“…she would tear the envelopes to little bits and tie the letters together and lock the cabinet drawer in her determination to conceal what she did not wish to be known” (page 1226). I feel that this phrase describes so many individuals. We all have a past or something going on in our lives that we wish to conceal from others. I also feel that “The Lady in the Looking-Glass: A Reflection” told part of Virginia’s life. She lived a pretty swell life in the eyes of others, but no one knew what went on behind closed doors. Her relationship with Vita Sackville-West was unknown and she drowned herself.
Throughout “The Lady in the Looking-Glass: A Reflection,” I was overtaken by the way she incorporated the letters to tell Isabella Tyson’s life. On page 1226, it describes her letters as “…one would find traces of many agitations, of appointments to meet, of upbraidings for not having met, long letters of intimacy and affection, violent letters of jealousy and reproach, terrible final words of parting…” When reading this part, I thought on my journal entries that I try to write on a daily basis. My journal entries depend on my emotional state of mind at that time. Some of them are depressing. Some of them are happy. Others are spiritual. Some of them just allow me to vent from a long day at work! I know some of you can relate to that. A reflection in the mirror means to me that you take a second look at yourself. When evaluating yourself you may go deeper to find that true person. Sometimes you need that place of peace to dig in deep. On page 1227, I felt that is what Virginia was stating, “She was so far off at first…She came lingering and pausing, here straightening a rose,…but she never stopped; and all the time she became larger and larger in the looking-glass, more and more completely the person into whose mind one had been trying to penetrate.” I feel that when you evaluate what is going on in your life, you begin to see the bigger picture. I feel that once you have vented and gotten everything out in the open then your load seems a little bit lighter. As Isabella ran through the garden, she began to drop things off, “Everything dropped from her—clouds, dress, basket, diamond…” on page 1227. As things dropped, she realized that she had nothing. She was empty with no thoughts or friends. And the sad part was finding out that her letters were bills as she approached the mirror closer.
Some times we live a life that we get overloaded by the desires and material things that we long for until we are empty. I would hate to be Isabella as I age in life. As I mentioned earlier, I do have a journal. It helps me to journalize my feelings instead of venting to a person. I think that sometimes we should evaluate our self first before lashing out at others. On the other hand, you need to talk to someone if you are sad, lonely, or depressed because you could end up with nothing.
6 comments:
Mignon,
Congratulations on having reached your 20th posting!
Very perceptive and insightful exploration of Woolf's text here. You always seem to find a good way to relate the text to your own experiences, and that helps make your blog interesting.
I think that you did an exceptional job of interpreting and relating to Woolf's writing.
This was a very good posting. I also agree that Woolf was probably writing about herself when she was writing this story. It is true that a mirror is what tells you the deeper truth about yourself. I liked the way you took your posting and talked about it as she kept coming closer and closer to the mirror.
Mignon
I think this is a very good post on Woolf's work. I agree that a mirror does show a deeper truth to ourselves that we sometimes try to hide. I thought it was very interesting that you found the letters to be symbolic. I missed out on those until I read your blog. Interesting.
I can relate you what you wrote about the journal entires. I also agree that the looking glass is about looking deeper within ourselves. I enjoyed your take on this poem and reading your blog.
Post a Comment