Virginia Woolf Two Cafeterias

“Two Cafeterias”, by Virginia Woolf, was written showing an underlying message of how different men and woman are treated in this culture. Using words, descriptions, and tones Woolf expresses to the reader how insignificant woman in this day are made to feel. It is shown throughout the entire piece that the men of this society are treated to nothing less than “invariably memorable” luncheon parties with meals that leave Woolf feeling as though they were “going to heaven.” She describes the meals the men received in vivid detail. They were served potatoes as “thin as coins”, sprouts “foliated as rosebuds”, and pudding so good that if it were otherwise related to “rice and tapioca” it would be nothing less than completely downgrading. The men’s …show more content…
Woolf speaks of the unadorned gravy soup being so clear that anybody could have seen any pattern that might have been on the plates, but much like the soup, the plates were plain as well. The meat was nothing more than “rumps of cattle in a muddy market.” The sprouts were “curled and yellowed.” Woolf explains how even though their meal was so little equated to that of the men’s, they were expected to be thankful because “coal-miners doubtless were sitting down to less.” The biscuits that the women were being fed were so dry that the water was “liberally passed around.” While deciphering the differences that are being shown between the men and the woman, they’re all pointing to the fact that men are expected to be given extravagance and wineglasses that can be emptied and refilled while woman are not even allowed to experience “wine and warmth.” Another way that Woolf shows the difference in which men and women are treated is indirectly through her tone of voice and the size of words and sentences that she is using. This can be shown in the first sentence when Woolf is talking about the men’s dinner and she uses words and phrases such as “invariably memorable” and “luncheon parties” while the first sentence describing the woman’s luncheon simply states, “Here was my soup.” The short sentence structure emphasizes the lack of enthusiasm that women are met with when it comes to their spot in culture and the level of writing …show more content…
I feel as if women have a higher place and are treated more importantly in today’s world. While there may be certain things that men are still dominant in or are considered to be the standard in, women are brought up that they can do anything men can do or be anything they want to be. When going to any college whether it be one as big as Indiana University or one as small as Indiana Tech, men and women all sit in the same cafeteria, can eat the same foods, and all receive their meals in the same way. Segregation between men and women is not typical in today’s society and they all have the same rights for the most part. Problems still come up such as equal pay rights and child bearing rights however men are denied some rights that women have present day as well, such as the inability to paid leave when having a child. In conclusion, while the discrimination of woman, when it comes to a dining room, are not current problems, we are experiencing bigger ones and have came a long way from the society present in Woolf’s