husband, Leonard Woolf who really loved her, but she had also no sexual desire with her husband. She also had no child. Virginia Woolf also suffered from a mental illness after her mother’s death. It happened when she was only thirteen. The death that happened around her life and the treatment that she should receive really affected to her mental condition and her writing. At the end of her life, she committed suicide by drowning herself into River Ouse on March 28th, 1941 (Bell 225). Virginia Woolf decided to commit suicide to end her life. Similarly, the character in her novel, Septimus Warren Smith also did the same thing. According to Beck that suicide frequently happens to people with depression. Suicidal wishes as one of depression symptoms (Beck 30). Suicide as one of depression symptoms experienced by Virginia Woolf and really portrayed in the character Septimus Warren Smith. Therefore, in this research, the researcher wanted to find out more about the depression symptoms of Virginia Woolf as the author portrayed in the characters Septimus Warren Smith and Clarissa Dalloway as the major characters 595 e-ISSN 2549-7715 | Volume 4 | Nomor 4 | Oktober 2020 | Hal: 594-613 Terakreditasi Sinta 4 in the novel. It could be done through the investigation of Virginia Woolf’s biographical information and also the narrations and utterances of both major characters in the novel that refers to Woolf’s depression symptoms. It was expected that this research can be use as a tool to enrich knowledge of analyzing psychological condition of the author that is portrayed in a literary work by using Beck’s cognitive theory of depression. Hopefully, this research can inspire next researcher to do further analysis related to the topic that was discussed in this research. B. RELATED LITERATURE 1. Biography Virginia Woolf Virginia Woolf was born as Adeline Virginia Stephen on 25th January 1882 at 22 Hyde Park Gate, London. Both of Virginia’s parents have children from their previous marriage. Leslie Stephen had a daughter named Laura, and Julia Prinsep had three children George, Gerald, and Stella. The Stephens had 4 children. They were Vanessa, Thoby, Virginia, and Adrian. They tended to against their half siblings, but between the four there were also jealousies and rivalries. Virginia enjoyed happiness in her family till it was disturbed by the death of her mother. The death of her mother became the first breakdown in her life. The role of her mother to care for the children was replaced by Stella, Virginia’s half sister. Two years later, Stella died. Virginia Woolf also had experienced sexual abuse by her half brother George and Gerald. This might give her bad effect for her mental health and her view toward men and sexuality. The second breakdown then followed by the death of her father in 1904 and the death of her brother named Thoby in 1906. Further breakdown occurred in her life related to her mental health in which she suffered from manic depression and she was intended to be sent in the oppressive nursing house and sanatorium by Dr George Savage. In August 1912, Virginia married Leonard Woolf who very loved her and used to give her advice on everything she wrote, and he also supported her through her bouts of mental illness. In her life, Virginia Woolf had ever tried to commit suicide for times. Till on 28th March 1941, she decided to end her life by drowning herself in to a River Ouse (Bell 225). 2. Virginia Woolf’s Works and Her Mental Illness Virginia Woolf was a prolific writer but she also well known as a mentally unwell writer (Salter par 1). Virginia Woolf clinically suffered from what is called manic depressive illness. In that much of what is known about her mental illness from what she wrote about it. Her illness had become her language (Lee 187). Her personal life is interesting as the same as her works in which she sometimes depicted her life experience in it. Her famous works include to the novel Mrs Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), Orlando (1928), A Room of One’s Own (1929). Moreover, the issues about her own experience such as death and her 596 e-ISSN 2549-7715 | Volume 4 | Nomor 4 | Oktober 2020 | Hal: 594-613 Terakreditasi Sinta 4 mental illness were depicted in her works such as in Mrs Dalloway and To the Lighthouse. The issue of mental illness was depicted in Mrs Dalloway in which one of the characters named Septimus described as someone who suffered from a psychological problem. Meanwhile, To the Lighthouse was considered as an elegy of Woolf’s dead parents and some in the respect autobiographical in which she portrayed her father’s character, mother’s, death and life completely in it (Goldman 60). 3. Synopsis of Mrs Dalloway Mrs Dalloway was first published in 1925. It was considered as the most well-read and popular Woolf’s novel (Goldman 53). The novel tells in detail about one day of Clarissa Dalloway. The day begins when the narrator tells about Clarissa Dalloway prepares for her party. Clarissa Dalloway says that she wants to buy flowers herself. As she comes from the Mulberry shop, Peter Walsh, her former lover comes. It brings Clarissa to remember her past with Peter. Clarissa never forgets all those memories with Peter, but then she raelizes that now she is Clarissa Dalloway as the wife of the member of the parliament Richard Dalloway and the mother of Elizabeth.
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