Virginia Woolf uses visuals to create a cohesive story that combines both the past and the present into not just the same novel, but paragraphs and sentences. For example, as Clarissa Dalloway goes shopping in the morning, we see her daily routine in parentheses as she dwells on memories of the past: “... But to make people think this or that; perfect idiocy she knew (and now the policeman held up his hand) for no one was ever for a second taken in.” This style of writing allows Woolf to create a narration without creating what is necessarily a traditional narrator. We are hearing Clarissa’s thoughts and experiencing her everyday life, even though they do not match up. When Clarissa arrives home and continues working on getting ready for her party, her thoughts are instead on the lunch Richard went to with Lady Bruton. Ironically, it becomes that Clarissa’s words (or thoughts, in this case) speak louder than her actions.
Septimus’ story holds the same idea but as Lucrezia is also a narrator, we are allowed to see both inside and outside Septimus’ mind as he battles with what can be assumed to be PTSD. Septimus’ narration is best put as an active imagination where he thinks he sees his dead friend and dogs shifting into men. The world through Septimus’ eyes is terrifying and strange and he no longer recognizes it as the one from before the war. Meanwhile, we see a somewhat dull depiction of Septimus through Lucrezia, who gives the exact opposite narration of the same environment Septimus is in. The drastic differences between the two allows for an understanding of what someone “healthy” versus someone “sick” sees, leaving it up to the reader to decide which perspective is more reasonable. These visual representations can also sway opinions on each character, as I found myself more annoyed with how Rezia was acting when her husband was so clearly in distress, who could talk about making hats at a time like this?