FuicuGeorgiana-Nicoleta [615632]

FuicuGeorgiana-Nicoleta
ResearchTopic:Thedifferentlifestylesoffemininecharactersin“TheWaves”byVirginia
Woolf.
ResearchQuestion:Howisthedifferencebetweenfemininecharactersinthenovel?
Outline:Differentlifestylesoffemininecharacters
I.“TheWaves”hasinthecenterofthenovelthedifferentlifestylesofSusan,Jinnyand
Rhoda,differentpointsofviewandtheirownpersonalitieswithoutsimilarities.
II.VirginiaWoolf’swork
A.Thepresentationofafeministnovel
B.Theexpressionofdifferenthumanmindandbehavior
III.Thefeminineenvy
A.Thefemininecharactersenvyoneanotherbecauseofthebeauty,popularity
1.ThebeautyofJinny,thepowerofbeingadmired
2.Thedesireforpopularity,thesuperiorityoffemalecharacters
B.Constantdesireforloveandhatredbecauseoftheenvy
IV.Thedifferentidentity
1.Susan,seenastherebelone
2.Rhoda,seenastheeternaloutsiderone
3.Jinny,seenasthetraditionalone
Claim/Thesisstatement:“TheWaves”writtenbyVirginiaWoolfhasinthecenter
threefemininecharacters,differentbytheirownpersonalitiesandlifestyles.The
behaviorofwomenrepresentsdifferenttypesoffemininecharactersinVirginia
Woolf’snovel.

Inthisessaywillbepresented“TheWaves”whichisconsideredoneofthemost
experimentalnovelswrittenbyVirginiaWoolfwhowasanambitiousEnglishwriter,considered
oneofthemostimportantmodernistauthorsof20th-century.Thisnovelisaboutbothdifference
andtheinstabilityoftheselfandfollowssixcharacters,butthispaperwillpresentthedifferent
lifestyleoffemalecharacters.Thefemalecharactersofthisnovelare:Susan,RhodaandJinny.
VirginiaWoolfenterinthefemininecharactersmindandreportstheirthoughtsandperceptions.
Theauthorbuildshercharactersfromtheinsideoutandthethemeofthenovelisthedifference
inthepersonalityofthefemininecharactersof“TheWaves”.ThedifferentlifestyleofSusan,
RhodaandJinnyispresentineachchapterofnovelthatrepresentsadifferentpartofadaybeing
distinguishbytheirfeeling,acts,personalitiesandthoughts.
Thenovelpresentsthethreefemininecharactersastherebelone,thetraditionaloneand
theeternaloutsiderone.Susanisseenasthemostnaturalofthethreefemininecharactersand
therebelonebecauseofherliving,shehasacomplexlifewithfamilyandfriends,butalsowith
love.Susancomesfromthecountryandsheonlyendurestheyearsofeducationonlyinorderto
return.Jinny,thetraditionalone,sheisthemost“wordly”ofthethreefemininecharacters,her
visionisalwaystobeadmiredandtofindlovers,butnotlove,becausesheknowsthatherpower
ofbeautywillburnoutintheend.Rhoda,thequietone,isadreamyandaneternaloutsiderone,
thatisoutfromthereality,sheisalwaystryingnottobeseen,noticedbecausesheisneverquite
happywithherlife.“Rhodacannotcarryamessage,cannotembraceorcommunicate,because
shehasnoidentity”.(JaneMarcuspage215).Rhodathinksthattheworldinsideherheadisa
refugefromtheexternalworldofotherpeople.Sheisterrifiedofeverything,terrifiedofhaving
contactwithpeople,ofbeingjudged.Hermostcharacteristicgesture,evenamongfriends,isto
stareoutthewindowandlostinimaginationonlybecausebeingaloneisherescape.Rhodacopy
thewayJinnyandSusandresstoavoidmakingmistakesbecausenothingcomeseasilytoher,
andeverythingseemsforeign.Musiciskindofstructureinwhichshecanfindtemporaryshelter,
isoneofhermeasureofconsolation,beforehertragicend.Rhoda’slifestyleissad,without
colour,withoutlove,withoutlife,whileJinnyandSusanhasacomplexlife,withfriends,love,
family.Death,forRhodaistheonlyecape.WeidentifyRhodabyherfearoflife,“anemerging
monster”(pg.47),andherdreams.Sheisdescribedas“thenymphofthefountainalwayswet”
(pgs84,183).Rhodadoesnotsee,shejusthearsasound;fromthebeginningsheisoutoftouch
withrealitywhileJinnyisconcernedwiththephysicalandSusanisessentiallyherselfinher

needtopossess,tobegivenandtogive.Theonlythingthatmakesthethreefemalecharactersto
benexttothemisthattheyarefriends,butintheirlivesthereisonlydifferences,nosimilarity.
Rhodaisessentiallypassive,butJinnylovestoliveatfather’sfarmandontheotherside,Susan
livesherlifethroughthecleanairandshestartsherdayinnature,sowecaneasilyseethatthe
threefemalecharactersaretotallydifferentfromallpointsofview.“Iwilldropastoneinand
seebubblesrisefromthedepthsofthesea”(pg.9).ThisiswhatRhodathinkaboutlife,lifeis
nothinginhermind.
InthispaperIwillincludetheideaoffeminineenvy.Thefemininecharactersenvyone
anotherbecauseofvariousreasonslike:beauty,wayoflifestyle,socialclass.Susandislikesthe
factthatJinnyissopopular,thatsheisadmiredforherbeauty.Bybeingpopular,Jinnyseesonly
thebeautyoflife,sheisfriendlyandmodernandsheengagesinsocialactivities,sosheisseen
asthetraditionaltype,whileSusanistherebelliousfemalecharacterofthenovelbythefactthat
shedoesn`tlookliketheotherfemalecharacters.“Ilove,andIhate”(pg.9),thatiswhatSusan
hasinhermind,aparadox.Shehatesthis,butstill,shedoesn`twanttochangeit.Susanshows
herrebelliouspartevensincethebeginning.Shehasherownideasandcan`tadapttoadifferent
lifestyle.Susanisarebelbynotacceptingwhatshedoesn’tlike,andsheisbotheredby
everythingthatisaroundher.Sheisusedtobeonlywiththenature.WhileSusanhates
everythingthathappens,Jinnyenjoyslife,shebecomesselfconsciousoftheownbody,andhas
differentexperiences,shelovestobeadmiredandtowin,ontheotherhandSusanthinkonly
aboutnature,herfatherandfarmandthelastone,Rhodaisthinkingaboutloneliness,staying
awayfromhumancontact.VirginiaWoolfpresentsJinnyasawomanwho“womanwho
experiencestheworlddirectly,withoutthecomplicationsoflanguageandthought.”(DeGale,
CengageLearning-chapter9).Theyareverydifferent,that’swhythefemalecharactersenvyone
another,becausetheywillnotbethesame,theirpersonalitiesthinksandactsdifferent.
Susanlivesherlifethroughthecleanairofnature,andshestartsherdaywithrefreshing
outdoorwalks,becauseshelovetobeanature-love.Shehasaverystrongpointofviewabout
life,andshedisapprovesotherslifestyle,thinkingthatJinnylivesbyherownrulesandshenever
changesherprinciplesorthevisionofherlife.Shebecomesamother,butshestaysthesame,her
onlyregretisthatshehastobemoreresponsibleinlife.Shecreatedrulesforherchildrenbefore
whereevenborn.Thisfactshowsustherebelpartofherpersonality,becauseshedoesn’twant

herdescendantstoberegularandtraditionalpeople.Thisfemininecharacterlivesaroundher
ownrules,whileJinnyisthewomanthatlivesherlifelikeanordinarywoman,shehasfun,she
fallsinlove,sheisnottheintellectualtypeofwoman,andshetakesadvantageofherbeauty.
ThefactthatJinnybecomesaregularcitypersonbybecomingasocialiteandengagingdayto
dayactivitiesreinforcesthefactthatsheisthetraditionaltype.Shedoesn`thavewelldefinedlife
principles,andshedoesn`tlimitherselftoonesinglewayoflifelikeSusan.Rhodacouldbe
defineasa“transgressivefigureofuncertaintythroughwhichWoolfdevelopsacritiqueofthe
unitaryself.”(MaﾅＨorzataMykvol.1).Rhodaisthemostdifficulttogeneralizeabout.She
doesn’tfallintothestandardfemaleroleslikeJinny(traditional)andSusan(rebel),exceptthe
tragicfigureofthecrazywoman.Rhodareallythinksthatlifeisanillusion,that’swhysheends
upcommittingsuicide.SusanopenlyadmitsthatsheisjealoustoJinny:Sheis”tornwith
jealousy”(pg.69),shehatesJinnybecausesheshowsSusanthatherhandsareredandhernails
arebitten.ItisclearthatwhenJinnyisnear,Susanlosesherselfconfidenceandshefeels
inferiority..Ontheotherside“Rhoda’svulnerabilitymanifeststheinsubstantialityofthedeeply
depressedself”.(ElmiraEbadi,pg7).
ThispaperfocusesonfemininityandtheeffectsofsplittingoffeminineselfinVirginia
Woolf’s“TheWaves”.ThefemininecharactersofthenovelbyVirginiaWoolfhave
“undergone”aspecialtypeofsplittingoftheiridentities.Inotherwordsthefemalecharacters
cannotrealizesthejourneytofindtheirownidentity.Theirfeminineidentitiesexperiences
differentpsychologicalproblemsandbecomedisintegrated.Theirpersonalitiesaredifferent,
theyseedifferenttheworldandallofthemwanttobeinadifferentplace.Ialsothinkthateach
ofthefemininecharactersofthenovelcanbeconsideredasavictimbothofmentalandpsychic
breakdownsintheirownways.Susansuffersfromthefeelingofsenseofloveandthefeelingof
hatred,Jinnyisafemalepreyofexcessivesenseofself-admirationwithherfearofgrowingold
andloseherbeautyandontheotherhandRhodalivesinherillusionaryworldwhereshehasno
ideaaboutheridentity.Theauthor,VirginiaWoolfdescribeseachfemininecharactersin
differentways,thatmakesthenovelanexperimentalandinterestingone,butalsooriginaland
differentbycontent.

Bibliography:
VirginiaWoolf,TheWaves,1931.Availableat:http://www.feedbooks.com/book/1230/the-
waves
Gale,CengageLearning,AstudyguideforVirginiaWoolf’sTheWaves,12March2015.
Availableat:
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A+Study+Guide+for+Virginia+Woolf%27s+"The
+Waves"+De+Gale%2C+Cengage+Learning
SackvilleAmy.“BookOfALifetime:TheWaves,ByVirginiaWoolf”,16April2010.Avaible
athttps://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/book-of-a-lifetime-the-
waves-by-virginia-woolf-1945744.html
Marcus,Jane.”NewFeministEssaysonVirginiaWoolf”,1981.Avaibleat
https://books.google.ro/books?id=mZmuCwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=New+Feminist
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7sTbAhURY1AKHRYNArsQ6wEIKDAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
Ebadi,Elmira.VirginiaWoolf’sTheWaves:SplittedFeminine“I”’s,Nov.2014
http://jnasci.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/755-763.pdf