"Life is hard. Then you die. Then they throw dirt in your face. Then the worms eat you. Be grateful it happens in that order."
Of all animals, Virginia Woolf chooses the moth to represent the balance between life and death. The moth is a delicate creature that only emerges with the evening and thrives during the night. The moth's pale coloring is makes a stark contrast to the surrounding dark. The diminutive light of the moth is quickly extinguished in the sea of death the night represents. The narrator moves to help the moth with a "pencil", but changes her mind with the realization that death approaches. The vitality that the moth initially demonstrated as a "bead of pure energy" is lost as he thrashes about in an attempt to correct himself. The loss of body control shows the transition from youth to elderly, and appears quickly to the eyes of a human being. After all we have much longer life spans than any type of insect. Despite this we lack the courage the moth possesses. He fights for life in the darkness in which he lives while people run and hide in homes as night approaches. While we run from the night we also try to come up with plans to thwart death, even for a temporary amount of time. The average human lifespan has increased impressively over the last centaury, but Death remains inevitable. The same darkness that surrounds the moth surrounds us, and we also will die in the same way.
Of all animals, Virginia Woolf chooses the moth to represent the balance between life and death. The moth is a delicate creature that only emerges with the evening and thrives during the night. The moth's pale coloring is makes a stark contrast to the surrounding dark. The diminutive light of the moth is quickly extinguished in the sea of death the night represents. The narrator moves to help the moth with a "pencil", but changes her mind with the realization that death approaches. The vitality that the moth initially demonstrated as a "bead of pure energy" is lost as he thrashes about in an attempt to correct himself. The loss of body control shows the transition from youth to elderly, and appears quickly to the eyes of a human being. After all we have much longer life spans than any type of insect. Despite this we lack the courage the moth possesses. He fights for life in the darkness in which he lives while people run and hide in homes as night approaches. While we run from the night we also try to come up with plans to thwart death, even for a temporary amount of time. The average human lifespan has increased impressively over the last centaury, but Death remains inevitable. The same darkness that surrounds the moth surrounds us, and we also will die in the same way.
No comments:
Post a Comment