“If I could believe," said Rhoda, "that I should grow old in pursuit and change, I should be rid of my fear: nothing persists. One moment does not lead to another. The door opens and the tiger leaps. You do not see me come...I cannot make one moment merge in the next. To me they are all violent, all separate; and if I fall under the shock of the leap of the moment you will be on me, tearing me to pieces. I have no end in view. I do not know how to run minute to minute, and hour to hour, solving them by some natural force until they make the whole and indivisible mass that you call life. Because you have an end in view--one person, is it, to sit beside, an idea is it, your beauty is it? I do not know--your days and hours pass like the boughs of forest trees and the smooth green of forest rides to a hound running in the scent...But since I wish above all things to have lodgment, I pretend, as I go upstairs lagging behind Jinny and Susan, to have an end in view. I pull on my stockings as I see them pull on theirs. I wait for you to speak and then speak like you. I am drawn here across London to a particular spot, to a particular place, not to see you or you or you, but to light my fire at the general blaze of you who love wholly, indivisibly, and without caring in the moment.”
Explore This Quote Further
Example of Usage
In this passage from Virginia Woolf's novel, "The Waves," the character Rhoda expresses her fear of the passing moments and her struggle to find meaning and purpose in her life. She reflects on the fleeting nature of time and her sense of disconnection from the world around her. Rhoda's inner turmoil is beautifully captured in Woolf's lyrical prose, as she grapples with the existential questions that haunt her.
Quote Analysis
In this quote from Virginia Woolf's novel "The Waves," the character Rhoda expresses her fear of the passage of time and the overwhelming nature of life. She struggles to find a sense of continuity and connection between moments, feeling as though each one is separate and violent. Rhoda contrasts her own perception of disjointed moments with the seemingly seamless progression and purposeful pursuits of others. She acknowledges her desire for a sense of purpose and direction, even as she feels disconnected from the world around her. Ultimately, Rhoda's words convey a sense of isolation and existential uncertainty in the face of life's continual flow.
Modern Relevance:
In this passage from Virginia Woolf's novel "The Waves," the character Rhoda struggles with the idea of living moment to moment without a clear end goal in sight. This existential dilemma resonates with many in today's fast-paced society, where there is often pressure to constantly plan for the future and strive for specific goals. Rhoda's fear of being torn apart by the unpredictable nature of life reflects the anxiety and uncertainty that many people feel in the modern world. As individuals navigate the complexities of daily life and search for meaning and purpose, Woolf's exploration of time, identity, and the pursuit of connection continues to hold relevance in contemporary society.
Reflection Questions
In this passage from Virginia Woolf's novel, Rhoda expresses her fear of the ever-changing nature of life and her struggle to find a sense of continuity and purpose. As you reflect on this text, consider the following questions:
- How do you interpret Rhoda's fear of the fleeting moments and the lack of continuity in her life?
- What do you think Rhoda means when she talks about having no end in view and not knowing how to run minute to minute?
- How do you relate to Rhoda's struggle to find a sense of purpose and direction in life?
- How can Rhoda's experience be a reflection of the broader human experience of grappling with uncertainty and impermanence?
- What do you think Virginia Woolf is trying to convey about the complexity of human emotions and relationships through Rhoda's introspection in this passage?
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“For this moment, this one moment, we are together. I press you to me. Come, pain, feed on me. Bury your fangs in my flesh. Tear me asunder. I sob, I sob.”
“I feel certain that I am going mad again. I feel we can't go through another of those terrible times. And I shan't recover this time. I begin to hear voices, and I can't concentrate. So I am doing what seems the best thing to do. You have given me the greatest possible happiness. You have been in every way all that anyone could be. I don't think two people could have been happier 'til this terrible disease came. I can't fight any longer. I know that I am spoiling your life, that without me you could work. And you will I know. You see I can't even write this properly. I can't read. What I want to say is I owe all the happiness of my life to you. You have been entirely patient with me and incredibly good. I want to say that — everybody knows it. If anybody could have saved me it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I can't go on spoiling your life any longer. I don't think two people could have been happier than we have been.”
“Dearest, I feel certain that I am going mad again. I feel we can't go through another of those terrible times. And I shan't recover this time. I begin to hear voices, and I can't concentrate. So I am doing what seems the best thing to do. You have given me the greatest possible happiness. You have been in every way all that anyone could be. I don't think two people could have been happier 'til this terrible disease came. I can't fight any longer. I know that I am spoiling your life, that without me you could work. And you will I know. You see I can't even write this properly. I can't read. What I want to say is I owe all the happiness of my life to you. You have been entirely patient with me and incredibly good. I want to say that – everybody knows it. If anybody could have saved me it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I can't go on spoiling your life any longer. I don't think two people could have been happier than we have been. V.”
“Now I will walk, as if I had an end in view, across the room, to the balcony under the awning. I see the sky, softly feathered with its sudden effulgence of moon. I also see the railings of the square, and two people without faces, leaning like statues against the sky. There is then a world immune from change. When I have passed through this drawing room flickering with tongues that cut me like knives, making me stammer, making me lie, I find faces rid of features, robed in beauty.”
“But you understand, you, my self, who always comes at a call (that would be a harrowing experience to call and for no one to come; that would make the midnight hollow, and explains the expression of old men in clubs--they have given up calling for a self who does not come) you understand that I am only superficially represented by what I was saying tonight. Underneath, and, at the moment when I am most disparate, I am also integrated. I sympathise effusively; I also sit like a toad in a hole, receiving with perfect coldness whatever comes. Very few of you who are now discussing me have the double capacity to feel, to reason.”
“That is my face,' said Rhoda, 'in the looking-glass behind Susan's shoulder - that is my face. But I will duck behind her to hide it, for I am not here. I have no face. Other people have faces; Susan and Jinny have faces; they are here. Their world is the real world. The things they lift are heavy. They say Yes, they say No; whereas I shift and change and am seen through in a second. If they meet a housemaid she looks at them without laughing. But she laughs at me. They know what to say if spoken to. They laugh really; they get angry really; while I have to look first and do what other people do when they have done it.”