Analysis of the Death of the Moth
Death is inevitable. It can happen in the blink of an eye with zero warning, or be a drawn out process, as the individual struggles to survive. All living entities will face their death at some point. Do all entities obtain the same amount of energy, or life force though? Virginia Woolf examines life and death in her essay Death of the Moth. The piece was published in 1942, approximately a year after Woolf faced her own inevitable death by suicide. Woolf narrates the essay, the subject being exactly what the title is: death of the moth. Throughout her whole essay she examines a single moth’s death, making connections between life and death, and energy. Using vivid imagery Woolf begins her essay describing …show more content…
She states at one point that the moth, “what he could do he did,” before she goes on a few sentences later saying he “was little or nothing but life” (). Watching the moth flutter about the window Woolf examines the similarities between herself and the moth, specifically with energy. When the moth stopped fluttering Woolf focused her attention elsewhere, not recognizing that death was creeping upon him. At the time she directed her attention back to the moth she saw him fluttering about again, however this time he was struggling. It did not occur to Woolf that it was death, as she observed him considering what could be the cause of his struggle. Woolf pondered if she should make any effort to help, stretching out a pencil; in her attempt though realization hit her this was death, causing her to retract the pencil (). Looking at the September afternoon it appeared almost lifeless, there were no workers or bustle. As the moth struggled to move Woolf only watched the process of the inevitable death, knowing that “nothing, [she] knew had any chance against death” (). Once again tying together that all entities have the same amount of energy or life force. Everyone will face death, as it is inevitable. With this she watched on, viewing the stages of dying until the moth faced its death once and for
Death is inevitable. It can happen in the blink of an eye with zero warning, or be a drawn out process, as the individual struggles to survive. All living entities will face their death at some point. Do all entities obtain the same amount of energy, or life force though? Virginia Woolf examines life and death in her essay Death of the Moth. The piece was published in 1942, approximately a year after Woolf faced her own inevitable death by suicide. Woolf narrates the essay, the subject being exactly what the title is: death of the moth. Throughout her whole essay she examines a single moth’s death, making connections between life and death, and energy. Using vivid imagery Woolf begins her essay describing …show more content…
She states at one point that the moth, “what he could do he did,” before she goes on a few sentences later saying he “was little or nothing but life” (). Watching the moth flutter about the window Woolf examines the similarities between herself and the moth, specifically with energy. When the moth stopped fluttering Woolf focused her attention elsewhere, not recognizing that death was creeping upon him. At the time she directed her attention back to the moth she saw him fluttering about again, however this time he was struggling. It did not occur to Woolf that it was death, as she observed him considering what could be the cause of his struggle. Woolf pondered if she should make any effort to help, stretching out a pencil; in her attempt though realization hit her this was death, causing her to retract the pencil (). Looking at the September afternoon it appeared almost lifeless, there were no workers or bustle. As the moth struggled to move Woolf only watched the process of the inevitable death, knowing that “nothing, [she] knew had any chance against death” (). Once again tying together that all entities have the same amount of energy or life force. Everyone will face death, as it is inevitable. With this she watched on, viewing the stages of dying until the moth faced its death once and for