Virginia Woolf
Finding Solace in Solitude
Defying Feminine Standards
Elizabeth Outka, "On Seeing Illness: Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway”
Orlando
Nature as a Being
Mrs. Dalloway
A Room of One's Own
Orlando
To the Lighthouse
Louise Westling, excerpt from “Virginia Woolf and the Flesh of the World”
Orlando's fondness of solitude is one of the many traits that remained a part of her personality across her entire existence of living as both a man and a woman. Having time alone is highly valued and sacred for Orlando, as one can interpret that the importance of solitude was to grant Orlando these moments where she can be herself without the constant pressures of society and their norms, as well as to be near the things that inspire her the most to create.
Orlando
To the Lighthouse
Almost like its own character within the novel, nature presence was prominent throughout the section of Time Passes, detailing how nature progressed through time and represented the state of the Ramsay family, following the death of Mrs. Ramsay and the other family members. As the unnamed narrator described the absence of humanity, besides the occasional maids, and the entrance of nature into the lonely home, it spoke of this imagery of darkness that consumed the house with complete "nothingness", which correlates to the tragedy of the family as they grieved over their losses. In one instance, the section mentions the flowers in the garden that bloomed and presented themselves with no one to admire them, adding once more to the emptiness of life inside the house, except for the light from the afar lighthouse that illuminates parts of the house in the night.
Mrs. Dalloway
A Room of One's Own serves as a critical essay that advocates for female inclusivity in fiction, given the social conventions that associate women to domesticity rather than scholarship roles, which were structured by society for men exclusively. Woolf introduced the idea of women owning a private space and having sufficient finances to have leisure time to properly create with their individual imaginations. In this sense, women obtain a better defined purposed outside of traditional housework and caregiving by exhibiting their creativity through a groundwork like fiction, where writers can embrace the creation of storytelling rather than proving and stating factual evidence in nonfiction work, which were the novels that male "intellects" were producing and influencing society with, although not all facts were evidently supported and reasonable.
"The title women and fiction might mean, and you may have meant it to mean, women and what they are like, or it might mean women and the fiction that they write; or it might mean women and the fiction that is written about them, or it might mean that somehow all three are inextricably mixed together..." (p. 3)
Female Greats in Literature: In her work, Woolf honors the female authors consisting of Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, Anne Finch, George Eliot, etc.. In each of their literary pieces, these women were able to maintain their artistic expression with genuine truth across their storytelling, instead of altering their work to disguise their feminine presence and fit into the masculine customs that were practice in literature, like writing female characters with no personality, less complexity, and character development compared to the male protagonists. In relation to Woolf's idea of requiring privacy and income to write, she acknowledges that these women didn't obtain such luxuries, yet their contributions to literature proved to be some of the most important novels ever written in time.
"Only Jane Austen did it and Emily Brontë. It is another feather, perhaps the finest, in their caps. They wrote as women write, not as men write. Of all the thousand women who wrote novels then, they alone entirely ignored the perpetual admonitions of the eternal pedagogue—write this, think that." (p. 75)
Lily Briscoe is the epitome of defiance in To the Lighthouse considering how she prioritized her personal ambitions of art over the gendered expectations of her sex established by society. In particular, her artistry is also representative of her defiance because Lily also paints in abstract styles rather than the traditional realism styles of art, which reflect how she interprets life through a different understanding than the other individuals that keep with tradition. From her difficult relationships with other men of the household, to her disinterest in motherhood, and her indirected feelings towards Mrs. Ramsay, Lily expressed herself in her most truthful form without any set of limitations that affected her ability to do so in the end.
A Room of One's Own
Privacy is an exclusive right that women of underprivileged social backgrounds were denied from because of the domestic duties they were forced to tend after, which kept them occupied from any personal time to fulfill their interests. Woolf's central thesis was that privacy for women offers an independent sphere separated from the public sphere, whose societal perceptions of women are centered on gender oppressions as the supposed "inferior" sex, which intervened with women's ability to participate in things outside of tradition. For this reason, in their solitude when they're not marginalized by misogynistic ideologies, privacy grants women the freedom to concentrate on expressing genuine artistry within their creative fiction.
"All I could do was to offer you an opinion upon one minor point---a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction..." (p. 4)
Throughout the novel, nature is represented as Orlando's muse for her creation of poetry. Her fascination with the flowers, weeds, and landscapes is considered a part of her personality, which was clear by others that interacted with her, like the gypsies who perceived her adoration to nature as the "Englishness" that exists in her. Essentially, nature is the safe haven that Orlando depends on at all points of her life, regardless of when she's a woman or man, in order to escape the complexities of society that have don't exist within nature. This love soars to the point that Orlando refers to herself as nature's bride, which shows her defying conventionalities once more to prioritize her interests.
Jamie Hovey, “‘Kissing a Negress in the Dark’: Englishness as Masquerade in Orlando”
The ultimate way one can defy gender conventions is done by identifying as androgynous, rather than as one singular gender. This fictional portrayal of transitioning from one gender to the other challenges the idea that gender is a fixated concept by proving instead that gender is a social construct that divides the sexes without any superficial evidence to determine one is superior than the other, besides the stereotypical myths created by society. Orlando's depiction as gender neutral is her defiance against the strict limits assigned to each gender by going through life driven by her desires, such as the variety of relationships she's engaged in during different points of her life, granting Orlando newfound insight over the social differences established onto men and women.
Connection
The Hours (film)
Although not entirely expressed through the sense or feeling of "solace", Mrs. Dalloway explores the significance of isolation that each character experiences at different or ongoing moments in their lives while they're all, in some form, bound to each other, regardless of whether the characters ever interacted with one another. Even so, as the story progressed, solitude was perceived differently as each character faced unique struggles that influenced their general outlook on life.
Septimus Smith: Given his psychological incapacities, the trauma of the war and its violence within humanity haunts Septimus and destroys his ability to perceive life with any motivations or appreciation, as his fears isolate him from the rest of society because he's convinced that human nature is nothing but cruel and malicious. Although isolated in this form, Septimus contemplates a sense of eternal solitude through death, because if living meant that his illness would continue to subject him as an outcast in the world, then not having to see another day would allow Septimus to feel nothing but pure tranquility in his tired soul.
Clarissa Dalloway: Despite he willingness to contribute to societal customs like playing hostess at a party and inviting her neighbors, Clarissa is more emotionally isolated because of her anxieties of failing to conform to societal conventions in the same manner as her peers and her other fears regarding life after death as she nears old age. For this reason, Clarissa distracts herself with the luxuries of throwing a party to avoid the insecurities that she dwells on internally, in order to present herself as best composed as possible, in comparison to the mix of worries she feels on the inside.
Peter Walsh: In association to the symbolism of the "solitary traveller", this depiction can be representative of Peter, as he finds comfort with this figure of his dreams. For the most part, Peter's solitude can be interpreted with the way he distanced himself from the city and his peers during his time in India. This opportunity allowed him to gain experience outside of the traditions of English society and perceive life under a new outlook, but even then does he reminisce the memories of his youth before.
“Besides, now that he was quite alone, condemned, deserted, as those who are about to die are alone, there was a luxury in it, an isolation full of sublimity; a freedom which the attached can never know” (p. 92)
“But often now this body she wore, (she stopped to look at a Dutch picture) this body, with all its capacities, seemed nothing–nothing at all. She had the oddest sense of being herself invisible, unseen; unknown; there being no more marrying, no more having children now, but only this astonishing and rather solemn progress…” (p.10-11)
"Such are the visions which ceaselessly float up, pace beside, put their faces in front of, the actual thing; often overpowering the solitary traveller and taking away from him the sense of the earth, the wish to return, and giving him for substitute a general peace…" (p. 57)
"Then why did she mind what he said? Women can’t write, women can’t paint—what did that matter coming from him, since clearly it was not true to him but for some reason helpful to him, and that was why he said it?" (p. 86)
Connection
Contradiction
Contrary to the characteristics of Lily Briscoe, the other woman that was limited to express herself outside of traditional norms was Mrs. Ramsay, an elderly women that maintained the sociological structure of womanhood by prioritizing her role as a full-time mother, as a wife that constantly assured the needs of her insecure husband, and as a hostess to her numerous guest. Unlike Lily, Mrs. Ramsay expressed no concern to change her manner of living and was rather at peace with her status as a woman, which demonstrates a completely different side to womanhood that choose to embrace feminine conventionalities because it was the only manner of living that she was accustomed to as an older women. As different from Lily, Mrs. Ramsay is the epitome of tradition, as she preserves the structure of the social world within her home.
These two ideas are representative of one another as they both explore the measures that these women took to express themselves entirely within their work, instead of reciprocating the practices of male intellects in their art. Despite To the Lighthouse using art for unconventionality and AROO using literature, Lily Briscoe is the fictional representative of this line of female authors because each one defied the standards of their artistic areas. More specifically, Lily used abstracted patterns to portray her understanding of life, while the authors created their own fictional settings to express their own imaginative storyline. Overall, creativity is a prominent aspect that was depended upon to reject social norms and promote individual freedom to create.
The essential idea that these two excerpts depict is the importance of providing a personal and private sphere available to women, in order to create and disassociate from societal intrusions. Contradictory to this ideal, if women created their artistry in a public space, such as the shared living rooms in their homes, their stories would rather concentrate on the other lives that surround them instead of their own or of their personal imagination. In order to fulfill their sense of unique creativity, women must be alone to work on themselves, rather than observe what occurs around them and the other lives that try to influence their ways of thinking.
"Nor were they far wrong. The English disease, a love of Nature, was inborn in her, and here where Nature was so much larger and more powerful than in England, she fell into its hands as she had never done before." (p. 143)
The Oak Tree: This symbolism serves as a reflection of Orlando's life while also being represented through a natural element, given Orlando's admiration to anything in nature. As the title of the poem that Orlando worked on throughout her long years of existence, it is reflective of her identity that is consistently experiencing changes on the surface of her identity, but not in the inside. As she matures from a man to a woman, Orlando's personality ultimately remains the same, as her interest and opinions are all the same ones she had in her "other life." Particularly, the real oak tree that Orlando visits in the beginning and ending of the book is also interconnected to Orlando's life because although it grows in time, it's still the same tree it was when its seed was first planted.
"He loved, beneath all this summer transiency, to feel the earth's spine beneath him; for he took the hard root of the oak tree to be; or, for image followed image, it was the back of a great horse that he was riding; or the deck of a tumbling ship--it was anything indeed, so long as it was hard, for he felt the need of something which he could attach his floating heart to..." (p. 19)
"Having stumbled over a chest, Orlando naturally loved solitary places, vast views, and to feel himself for ever and ever and ever alone. So, after a long silence, 'I am alone,' he breathed at last, opening his lips for the first time in his record." (p. 18)
Connection
Both nature and solitude are complementary and interconnected to each other as the qualities that are equally treasured by Orlando, given that she finds the utmost comfort in solitude while she's surrounded by nature and its creations. Within this haven, Orlando also derives inspiration for her poetry writing, which is also another love of hers based on how she chose to title her poem as "The Oak Tree", which makes reference to the tree she visited two times in her life. It can be interpreted that without these two, Orlando's ambitions would be entirely diminished and force him to commit to the conventions of English life, without any form of escapism.
"And as all Orlando's loves had been women, now, through the culpable laggardly of the human frame to adapt itself to convention, though she herself was a woman, it was still a woman she loved; and if the consciousness of being of the same sex had any effect at all, it was to quicken and deepen those feelings which she had had as a man."
(p. 161)
The Aspect of Gendered Clothing: According to this idea of gender neutrality, Woolf also touched upon the influence that clothing has over the personality of an individual, given that the purpose of clothing was to create a barrier between genders by making society follow the standard feminine and masculine fashion. In connection, by wearing certain clothing typically assigned to a certain sex, society expects the individual to behave or act in the manner that is most associated to that gender. For instance, women's clothing was typically modest and when Orlando was covered in feminine apparel, societal expected her to behave as a woman with self-respect and modesty, but just like her gender, Orlando's personality was just as fluid and defied the customs of the female sex, following her transition.
"Thus, there is much to support the view that it is clothes that wear us and not we them; we may make them take the mould of arm or breast, but they mould our hearts, our brains, our tongues to their liking..." (p. 188)
Nature Offers No Sympathy: Although Woolf personified nature and its elements, she clearly established a central indifference that separates nature from humanity, in regards to how societal dynamics don't coexist or have no relevance with this non-human world. Nature is truly the observer who witnesses the other life that exists in its surroundings, but it cannot reciprocate any feelings nor actions in the same manner that humanity does so. One interpretation of this indifference is demonstrated through Mr. Ramsay, who sought comfort in nature following the death of his wife, but in contrast to his need for praise that he received from other individuals, he received none from nature as it functions on its own and not in benefit of humanities needs.
Connection
"Nothing, it seemed, could survive the flood, the profusion of darkness which, creeping in at keyholes and crevices, stole round window blinds, came into bedrooms, swallowed up here a jug and basin, there a bowl of red and yellow dahlias, there the sharp edges and firm bulk of a chest of drawers." (p. 126)
“Did Nature supplement what man advanced? Did she complete what he began? With equal complacence she saw his misery, his meanness, and his torture." (p. 143)
Almost similar as in Orlando, To the Lighthouse also explores the connection between solitude and nature, as nature filled the Ramsay home after it was left isolated and deserted. In the same section of the novel, Woolf emphasizes on this concept of nothingness and darkness that crept into all the creeks of the house, as it scattered throughout the lonely atmosphere, almost as a replacement of the human life that once roamed inside. Even then, nature is not a replacement for humans, but instead shows how it can lived independently without need of them.
Connection
Here, solitude is most reflective in the lives of Laura Brown and Virginia Woolf, who are each interconnected despite living during different points in time. When we first observe Woolf, she's locked inside her room as she begins writing Mrs. Dalloway, which is symbolic of her argument about privacy and literature in A Room of One's Own. Further on, she's eager to move back to the city, but her husband doesn't allow her because he wants to supervise her concerning health. Therefore, Woolf also experiences a state of solitude that contributed to her depression, which drove her to act on impulse to escape her reality, both physically and mentally through literature. On the other hand, Laura Brown's character struggled mentally, which is representative of Septimus' illness, as she played a wife that was left on her own with her child in their home. In her solitude, Laura also acts on impulse to reciprocate the original fate of the fictional Clarissa Dalloway, as she contemplates suicide to be the way to escape the loneliness of her illness.
To expand on the awareness of mental health that's brought forward in Mrs. Dalloway, this analysis provides insight over the association of the "ill body" with the perspective on life, which describes how someone's mental disorders influence their understanding of how the world works. Woolf's collective voice offers this specific body a role in her novel through the soul of her characters, in order to formulate subtle criticism regarding the discourse of mental issues that exist in humanity, which are absent and unrecognized within literature.
For Septimus: Just like the World War that Septimus took part in early on, he later experiences a new war against his mind, as he's forced to battle with delirium and hallucinations on his own because the medical care he receives is more harmful than helpful to his recovery. Additionally, it can be interpreted that Septimus is interlinked to the psychological concept of the Body/Mind problem, as his troubles not only influence his mind, but also consume the entirety of his body, which forces him into a personal entrapment where he is left alone to deal with his trauma. Personified as a "walking corpse" among society, Septimus was left in with an unlikely fate where he grieved his losses and memories in physical isolation until he chose to find true peace in solitude that comes in death.
For Clarissa: Although her sense of "illness" is no where parallel to what Septimus experienced, mental health is still a critical feature to her character, as the novel is filled with her internal voice that dwells on her thoughts and ideas about her purpose to society. One mental struggle of Clarissa has to do with feeling invisible, which can be interpreted as a form of isolation where she is left with her agonies and fears, despite being surrounded by the lively qualities of the city, like the people and shops. Almost similar to Septimus whose a war veteran, Clarissa is also in a solitary state as the sole survivor of the flu pandemic in her family, which contributes to her visions of death who's always lurking throughout her life to call her in.
"Here, though, she suggests all the elements that make representing this perspective so difficult: the body’s unpredictable nature, its powerlessness, its isolation, and the knowledge that in this war, there are only solitary soldiers against encroaching, intangible enemies."
(p. 109)
"The isolation of her room suggests her exclusion from broader narratives of companionship or sexual unfolding—her bed holds only her; she feels aged and breastless: “It was all over for her.” Her illness seems to have robbed her not only of agency and story but of her very body." (p. 115)
As an overview of Woolf's literary technique of embracing natural elements within the human world, the functions of natural imagery in To the Lighthouse represents the importance of natural life without the presence of human beings, as the analysis describes it as a form of rejection to the philosophical ideologies about humanism. By including additional knowledge on philosophical insight, this work also examined how Woolf deterred from the perceptions that shape nature as a consistent muse for human life, in ways that it sympathizes and complements humanity. The question if nature is a supplement to humans, or to the Ramsay family in specific, is met with opposition because rather than an outlet for consolation, nature is embodied as an element that spectates what takes place in its surroundings.
This close study over the significance of Orlando's sexuality examined the restrictions that existed in femininity during this era in England, specifically through racial, national, and sexual identities of the time. All this information relates back to historical context, as English imperialism played an influential part in the transformation of race and sexual identities across Europe. Although mystical, Woolf's novel tackles real-world discourse through Orlando and her experiences as a man and woman, including her relationships of all kinds. This ambiguity that exists within Orlando contributes to the critique against whiteness and heterosexuality, as gender identity is perceived as a social construct, in regards to the limitations established onto them.
"This presumption of human transcendence has remained at the heart of subsequent philosophy, as well as functioning as the metaphoric grounding of modern science and technology, which are predicated on human superiority to all other life and our right to control the natural world, of which we are assumed not really to be a part." (p. 861)
A interesting perspective that shows how one distanced themselves from the cultural commonalities is perceived through Sally Seton. In comparison to the other characters, Sally is introduced as a memory of Clarissa's youthful times, since the two were immensely close with a hint of mutually affections between them, which automatically make the two as defiers of traditional relationships. In Sally's youth, she was in denial of living the same way like the rest of society, as she preferred living and thinking freely instead of being constricted to marriage and motherhood. However, her rebellious attitude diminished as an older women, who was already married and with children. However, her charisma remains rooted in her memories as she reminisces her youth with Clarissa and Peter during the evening party, which show how Sally keeps a low profile of thinking differently while projecting herself as part of the social narrative of expectations.
"It was Sally Seton—the last person in the world one would have expected to marry a rich man and live in a large house near Manchester, the wild, the daring, the romantic Sally!" (p. 72)
Alex Zwerdling, "Mrs. Dalloway and the Social System"
Woolf's subtle critiques towards the social world is a definitive feature in Mrs. Dalloway, as she utilizes her own characters to represent the non-conventions, like Septimus with his illness, Clarissa with her invisibility, and Sally with her open-minded thinking. In the external world, society requires strict composure at all times to ensure nothing looks out of place or is a threat to the social system. One interesting figure that upholds traditions is Doctor William Bradshaw, whose role is significant to social norms based on his beliefs over the "goddesses" Proportion and Conversion, which he utilized to determine Septimus as an unlikely hero and a threat. On the other hand, Sally's life eventually turns into what she dreaded the most as a young rebellious girl, whose feelings remain buried within her soul to present herself "rightfully" to others in society. Essentially, all characters have been influenced by the structure of societal rules, which forced them to hide their true personality in fear of being outcasted.
"In illuminating the price the characters in her novel have had to pay to live under the sway of this ideal, Woolf is not only fulfilling her ambition ‘to criticise the social system, and to show it at work, at its most intense,’ but contributing indirectly to its replacement by one less hostile to the buried life of feeling in every human being." (p. 81)
"The ‘playful’ exchange of racial others for sexual tolerance allows the novel both to interrogate and to affirm the national belonging of the queerly gendered Englishwoman, notwithstanding Woolf's well-known mistrust of the nation as a political affiliation for women: "What does 'our country' mean to me an outsider?" (p. 398)