Final Post

Reflecting back on this past semester, we’ve considered issues such as inferiority, violence against women, power, beauty, repression, individuality, complicity, and perfectionism in the books we studied. Personally, the most significant issue that I found interesting was the journey for the female characters to find their true identity whether it was in a male dominated society or in an oppressed society.

I first noticed this in Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues. She says, ‘I see now that I was a prime candidate. I was a playwright. I had for years written plays based on interviews with people. I was a feminist. I had been violated sexually and physically by my father. I had exhibitionist tendencies. I have been known to outrage, and I longed with all of my being to find a way back into my vagina’ (introduction, xxiv). She goes on to describe how she doesn’t remember how this all began or how her monologues led to one of the greatest female movements, the V-Day. However, she says that

‘nothing was important than stopping violence toward women-

that the desecration of women indicated the failure of human beings

to honor and protect life and that this failing would, if we did not correct it,

be the end of us all. I do not think I am being extreme. When you rape, beat,

maim, mutilate, burn, bury, and terrorize women, you destroy the essential

life energy on the planet. You force what is meant to be open, trusting,

nurturing, creative, and alive to be bent, infertile, and broken’ (introduction, xxxii).

She talks about how the word ‘vagina’ is such an unattractive name but through talking to women from all over the world, the word ‘vagina’ has become such a powerful word and an easy topic for women to talk about. Her monologues made women feel comfortable about themselves and to talk about their own vaginas and like she says, ‘In order for the human race to continue, women must be safe and empowered. It’s an obvious idea, but like a vagina, it needs great attention and love in order to be revealed’ (introduction xxxvi). Her monologues gave an escape route and comfort for women to raise their voices and talk about their vaginas, allowing women to find who they are.

In the final chapter of The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf, she talks about how women must recognize beyond the beauty myth and ‘ask about the questions about our place in our bodies that women a generation ago asked about their place in society’ (270). Even in the movie Killing Us Softly 4, Jean Kilbourne talks about how women are subjected as objects of desires and women in advertisements are portrayed as inferior and weak against the dominant male. Women literally put themselves through hell to look like the models in advertisements because they are considered as the most beautiful women in the world. Some even spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to get rid of their wrinkles, extra lines on their faces, to get a nose job, to get breast implants, to reduce their chin size, etc. And for what purpose? To quote Naomi Wolf, ‘What is a woman? Is she what is made of her? Do a woman’s life and experience have value? If so, should she be ashamed for them to show? What is so great about looking young?’ (270). I completely agree with Wolf’s concern for women because I feel like most women are just not confident with how they look but this is due to the way the media and the fashion industry advertise beauty. Women are constantly bombarded with criticisms and advertisements that affect their self esteem and confidence. Although aging may seem like the most terrifying phase to go through, but they need to recognize that aging is simply a natural and beautiful thing we humans go through. So what if our skin isn’t as flawless as it used to be in your teens! They should instead, reflect back on those years and cherish the good old memories they had and move on to the future to create more and more memorable moments. I mean let’s face it! Life is too short to worry about the things that aren’t perfect.

‘Women can dress up for our pleasure, but we must speak up for our rights.’ (274). I’m not saying that women shouldn’t wear makeup or dress up every day because trust me, I love doing that! But all I’m trying to say is that women must speak up for themselves and have their voices be heard. By encouraging women to defend themselves, people will begin to understand that women are more than just objects of desire or a sex product. In doing so, women will come to realize who they truly are and come to agreement with their identity.

‘How to begin? Let’s be shameless. Be greedy. Pursue pleasure.

Avoid pain. Wear and touch and eat and drink what we feel like.

Tolerate other women’s choices. Seek out the sex we want and

fight fiercely against the sex we do not want. Choose our own causes.

And once we break through and change the rules so our sense of our

 own beauty cannot be shaken, sing that beauty and dress it up and

flaunt it and revel in it: In a sensual politics, female is beautiful.’ (291).

I think this passage sums up what Naomi Wolf and Eve Ensler was trying to encourage women to do because they both wanted to see the change happen in women. Often times, women do not make their own decisions and instead have their male lover or husband make their decisions for them. Women often do things for the opposite sex and never for their own benefit. I think this passage fits perfectly into the theme of seeking one’s identity because it encourages women to take an adventure to find what they like to do and do the things they want.

Virginia Woolf's Style of Writing

Virginia Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and her most famous works include Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and Orlando. She suffered immensely as a child from losing both her father and mother at an early age, which led to the beginning of her several nervous breakdowns and subsequent recurring depression. Despite her tumultuous childhood, she is one of the most extraordinary and influential female writers throughout history. Her unique style of writing, incorporations of symbolism and use of similes and metaphors in her work makes her distinctive from other writers.

Her works include a unique structure, characterization and themes which gives the readers a strong impression in her literary pieces. From the beginning of our reading assignment, we’ve noticed that her sentences extremely vary in length. Some sentences can be short and simple while some can be as long as an entire paragraph. When I first read one of her long sentences, I had to re-read it out loud because it was just that confusing. To describe the different aspects of the superficial society in which she felt lacked human relationships, she uses certain characters symbolically. Mrs. Kilman represents possessive love and corrupt religious values as it says ‘love destroyed too. Everything that was fine, everything that was true went… Degrading passion! she thought, thinking of Kilman and her Elizabeth walking to the Army and Navy Stores’ (112). 

To be honest, Mrs. Dalloway was quite a challenging novel to read and understand because of Woolf’s writing techniques. It was confusing when she switched narrators from one paragraph to the next and to obtain what she was saying in her long sentences. But it is because of this that she is significant and important for in the history of literature.

Identity Crisis Part II

Last week our class took a walk through Westminster to Old Bond Street, the same route that Mrs. Dalloway took when she walked to pick up her flowers in the opening scene of Mrs. Dalloway. During the walk, I was distracted by all the cars bustling by and the crowds of people and toursits walking along the sidewalk. Even when we were walking through St. Jame's Park, I felt my surroundings were constantly busy with the sound of people talking, walking, and the loud noise of the hailstone hitting our umbrellas. There wasn't a moment during the walk where I felt like I had peace and quiet to think to myself about things that's been on my mind.

This is what Mrs. Dalloway must have felt like when she was walking through the metropolis streets of London. With people from all social classes roaming through the streets to get to their own individual destinations, I can begin to understand how she must have felt like- confused, startled, mesmerized, overwhelmed. I think Mrs. Dalloway felt like she was nothing compared to the people around her because she was questioning the purpose of life. She didn't know how people around her knew what their purpose in life was and didn't understand why she can't find her own purpose in life. I thought this issue ties in with identity crisis because like Jasmine, Mrs. Dalloway is lost in a world that she does not understand. She lives in a life that she has no control over because it seems like she just followed everything that was planned out for her. Because of this, she has forgotten who she really is or even, hasn't met the person who she trully is.

'She had a perpetual sense, as she watched the taxi cabs, of being out, out, far out to sea and alone; she always had the feeling that it was very, very dangerous to live even one day' (5-6) this passage describes that everyone faces the phase when they feel like they are alone in the sea of life. Despite the fact that London is a busy city that constantly has something going on, loneliness is everywhere. It may seem like she's the only one suffering from internal pain of not knowing who they are, but it's only a matter of taking chances and discovering one's self.

The Struggles of Clarissa and Septimus

Throughout Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, we encounter many characters- all from different social classes and background. Clarissa Dalloway, an upper-class housewife and Septimus Warren Smith, a WWI veteran, both share a common conflict; her struggles to find her purpose in life and balance her internal and external life while he suffers from shell shock and struggles to regain his true self.

Septimus’ mind constantly fills itself with thoughts he has no control over and delusions that literally take control over him. In the beginning of the novel, he believes he is responsible for the traffic jam and his wife is embarrassed and frightened by his odd behaviors.

               

   So, thought Septimus, looking up, they are signalling to me.

                Not indeed in actual words; that is, he could not read the language yet;

                but it was plain enough, this beauty, this exquisite beauty, 

                and tears filled his eyes as he looked at the smoke words

                languishing and melting in the sky and bestowing upon him in their

                inexhaustible charity and laughing goodness one shape

                after another of unimaginable beauty and signalling their

                intention to provide him, for nothing, for ever, for looking merely, 

                with beauty, more beauty! Tears ran down his cheeks. (18)

This is an example of how his thoughts are incomprehensible to his wife because the letters that the planes were making weren’t directed to Septimus. However, he strongly thought that someone was trying to communicate with him through a coded language. Although his wife and his doctors encourage him to notice things around him, he has removed himself from the physical world and instead lives in an internal world where he sees and hears things that aren’t real. His thoughts of the outside world make it impossible for him to be his self because he views the world as a threat and danger to him. We see the build-up of his frustration and anger with his doctors when he is diagnosed with having ‘a lack of proportions’ by Sir William Bradshaw and his inability to find the words to defend himself pushes him to the edge of committing suicide.

When we observe Clarissa, similarities between her and Septimus are not necessarily evident. In general, a woman married to a wealthy man and a prominent member of the high class, don’t usually have anything in common with a man who has seen his friends die in front of him. But Clarissa struggles with her life as she tries to find the deep meaning of the purpose of life. Although it may seem like she is living the elite life and enjoys every minute of her life planning parties for her high class society friends, she desires for privacy and happiness. Mr. Whittaker even says ‘But why should she (Ms. Kilman) have to suffer when other women, like Clarissa Dalloway, escaped? Knowledge comes through suffering, said Mr. Whittaker. (114). No one knows the pain Clarissa is going through because she hosts parties to cover up the fact that she is actually lonely and confused with life. She says that her parties are ‘an offering; to combine, to create; but to whom?’ (107) and this suggests that she doesn’t know whether she throws parties for her own benefit or for others. She often thinks of the past and wonders, what her life would have been like if she were married to Peter Walsh instead of Richard and at times, wishes she could live life over again.

Septimus and Clarissa are not similar just because they are both oppressed characters. Rather, their two distinct moments of certainty are what they both share in common. Septimus’ moment of certainty occurs when he decided to end his life by committing suicide. He believes that if he continues to live his life, Sir William Bradshaw will literally suck the soul out of him and send him away to a mental institution. His suicide is a way of taking charge of his own life and even though he ended up dying, it was a decision he made on his own, and not anyone else’s. Clarissa’s moment of certainty results when she learns the death of Septimus. She admires his courageousness because she realizes that he saved his soul by killing himself before his doctors and his wife pushed him to the edge. She decides to continue living her life with hidden regrets and this awakens Clarissa to the truth about the effect of oppression on people.