The early twentieth century saw significant strides in the upheaval of gender prejudices and patriarchal standards. Women gained many more freedoms, for example with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, and first wave feminism reached its golden age. However, gender roles, or ideals about how binary genders should act, still had a strong hold on society's expectations. When Virginia Woolf wrote Mrs. Dalloway in the 1920s, she used it as a social critique of the rigid gender roles of the time. Protagonists Clarissa Dalloway and Septimus Warren Smith both struggle to meet emotional gender expectations; however, only Clarissa can manage to hide her differences and remain an esteemed upper-class woman. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayWhen Septimus Warren Smith is a young adult, he volunteers for the army. However, upon his return, it became clear that the war had had a significant psychological impact on Septimus. His wife Rezia believes that he was "no longer Septimus now", recalling how he would "talk to himself, talk to a dead man". Septimus shows signs of shell shock, a common diagnosis for a World War I veteran. However, such a disorder carried with it a complex stigma. Veterans who exhibited symptoms of shell shock were thought to display qualities of femininity and therefore less of a man (Tomes). Although Septimus worries that he "cannot feel," he actually ends up showing more emotion than is considered acceptable for a man, "shouting about human cruelty" and writing of "universal love: the meaning of the world." Rezia is ashamed of him. She thinks it is “the most terrible thing of all, to see a man like Septimus who fought, who was brave, cry.” This adds another level of tension to their marriage. It even leads her to state, “She would much rather he were dead! She couldn't sit next to him..." . Since Septimus cannot be a mentally strong man, Rezia is ashamed of him. Similarly, Clarissa Dalloway struggles with her ability to fulfill the female gender role on an emotional level, worrying that she is not satisfying her husband. She states that she “could see what was missing… It was something central that permeated; something hot that broke the surfaces and rippled the cold contact of man and woman..." . Other characters have noted this same absence of what they consider an essential quality. Peter believes that “there has always been something cold about Clarissa”, a certain “woodiness”. This quality of warmth that Clarissa lacks is a quality connected to the feminine character and, more specifically, to a true wife. This in turn leads her to the conclusion that "she has failed her husband." These two protagonists seem to differ in their ability to hide the fact that they do not fit into their prescribed gender role. Septimus's physical appearance indicates his nonconformity. As a young adult, he wears a “pink, oval innocent” face and is often seen as too feminine. His boss thinks he "looks weak" and worries about his health. During the war, Septimus appears to have physically “developed manhood.” However, something about its appearance leads to a feeling of discomfort. Maisie Johnson thinks he and Rezia seem very "queer", and Sir William Bradshaw "could see from the first moment they entered the room that Septimus was a case of extreme severity". He is unable to control his behavior in public and this, combined with his strange appearance, leads to his inability to hide his.