"She had had to buy the roses, Rezia said, from a poor man in the street. But they were almost dead already, she said, arranging the roses. So there was a man outside;Evans presumably; and the roses, which Rezia said were half dead, had been picked by him in the fields of Greece. 'Communication is health; communication is happiness, communication-' he muttered" (Woolf 93).
The very core of the relationship between Rezia and Septimus is revealed in this passage. The roses in this case represent Septimus, and even though he is "almost dead already", Rezia still tries to makes him presentable by "arranging the roses". Rezia gave up everything to be with Septimus, her price for "buy[ing] the roses" was her family and home. On the other hand, Septimus believes that the roses came from Evans, who is dead. This split from reality displays the major disconnect between Septimus and Rezia; Rezia is Septimus' connection to the real world. Septimus reiterates the importance of communication to expose the importance of it in a relationship. However, Septimus is cut off on the third time he says "communication" which presents the detail that Septimus is no longer able to communicate. Without this ability, Septimus' health is declining and there is no happiness in Septimus' relationship with Rezia. This marriage, I believe, is a sad tragedy that reflects the unfairness of life. Rezia gives up all she knows to be with Septimus, and then it was all for nothing because he had become a different person and is suffering from PTSD. This love story would definitely beat Romeo and Juliet.
Resource:
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
I like how you revealed so much about their relationship from analyzing the roses. I didn't think much about him cutting off his sentence after communication, but it's true, like you said, that he's no longer able to communicate. Nice analysis on that passage! I agree that this love story is up there with Romeo & Juliet...if something happens to Rezia though, as bad as that sounds.
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