Laura Brown

There are many obvious similarities between Virgina Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and Steven Daldry’s The Hours. From the constant motifs of suicide and death to the bold defiance of social norms it is not very difficult to see the relationship between the two works of art. There is, however, a major difference between them. While the events are very similar, the characters that are affected by them are not

            In this way, Laura Brown is representative of Septimus Warren Smith. Both Laura and Septimus are unhappy with the status of their life. Septimus feels this way because of his experiences in the war but the reasoning for Laura’s depression is not nearly as clear. It appears as though she is living the American Dream; she has a beautiful home, a loving spouse, and a lovely child yet is still unable to find happiness in her life. Septimus and Laura also both have encounters with suicide. While Septimus is able to go through with his death, Laura is not. One of the scenes that clearly establishes the connection between these two characters is when Laura is actually contemplating her suicide. He hotel room she is in appears to fill with water. She is being surrounded by water with her bed being the only thing delaying her death just like the rock when Septimus is drowning.