Woolf for Women

Today in class we read Professions for Women by Virginia Woolf. In this essay, Woolf used her own personal hardships she faced being a female writer to illustrate the challenges of being a working woman in a time when women were expected to be docile objects in their homes. I have a great admiration for Woolf because she expressed a serious problem that was happening during her time and she did it in such a way that showed that she was resolute and eloquent in her stance.

One of Woolf's beautiful examples of oppression was the Angel character that she used. This Angel was described as being the ideal woman of her time. She described her as

"...in short. She was so constituted that she never had a mind or a wish of her own, but preferred to sympathize always with the minds and wishes of others...her purity was supposed to be her chief beauty...".

The descriptive language paints a perfect picture of what this imaginary Angel would look like to Woolf. This image of the Angel can be tied to societal standards today. Women are always expected to be docile and be walked over by men. They are constantly interrupted without apology, are punished for being modest but then berated if they are dressed provocatively and have to go through life with unfortunate instances of sexism and fear at the hands of a man. Woolf was showing that this oppressive figure in her life was keeping her from being true to her writing. This was an injustice to both Woolf and her audience, so she got rid of the Angel. I also love the way that she described getting rid of it.

"She died hard...it is far harder to kill a phantom than a reality. She was always creeping back when I thought I had despatched of her. Though I flatter myself that I killed her in the end, the struggle was severe;...Killing the Angel in the House was part of the occupation of a woman writer".

Woolf used the Angel as a figure to describe the oppression and pressure she felt as a writer to conform to society. This battle that she had with the Angel was set in her bedroom. It makes the battle seem more courageous when the reader realizes that these pressures of conforming can creep into an intimate space such as a bedroom. I am glad that she included that part because it shows that even though Woolf was a successful writer, she could never escape how society wanted her to be. Many women have to face that kind of daunting challenge every day, so it was like Woolf was writing a letter to women past and present that gives them the recognition and appretiaiton they deserve for persevering in their craft in the face of adversity.