The Lady in the Looking-Glass: A Reflection

Read the following 4 texts and then write your OWN 300 word summary on the story.
Text 1: In the beginning of the the short story, the reader is given a visual of the home inwhich Isabella Tyson lives. This story to me is about perception and when that is broken, one can truly see a person for who they really are. The narrator goes through the room inwhich she is sitting and examines all the furniture and other items, by doing this the narrator is building on how all she knows of Ms. Tyson is through her home and its insight it gives on her. The one thing in the story that stood out to me was how as the narrator spoke of the reflection in the gilded mirror hanging on the wall. Through the mirror, the narrator spoke of how in the reflection everything looks still, and none timeless. I believe that with reflections, show the truth of everything, which is the lesson that the narrator learns in the end of the story. The story goes through all that the narrator sees by looking into the mirror and examining the reflections. What I found interesting about this story is that through the reflections the narrator sees Ms. Tyson's lonliness. One comment that I had is that Ms. Tyson, I do not believe that it was intentional on the part of Ms. Tyson to have this fascade. I believe that people see what they want to see and if people were actually interested in knowing you, they would be able to see through all that. It was not until the end of the story that the narrator and reader finally sees the truth. I believe that when the narrator finds out the truth that Ms. Tyson is human and actually has bills (is normal) it is a little disheartening. I believe that the narrator was living through Ms. Tyson due to her seemingly perfect life. Yes it is known that she is a spinster and seemingly has no problems. Seeing the true Ms. Tyson for her true self in the mirror goes to show that when you look hard enough and pay attention the truth will reveal itself. Text 2: Throughout her short story, The Lady in the Looking Glass: A Reflection, Virginia Woolf writes of the sad self portrait of a woman who, examined from both outside and in, finds herself unsatisfactory. By implementing modern features of theme and style, Woolf creates a character to reflect on herself and she employs modern ideas of narration and character to illustrate a fuller, more complete image of the character. The title and subtitle of the story, The Lady in the Looking Glass: A Reflection indicates that throughout the story, the audience will observe a woman via her reflection in a looking glass. However, one does not use a looking glass to view another person, but to view themself. This clue leads the reader to believe that the character of focus is not that of Isabella Tyson, but Virginia Woolf herself. With this added deeper meaning, the story now becomes Woolfs attempt to examine her own c haracter through the vehicle of modern narrative techniques. However, to understand the true beauty of Woolf's execution of this, we must survey her tactics of modern styles and themes more in depth. The modern theme of the split self appears to be the strongest theme in the story. Here the reader views one figure with various levels of character, a theme accentuated through the metaphor of the looking glass. The first picture the reader receives in the story is the contrast between the interior of the house and its exterior as seen through the looking glass. The interior is a world of movement portrayed as a dynamic environment constantly in a state of fluctuation from one state to another. The play of light and shadow, as well as the images of animals, give the picture a sense of hidden depths, consistent with modern ideas about the fluidity of character. According to mood or circumstance, a persons character changes and cannot be captured in one still image. When looking at an object through a looking glass, one cannot see within the object, due to it being... Text 3: Virginia Woolf's short story "The Lady in the Looking Glass: A Reflection", is the sad self portrait of a woman whose character is examined both from outside and in, and found to be unsatisfactory. In her examination, Woolf uses modern features of theme and style. These features employ modern ideas of narration and character to illustrate a fuller, more complete picture of the character than is possible using only traditional techniques of narration. Woolf also advocates in this story the usage of the stream-of-consciousness technique. The first question which must be asked, and which will subsequently bring us to greater understanding of the story, is the question of the identity of the lady in the looking glass. The story calls her Isabella Tyson, but certain clues lead one to believe she may be someone else. The story uses a looking glass as a metaphor for the lady's

character, which we will presently discuss in more depth. The title and subtitle of the piece indicate that the story is a means of examining a lady via her reflection in a looking glass. One does not use a looking glass to examine another person. One uses a looking glass to examine one's self. Thus we may now give a new name to the lady in the looking glass: Virginia Woolf. The story then becomes Woolf's attempt to examine her own character through the vehicle of modern narrative techniques. However, to understand the true beauty of Woolf's execution of this, we must examine her use of modern styles and themes more in depth. The strongest theme in this story is the distinctly modern theme of the split self. Here we see one figure with many levels of character. This theme is accentuated through the metaphor of the looking glass. The first picture we receive in the story is the contrast between the interior of the house and its exterior as seen through the looking glass. The interior is a world of movement. It is portrayed as a dynamic environment that is constantly in a state of flux. Text 4: Virginia Woolf was a literary great for either gender (1222), but she also wrote much on sexual politics. Shut out of an education due to her sex and having a mother whose main profession was her beauty, she grew up in a world with very distinct gender definitions. The Lady in the Looking -Glass: A reflection taps into this. I have long thought people should not leave looking-glasses hanging in their rooms (1224). It causes unnecessary attention to ones physical appearance. That becomes the focal point of this storys characters existence. She is unhappy with her inside and outside appearance. This becomes clear through the modern tools of stream-ofconsciousness, narration and character. As in the other works I just touched on, all the emphasis is on the character (hence the stress on psychological components). The mirror just serves as a metaphor. The reader discerns that there might be a split of self. Its questionable whether the woman really is the Isabella that shes said to be or just Virginia. There are differences between what the house looks like in real life and then within the mirror. There is light. There are shadows. Woolf even incorporate animals! As everything changes, one can gather that Woolf is making a point that life itself is fluid. It is always game for change. That isnt to say that one must change with it, though. The reader is told that the interior remains the same throughout it all. I interpret this to mean that one can remain the same throughout it all. What matters is that he knows himself and stays true to that. I try to do that as much as possible, but whats important to bear in mind is that mirrors only sow so much. They cant reveal whether someones blood is boiling or heart is breaking. On the surface everyth ing might just look fine, but that doesnt mean anything. I know Ive spent so much of my life being an illusionnot because Im unafraid to be myself but because I dont want to burden people with my problems. My friends found out stuff about me which had occurred at the beginning of the year at the very end of the year, and they couldnt believe I hadnt said anything. One friends went so far as to make her facebook status, Sometimes the best actors youll ever know are the people right around you. Sadl y, that is so true. Luckily, I have still disclosed details of them when would have made them angrier with me because they care so much. Too much, really! But my point is appearances can be deceiving. Everyone who knows me realizes Im not a single stereot ype that typically would come to mind. Premature judgments only cause me to laugh. Woolf is really inspirational and philosophical to touch upon this. Somebody had to, and she nailed it.

Name: The Lady in the Looking-Glass: A Reflection