Virginia Wolf One Last Time

Virginia Woolf’s, A Room Of One’s Own dealt with Woolf’s view on women’s place in society and how their past obstructed their societal position in the present. Woolf reflects on why women need a room of one’s own and how money plays an influential factor into a woman’s success. Woolf argues that women need a room of one’s own in order to accomplish work and get things done. She also argues that women fall behind in society due to their lack of money. Men in the day of age were able to get higher ranking jobs therefore able to make more money to use for themselves, while woman were sometimes not even allowed to work because they were known as “housemaids” and the ones to take care of the household and do chores such as clean, groceries and cook. Woolf spends part of her piece explaining a situation that made her upset and angry, but also made her realize the true inequality that exists among women and men in society. While Woolf was visiting a college, she had spare time and thought that she would take a look at some pieces of writing in the library. When she approached the library doors, a gentleman who was running the library turned her away. He informed her that she must be accompanied by a man or have a letter of intent written by a man in order for her to enter. This enrages her and becomes a prime example of the true inequality that exists in society between men and women. This reminds me of a piece we read in high school where the woman had to be escorted to and from places. Even when she was only going to the grocery store, she was forced to take the hand of a man who would then watch her every move. It was demeaning that a woman had to be escorted but a man in this time period could roam as he pleased. Even is a woman were to go to a library to educate herself since they weren’t provided an education. They couldn’t unless a man was present in which more likely than not, she would be discouraged to educate herself.