Virginia Woolf had many devastating loses early in her life by her mother, father, and brother. This impacted her life and works. Growing up in her time, women still could not further their education, and she focused alot of her work on "the social and political life" (1223). In The Lady in the Looking-Glass, Woolf emphasizes how society puts much impact on the image seen on the outside and not knowing about what's inside. This relates to the current modern society because everything seems to relate to how you look, and dress, and there has been an increase in cosmetic plastic surgery. Isabella is seen by the narrator in the looking glass. Not knowing anything but her physical beauty, he wonders about her. Isabella is a well off and lives a seemingly "perfect" life as seen in through the mirror. Woolf states that "Isabella did not wish to be known," and the narrarator finds it strange that "it was strange that after knowing her all these years one could not say what the truth about Isabella was" (1225). The truth lies beneath the reflection in the mirror. Money cannot buy happiness. She is completely empty when see looks at herself "naked in that pitless light. And there was nothing, Isabella was perfectly empty. She had no thougts. She had no friends. She cared for nobody" (1228). I like how she emphasizes her first phrase "People should not leave lookig-glasses hanging in their rooms, " and closes out with it (1228). Through a looking-glass you merely get a reflection.
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4 comments:
Linh,
You do a better job in this post of developing and supporting your comment than in your previous posts. I am glad to see you going out on a stronger note! You make several insightful comments about Woolf's text, and support them with some apt quotations.
this is a sad story about a woman who has everything, but really has nothing. You can have it all, but money doenst' buy happiness. i enjoyed your post. bella tiks.
Money isn't everything, I agree. But is the character completely empty? Maybe she just doesn't like her physical body in the mirror. There was no plastic surgery then, so at her age she would see nothing beautiful physically.
I agree that money can not buy happiness,but I think Woolf's message if there is one is deeper than that.The fact that the narrator at the end concludes Isabella is empty is not The only possible conclusion.I mean Woolf was realy engaged in the question of truthe,and for her Truth was so complex that nobody could be sure that he or her hsa The Truth.So everybody in fact is free to have his or her own idea about Isabella Tyson.But actually,as for me,"The Lady in the Looking-glass" testifies Woolf's regard on looking-glasses.
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