Virginia Woolf definitely did not have it easy. She had a rough childhood that was filled with pain. She also had nervous breakdowns. These emotional and turbulent times led to her suicide. After reading her background I can understand why she broke down because all the people in her family that were close to her died. She was also tormented with headaches and voices in her head.
I would like to comment on "The Lady in the Looking Glass: A Reflection." Let me make it clear that I am not sure what Virginia was trying to tell us. However, I have my own interpretations of this work. She writes, "People should not leave looking-glasses hanging in their rooms any more than they should leave open cheque books or letters confessing some hideous crime" (p.1224). I found this interesting and disconcerting as I thought about a mirror. I look at myself all the time, as do others. The are mirrors in every bathroom of every home. Before we leave the house we look in the mirror to make sure we look presentable.
When I finished reading this work, I was even more unsure. I am not exactly sure who is speaking in the poem. I also kept thinking about the message she was trying to get across. Woolf gave the looking glass special characteristics, as if to say that it is so much more that just a simple object.
Some of us may be like the lady in the house. Some of us really cannot see ourselves for who we really are. Or is it that we do not want to see the reality staring back at us? Are we lost in a fantasy world that suits our own needs and opinions, while rejecting the opinions of others that do not coincide with these? Some of us are. Woolf could have been referring to this syndrome that we all have had at some point and if not we have been around someone who is suffering from it.
However, the reading also made me think about the fact that many of us may wonder how we are viewed by others. We think we know how people view us but some of us really have no idea. That can be a scary thought. You begin to think, I hope I'm not one of those people.
The message I got from this is that if you are gonna look in the looking-glass, be prepared to stare long and hard because you may or may not like what you see.
5 comments:
Candice,
Good Job! I also questioned exactly what Woolf was trying to say about the looking glass, but I enjoyed the story.
I agree with you Candice that it is hard to pin down what this piece is supposed to tell us. Your interpretation that we have to look hard in the mirror to see what is really there, rather than merely reflecting what we expect to see, is thought-provoking. Enjoyed reading your thoughts.
Candice,
Congratulations on having completed your 20th post!
This post presents some good points in your exploration of Woolf's story or essay (it isn't really clear what genre it belongs to, but it is not a poem, as you call it). Good questions about the nature of mirrors, and what Woolf is suggesting about them.
Virginia Woolf was a great writer to me. I feel that her personal life may have influenced “The Lady in the Looking Glass: A Reflection” “People should not leave looking-glasses hanging in their rooms any more than they should leave open cheque books or letters confessing some hideous crime”(pg 1224). I like your interpretation because I do look in the mirror various times before I leave home to evaluate my look and hair before I go bustling out the door. However I feel that Virginia was trying to tell us more. Looking at your outfit is simple compared to looking at your life or someone else’s. You know how sometimes we think the grass is greener on the other side. I feel that this is what Virginia was trying to tell us. You may see the celebrities with their nice cars and houses but is their life really glamorous? How often do you hear of celebrities falling down the drain? You hear about them being on drugs and going bankrupt.
Some people have a hard time facing reality, but I feel that in order to move forward you must face your obstacle. At the end of the story it mentions that the pile was bills. This was the lady facing her reality. In order for her to move forward she had to face what was in front of her. Just as some of us need to do!
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