Essay on Virgina Woolf's A Room of One's Own

Like hundred years ago, an insensible culture diseased the female population. The women were to conform to the feminine ideology. The ideology of femininity robbed women of their sense of self (Langland, 20). There was a powerful grip on the male dominance and women had to stick to the dependence and obedience to the men. The women's dreams about the time of unleashing their spirit of creativity were interrupted by the male dominance. A Room of One's Own by Virgina Woolf brings out the 20th-century feminist thought.

Virgina Woolf in her discussion brings out to light that for a woman to explore her spirit of creativity and be able to write fiction, she must have her money and a room of her own. Virgina Woolf uses a fiction narrator by the name Mary Beton for elaboration. Mary Beton while relaxing gets a thought of fictional writing that excites her. She then rushes to the fictional Oxbridge. However, she is intercepted by someone who tells her that it is only scholars and fellows and not women who are allowed on the lawn. Her thought is forgotten by the interruption. She then opts to go to the library, but once again she is denied permission.

Through the fictionalized character; Mary, Woolf initiates an argument that traditionally women have been marginalized. Women novelists according to Woolf have had limited achievements in the twentieth century because they were not financially independent. The women have been deprived a chance to stand on their feet financially. Equally, the limited achievement of women novelists is attributed to the fact that they were not intellectually free. The women were denied a chance to experience the world fully. This made it impossible for a woman to explore their spirit of creativity.

Woolf refutes the assumption held widely that women are inferior objects or writers. For many years women have been barred from attaining education from schools or universities (Stromquist, 139). They have been excluded by law from inheritance. Women have been expected over the years to be married and spend their time bearing children and housekeeping. The women for so long had to undergo a life of dependence and so in exploring their creativity lives it would be a challenge because they had nothing of their own to use to exploit the creativity in writing. Moreover, the women had to obey and stay at home to take care of the house and the children for it was an assumption that men were the ones to earn and attend to the family needs.

Nonetheless, in the 21st century, it is vivid that women have curved out of their independence (Vicinus, 47). Women are now living past the stereotypes created by men by stepping out of the historical role of being a housewife and a mother. In the 20th century, women had limited rights. They had to submit to the laws and had no voice over the masculine complex. However, things have changed. Women have the right and power to do anything they have in their mind.

Women in the twenty-first century unlike in the past centuries now have all rights to education, going out and finding a job to be independent financially, and have rights to inheriting and owning property. It is true as well that the society has seen women are succeeding despite the notions before. Being a woman in the twenty-first century is an amazing thing since if one wants to explore their skills or talent, she can because she has right to access the materials in libraries unlike in the past centuries and as well women in the 21st century just like men they are financially independent. A woman doesn't have to depend on men to have resources to exploit the skills or talent she has. She can do that gladly because she has a right.

Unlike in the past century where women were perceived to have no say, in the twenty-first century women's opinions and thoughts are usually the most important and taken with seriousness because women have grown to be more intelligent, self-sufficient, stronger, and well informed. In the public sphere in the 21st century, women have carved out of their independence, and they now have a right to vote, have a place in the politics, and make choices of their career independently. The times when women were considered inferior have changed, and now women are seen as equal. They don't have to be discriminated when an opportunity arises since they can do anything that a man can do.

In the 21st century, even after being married and having children, the women don't feel to have lost their identity and self. Even after marriage and bearing children, the woman can go on with their working or studying since they are independent. This independence makes a woman grow, exploit her full potential, and accomplish her goals. Virgina Woolf as well stresses the importance of according and having a room of one's own. This enables one to explore and discover the creative self.

Mary Beton is one of the characters discussed by Virgina Woolf in A Room of One's Own. Through Mary, gender inequality and women's education are some of the social issues that crop up and prompt awareness to the masses. Mary's encounter is a clear illustration of bias, and the prejudice women face at the time. Mary is reproached for using the lawn and barred from accessing the library because she is a woman. The social issue of gender inequality has to do with the struggle for superiority. Men have for long had interest in keeping women uneducated and under a man's financial control (Stromquist, 138). This interest is to make the male remain superior.

The issue of gender inequality is relevant to today's culture because it is a problem that many nations are trying to fight. Women have over time been discriminated and treated as inferior as compared to men. They have been denied equal opportunities as men in access to resources and have been considered to have no say (Stromquist, 137). That's why the issue is of concern and awareness has to be created. Yes, there has been progress over the past few decades, the problem still prevails. Thus, gender equality is an issue that should be given global priority across all cultures since it is a fundamental step to economic progress and human development.

Indeed, as long as one has his or her room that is independence, any gender can do much as the other. Women, as long as they granted their freedom, they can do so well in writing and explore the spirit of their creativity. If caged and denied the chance to do what is in their mind due to masculine complex then they can shy away, and their abilities will go under-utilized. It is a high time every society or culture resort to gender equality since women can as much as men can do. Women can stand on their feet financially, and this can guarantee them a chance to venture into fiction writing. For according to Virgina Woolf, for a woman to develop herself fully she should have a room of her own and money or else she will be tied to the conventions of her society.

Works Cited

Langland, Elizabeth. Nobody's angels: middle-class women and domestic ideology in Victorian culture. Cornell University Press, 1995.

Stromquist, Nelly P. "Gender inequality in education: accounting for women's subordination." British Journal of Sociology of Education 11.2 (1990): 137-153.

Vicinus, Martha. Independent Women: work and community for single women, 1850-1920. University of Chicago Press, 1988.Woolf, Virginia. A room of one's own and three guineas. OUP Oxford, 2015.