"The Angel in the House" (CRR)

After reading and analyzing "Professions for Women" by Virginia Woolf, I wanted to further analyze the allusion to the "Angel in the House" and point out how effective and useful it was in helping Woolf relate to other women and how it helped to discuss the obstacles women faced in the work force of that time. Woolf's speech to these women most likely made them feel inspired, motivated, and eager for a change. I know Woolf really spoke to me in this essay. I felt a sense of remorse because of the obstacles the women had to face, but I also felt a sense of strength and power almost because of the allusion of "The Angel in the House." Woolf effectively used this in the beginning of her speech to help further prove her message and relate to the women. She was able to relate because other women were probably having the same troubles as she did with "the angel", but weren't doing anything about it.

"The Angel in the House" is a poem written by Coventry Patmore. In this poem written in the Victorian Age, Patmore describes his wife Emily. He makes her out to be this obedient, pleasing, elegant, and pure woman. Patmore is basically making his wife out to be an "angel of the house". She did what she was supposed to do, nothing more, and he believed that this was how all women should be; he though of his wife as a role model for others. This poem, however, did not receive much attention when it was first published. "The Angel in the House" received most of its attention later into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries when women began to fight and stand up for their rights as individuals. The poem became prominent when women decided to stand up for their equality, and that is why it is so effective in Woolf's speech. Woolf is standing up for the equality of women and wants to see a change in the way women perceive themselves.

In Woolf's speech, she makes the "the angel" out to be a phantom that restrains and limits the woman from not only thinking and imagining scenarios, but also from standing up and doing what they believe in. "The angel" made women feel inferior to men and afraid of doing something that was out of the ordinary for them as women to do. Being "the angel" that Patmore described was difficult for women of later years to do, especially for those who want to make something of themselves by going out and getting a job. Virginia Woolf tried to be the ideal woman. We know this because in her speech she discusses how "the angel" would haunt her and whisper in her ear telling her, "My dear, you are a young woman. You are writing about a book that has been written by a man. Be sympathetic; be tender; flatter; deceive; use all the arts and wiles of our sex. Never let anybody guess that you have a mind of your own. Above all, be pure." Woolf was incapable of being pure. She was born to write and create, and that was what she was going to. Because Woolf was destined to follow her heart, she proceeded to kill the angel. Woolf "turned upon her and caught her by the throat" and did everything to try and kill the angel, while succeeding to do so in the end. Woolf created this allusion to the angel so women would further be able to relate and understand that not everyone is made to be the ideal wife and satisfy the man's every need. In "Professions for Women", Woolf is urging her audience to realize that before the can become anything of themselves they must first confront and kill the demons and phantoms that haunt them. "The angel" is the women's subconscious and the only thing holding women back from creating their own lives are themselves. The Victorian Age of being a perfect wife and catering to the man is the reason for "the angel in the house". Women are so used to tradition and accustomed to acting a certain way that they don't know how to change without causing a disturbance within their home. Women were able to create a life of their own without being pure, charming, and obedient to their husbands and the male race. Woolf paints a picture of "the angel" and how she killed her, and she encourages other women to kill their angel too. By killing their own "angel", the women are finally able to succeed in life.

I feel that this allusion was extremely powerful in helping to convey Woolf's message. The allusion was effective in making the women feel guilty for never standing up and creating something of themselves. Not only could the women have felt guilty, but they could have also felt powerful and strong. The Woolf portrayed "angel" could have encouraged women to get the strength needed and the anger built up to kill "the angel" that is holding them back in their society. "Professions for Women" really stood out to me with the message and the devices Woolf used to convey and encourage other women. I really enjoyed reading this essay and looking at the equality issues women face from a different perspective.