In Virginia Woolf ‘s The Death of the Moth, she wrote about a hapless moth ‘s decease procedure. Although its struggling and contending against decease moved her, the moth died in the terminal. The Death of the Moth reveals a universe filled up with common objects: the moth, downs, sunshine, rooks, work forces etc. The connexion between them, nevertheless, is extraordinary. The centre of this universe is frozen on a moribund moth and everything else is background. They are here to see and to contrast the decease of the moth. In this universe, life and decease changed in a blink of an eye and this decease procedure is released in a condensed manner, striking us readers ‘ simple and quiet life. Woolf was a individual who suffered mental unwellness throughout her life. In this essay, she normally used personification. She considered the moth as herself. By distilling the human life-time to a twenty-four hours life of a hay-colored moth, she demonstrated that decease was inevitable. Even though due to “ the true nature of life ” , living existences tend to contend against the “ oncoming day of reckoning ” ( 107 ) , any attempt against “ the power ” will neglect finally.
Surprisingly, Woolf created a window that separated the moth and her from the outside universe. At the beginning of this essay, she wrote about the pleasant summer forenoon. Everything exterior was inspired by the energy. The keener odor of air, the early work in the field, the “ extreme blare and cry ” of castle shows us this scene of verve ( 106 ) . In add-on, she chose to compose many large, strong and important things on intent, such as the marking Big Dipper, the Equus caballuss, the ploughmans, the castles etc. She aimed to bode the contrast between the moth and outside life existences: “ That was all he could make, in malice of the size of the downs, the breadth of the sky, the faraway fume of houses, and the romantic voice, now and so, of a soft-shell clam out at sea ” ( 106, 107 ) . Compared to the universe outside the window, the moth was hapless and “ small or nil but life ” ( 107 ) . The existence was larger than the moth can detect. However, compared to the “ oncoming day of reckoning ” , even the big and strong outside universe was delicate and undistinguished, allow alone the small moth: every bit long as it chose to, the onset day of reckoning could “ submerse an full metropolis, non simply a metropolis, but multitudes of human existences ; nil, I knew, has any opportunity against decease ” ( 108 ) .
The universe inside the window was single and different from the universe outside. Woolf wrote about the moth winging around the window, from one corner to another, or across them. Not merely the moth was bantam, but besides its life, though someway vigorous at that minute, was really deadening. There was nil else left for it to make besides winging. Outside universe was bright and colourful, but the moth was slightly alone, merely like Woolf herself. The window was like a barrier, maintaining her away from basking the optimistic and positive life. She felt commiseration for the moth, merely as if she felt understanding for herself. Finally, the moth settled on the windowsill, possibly because it was tired. It wanted to wing once more, but failed. It seemed that this small animal was exhausted. Its motion and struggling was awkward. It failed several times and eventually fell down and put on its dorsum. Death crept up on this hapless and hapless moth. Woolf tended to assist it, but all of a sudden realized that this was the item of decease. She knew decease was inevitable, and she accepted that. In her head, nil people can make to halt the power of decease. Hence, she chose non to interfere with the natural procedure. The moth was fighting. She was moved by its highly strong will to populate. Its bantam small legs fluttered repeatedly. The last protest was a success, but this instant triumph did non salvage it from taking away by decease. At the last few sentences of the last paragraph, she repeated the word decease for six times, seeking to stress that nil can win the conflict against oncoming day of reckoning. Except utilizing repeat here that adds force, the whole transition was seeking to avoid this. Synonyms were normally seen in her words, such as commiseration, hapless, understandings ; besides useless, weakness, futile, in vain and failure ; decease, oncoming day of reckoning, the power, destiny etc.
From her words “ it was superb this last protest ” , “ one ‘s understandings, of cause, were all on the side of life ” , “ moved one queerly ” etc. , we can see that Woolf admired, respected and praised the life ( 108 ) . Therefore, she utilized personification throughout her essay. The moth is she, and she is the moth, fighting and contending all her life. Virginia Woolf suffered mental unwellness during her life-time. Actually, the day of the month when she wrote this essay was really near to her self-destruction. As she said in the terminal of the essay “ decease is stronger than I am ” , her unwellness was tormenting her and she wanted an terminal ( 108 ) . The moth ‘s life is really her life. She condensed it to a twenty-four hours. Her life is non colourful and interesting like the universe outside the window, but drilling, field and dull. She had a same window deep down in her head. A barrier, through which she could see the universe, but she fail to intermix in it.
Possibly for the ground of her mental unwellness, she can see the universe otherwise than common people and can understand her inner ideas more exhaustively, therefore making her magnificent accomplishments in get the hanging the technique watercourse of consciousness. She can compose complex sentences as her want, and blend her true feelings into her words: “ Yet, because he was so little, and so simple a signifier of the energy that was turn overing in at the unfastened window and driving its manner through so many narrow and intricate corridors in my ain encephalon and in those of other human existences, there was something fantastic every bit good as hapless about him ” ( 107 ) .
In this essay, Virginia Woolf apparently wrote about the moth, while really she wrote about herself. Pessimistic emotion flooded this essay. No 1 can halt the natural procedure. No 1 can get away from decease.
