As a biographer, it is difficult to completely emulate Ryan’s reading experience of Orlando and what had the most significance to him. Whatever changes or revelations may have occurred during his reading may not be completely understandable to everyone. The odd effect Virginia Woolf’s novel had on him some, including myself, may find strange. The first passage which prompted this change was on pages 75 and 76. Ryan turned to these pages desperately hoping the chapter was ending soon, he had trouble flowing with Woolf’s writing style and it was making reading demanding. However, he found himself beginning to read to the rhythm of these pages, especially the as Orlando came to terms with Nick Greene’s piece about him. Orlando began to realize
…show more content…
Her soul has drifted through so many experiences as a gypsy, young boy, and now a woman in the Victorian age. She still has her old poem, “The Oak Tree.” which has accompanied her throughout her journeys of non-conformity. She has had so many different experiences, yet she realizes she has still remained the same in nature. “The Oak Tree.” has been that one poem that signified her nature and been a line through which we can track her nature throughout her life, despite dramatic changes of physical traits such as gender. The idea of this sent Ryan into the deeper question of if he would remain fundamentally the same across his life. How many times had he bent to society every time someone had written off a passion of his as “silly” or “weird”. How many times he had shunned himself before making an action because he avoided someone thinking of him in a way that was anything other than “normal”. He didn’t want to change for pressures like society, stereotypes or family. Could he even resist change like Orlando if he really wanted to? To the biographer, it seems unclear how one would not be able to change themselves simply going through the rigor of life. Without a change to myself, I know I would find myself an outcast. It’s straightforward to tell yourself you’re going to follow an ideal, but following through becomes
Her soul has drifted through so many experiences as a gypsy, young boy, and now a woman in the Victorian age. She still has her old poem, “The Oak Tree.” which has accompanied her throughout her journeys of non-conformity. She has had so many different experiences, yet she realizes she has still remained the same in nature. “The Oak Tree.” has been that one poem that signified her nature and been a line through which we can track her nature throughout her life, despite dramatic changes of physical traits such as gender. The idea of this sent Ryan into the deeper question of if he would remain fundamentally the same across his life. How many times had he bent to society every time someone had written off a passion of his as “silly” or “weird”. How many times he had shunned himself before making an action because he avoided someone thinking of him in a way that was anything other than “normal”. He didn’t want to change for pressures like society, stereotypes or family. Could he even resist change like Orlando if he really wanted to? To the biographer, it seems unclear how one would not be able to change themselves simply going through the rigor of life. Without a change to myself, I know I would find myself an outcast. It’s straightforward to tell yourself you’re going to follow an ideal, but following through becomes