Virginia Woolf's Essay

Words: 1327
Pages: 6

“A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf addresses several issues women in the sixteenth-century, even today, faced. Due to the context of the essay, the title “A Room of One’s Own” would mean that an individual (Judith) needs a room to themselves in order to think and collect ideas of who they are and who they want to become. In Woolf’s essay a character by the name of Judith does not have a room to herself, meaning that she cannot figure out who she is or what she desires to do with the rest of her life, but instead she is forced out of her will to do menial tasks that she lacks an interest for. In the story of Judith, her father interrupts her when she is reading a book and tells her that she has no use and time for books since she will never need to learn anything that involves literature in order …show more content…
Additionally, both authors explain how women should not be complicit with what society forces them to do, but instead work hard and set long-term goals that will inevitably lead them to success. However, while both authors point out similarities about gender inequality, de Beauvoir is for women empowerment. de Beauvoir believes that women are supposed to change their attitude and their mindset, as well as ignoring the standards men have set for women. As stated by de Beauvoir, “Refusing to be the Other, refusing complicity with man, would mean renouncing all the advantages an alliance with the superior caste confers on them” (de Beauvoir). Additionally, de Beauvoir explains the inequalities of the working industry as well as the education system in order to prove to women that they are much more capable than men