Virginia Woolf Works: to the Lighthouse and Mrs Dalloway - Essay Example

 Victorian England during the time of the feminist writer, Virginia Woolf, imposed norms and restrictions detrimental to the advancement of women in society. Defiant of these stereotypical roles and restrictions, in which women were viewed as ‘dirty’ and as “social and political corpses" under the period’s legal and social system, Woolf became a social critique of women’s social and political status in Britain as evident in her works, relentlessly asserting that men and women be treated equally in her society. In three of her works, the novels, “To the Lighthouse”, and “Mrs. Dalloway”, and in the collection of essays, “A Room of One‘s Own” Woolf explores different ideas of work and vocation through her depiction of women in both nonconformist and comformist roles and careers, her use of memorable characters in order to censure traditional concepts of “work” and “vocation,” and her delineation of both genders and their roles in that particular setting. In the novel “To the Lighthouse”, Woolf articulates her inner thoughts clearly with regards women’s occupations and her notion of work. Mrs Ramsay, the main character in this novel, illustrates her creativity in social life as she finds comfort in her role as a loyal wife. Lily, however, despite criticisms hurled against female artists, evident in one of Mr. Ramsey’s imprudent utterances that “Women can‘t write, women can‘t paint”, firmly devotes herself to her vocation, as she is very passionate about her art. Mr Ramsey contentions about women and their vocations exemplify the Victorian assumptions that males and females have their ‘assigned roles and they must adhere to it. In contrast, Mrs. Ramsey is a picture of a person satisfied with her life in her chosen endeavor. Often she would make comments about Lily and the girl’s artistic leanings by saying, "With her little Chinese eyes and her puckered-up face, she would never marry; one could not take her painting very seriously; she was an independent little creature, and Mrs Ramsay liked her for it" (Woolf 17). Woolf, of course, highly regards artistry as a great occupation as she contends that, “women ought to be as well educated as men, indeed a great deal better immerses herself in an “abstract discipline” (her art). Woolf once stated that all vocations should be unlocked to anyone qualified for them regardless of gender, color or race. As Woolf defies stereotypical roles, her opinions both implicit and explicit, are fundamental in understanding life in her particular setting, and significant in comprehending her arguments on gender roles, work, profession, gender equality and social constraints on women in her generation. Woolf in these writings depicts the roles of women in nonconformist roles and careers in order to explore ideas of work and vocation. In her two works, each of the female protagonists is depicted differently. For instance, in her work, “A Room of One‘s Own”, Woolf shows the progression of women as they adopt a non-conventional career by ‘having money and a room of their own to explore creative endeavors, actions considered taboo in Woolf’s generation. In contrast, To the Lighthouse portrays a ‘new woman’ and her “work” or “vocation” through the novel’s protagonists, Lily Briscoe who represents the new woman, adopts her professional career on professional and sincere level. Arnold Bennett stated that a “woman who adopts a professional career will be taken seriously”. Lily follows this guide as she disentangles herself from the customary duties that women like Mrs. Ramsay holds, she instead shapes her artistry and stresses individuality through her vocation. In addition, Lily refuses to link her identity to that of men or husband as she has a distinct idea of marriage. The women’s movement gave women the chance to cede their domestic duties and the freedom to voice up the difficulties that they were facing in life. Both Lily and Mrs Ramsey receive “vocational discouragement” from males, Lily holds onto her desires and treats her vocation like a ‘god’ and special gift that she possesses, and we see how she uses this gift in constructive channels. Furthermore, in another novel, “Mrs. Dalloway,” the main character, Clarissa Dalloway, a woman known for her entertaining parties, muses about the vocation she has chosen as she readies herself to an evening party with her friends. Woolf, in this novel, surveys the dealings between women and men, as Clarissa ponders before the party that there “was something central which permeated; something warm which broke up surfaces and rippled the cold contact of man and woman, or of women together. Woolf explores these poignant images in her novel, through Mrs. Dalloway, as the desires of the main character are engulfed by the demands of the society. For this work, Woolf mentions in her diary that she “[wants] to give life and death, sanity and insanity” as well as disparage the existing social system “and to show it at work at its most intense” (Woolf: A Writer’s Diary, 1923) Similarly, in her essays in the book “A Room of One’s One” Woolf examines the idea of being a non-conformist. As having a ‘room of one’s own’ in that particular period is considered unconventional for women, Woolf also explores the concept of female writers “if she is to write fiction” must have money, illustrating the fact the women in her generation were silenced as their writings and that women should be allowed equal opportunities to write fiction, is the thesis of her essays. Through these characters, Woolf’s ideas about work and vocation amidst restrictions imposed on women - could stimulate historical arguments with regards women’s rights and functions during the period the novels were written. Woolf’s use of memorable, defiant and radical characters in order for her to censure traditional concepts of “work” and “vocation” is very much evident in the novel “To the Lighthouse.” Woolf in this novel clearly censures certain traditional and fundamentalist beliefs that her community adheres to which in turn dominates not only women’s lives, but the lives of men as well. In the novel “To the Lighthouse, Lily ultimately develops an unwavering uniqueness and a sense of self importance, as she shows how extremely difficult it is for a woman to create her own distinct identity. This sense of identity spawns into the realization of her goals, though she is a woman, as she enjoys financial success in the end. However, Mrs. Ramsey questions her choice in the end saying, “What have I done with my life?” as she devoted herself to domestic creativity traditionally characterized as women’s occupation. Woolf also questions authority, convention, and common held belief in relation to reality and perception. In “A Room of One’s Own” Woolf states that, “Literature is strewn with the wreckage of men who have minded beyond reason the opinions of others.” Futhermore, Woolf employs various rhetorical factors to strengthen her contentions that women should be bestowed equality in material circumstances before they can augment their potential as writers and artists. All through the opening chapter of A Room of One's Own, Woolf uses colorful and memorable accounts of her fictionalized Oxbridge, and affords her readers with vastly comprehensive descriptions of the backdrop, of the food, and of the university square. These accounts, portrayed as "memories," generate an atmosphere in her works of both of personal recollection and of ‘critical distance’ (Mitchell 3). Her voices in the text, either it is of Mary Seton or Mary Carmichael, become concrete with their "experiences," after they are denied admission to the library, and being admonished for walking "off the path”. Primarily, since one of Woolf's major cases in A Room of One's Own is that the females are unsuccessful in making their existence felt in the literary circles as they have been refused equal opportunity to attain good education. In this work Woolf brilliantly illustrates the intellectual integrity of women as she discloses their deficiency in formal education. A similar grievance was put forward by Woolf who often complained about being denied a similar formal education her other siblings acquired at Cambridge. A similar predicament was faced by Aphra Behn, a middle class woman, considered as the first female writer to “earn a living by writing”. I believe that Behn’s entrance into the writing profession proved the historical issue wrong that women are not “poor relations”, and many writers like Woolf herself brought this issue forward in a positive light. (Feminist Destinations and Further Essays on Virginia Woolf by Rachel Bowley ). Behn shows women the struggles and domination that she had faced in her vocation in which she clearly had no choice but to work on equal terms with men. She demonstrates successfully that women have the “gift” to write about anything freely and openly, and that they don’t have to be dependent on men.   Aside from Woolf’s admonishment of the traditional concept afforded to women in her time, the use of male and female voice in her story, creates a balanced, judicious representation of her characters - both males and females. As Woolf was a feminist, she carefully illustrates in her novels, though rather tacitly, equality of gender roles. Her use of the male ‘voice’, ‘tone’ and ‘language’ in her novels should further be examined as they contain objectivity and not subjective ideas about male and female gender even though according to her, males usually silence women in their writings and elevate the status of men. In her works, Woolf creates a careful balance of masculine reasoning and a masculine moral language being recreated or written in such a way that the works include facets of the feminine. The either/or categories represented by Mr. Ramsay and Mrs. Ramsay in the novel, “To The Lighthouse” are now depicted as impartial and objective. Most researchers and theorists maintain that it is not a matter of only women, like Mrs. Ramsay, using a feminine language and only men, like Mr. Ramsay, using a masculine language. For instance, although tactlessness and abrasiveness typify Mr. Ramsay's language and "but" is the initial word he uses in the novel, Mrs. Ramsay's voice begins the novel as she mentions a trip to the lighthouse in which she utters to James, "Yes, of course, if it's fine tomorrow” signifying a balance and objectivity as Woolf moves from female to male self. In addition, Woolf contrasts Mrs. Ramsay's "yes" with Mr. Ramsay's "but," however, throughout the narrative the patriarchal male and submissive female voices are utilized interchangeably so as to delineate the role of women in that period but not to characterize males and females as such. Moreover, in A Room of One's Own, Woolf talks of her misgivings about the use of the seemingly despotic word "I," the first person voice congruous with masculine self-centeredness, an ambiguity that contributes to the trancelike result of the stream of consciousness writing. This ambiguity parallels equality as Woolf maintains that, 1“When a subject is highly controversial —and any question about sex is that —one cannot hope to tell the truth. One can only show how one came to hold whatever opinion one does hold. One can only give one's audience the chance of drawing their own conclusions as they observe the limitations, the prejudices, the idiosyncrasies of the speaker. This only signifies Woolf’s ‘feminist theory of value’ (Mepham 47), and an underlying philosophy of social justice that surpasses gender limitations. Thus, we can glean from Virginia Woolf’s works, A Room of One's Own and ‘To the Lighthouse” and “Mrs. Dalloway”, that people, women in particular, are gifted with all kinds of possibilities to further themselves but these potentials cannot be expressed openly because of the constraints of society. Hence, in her three works, Woolf argues for the attainment of social justice in all aspects of our lives, justice and equity which trancends gender differences because human beings must be valued for their potential and not for their differences. Woolf’s arguments and criticisms of the social norms during the Victorian era are evident in many of her writings which in effect depict common themes as a reminder for the readers that voices of women, or any groups mariginalized in society, could never be silenced. In Woolf’s own words herself and her own definition of a woman, she queries, “What is a woman? I assure you, I do not know. I do not believe that you know. I do not believe that anybody can know until she has expressed herself in all the arts and professions open to human skill” (Woolf, 'Professions for Women', 1931). Unfortunately, until this time, women in every society who are still thwarted in expressing themselves fully, pose a similar and perennial cycle of question and concerns for society to ponder upon. BIBLIOGRAPHY Carol Gilligan, In a Different Voice .Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1982 Davies, Stevie. Virginia Woolf To the Lighthouse. Great Britain: Penguin Books. 1990 Dick, Susan.Virginia Woolf “Appendix A”, To the Lighthouse: The Original Holograph Draft. Toronto, Londo: University of Toronto Press. 1987 Gorsky, Susan Rubinow. Virginia Woolf :Revised Edition.Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1989 Mepham, John.Virginia Woolf: A Literary Life. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1991. Raitt, Suzanne. Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse. New York: Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1990. Spalding, Frances. Viginia Woolf: Paper Darts: the Illustrated Letters. 2nd. New York: Collins & Brown, 1991. Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1927 Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One’s Own. New York. Harvest Books. Reuse, 1989 Woolf, Virginia. A Writer’s Diary. Boston. Twayne. 1st Ed. 1923 Read More