reading response

Virginia Woolf managed to discuss a very deep theme in her story “The Death of a Moth”. Some may think that the moth is a very insignificant creature, and in reality it is. However, the moth faces the same fate as every other living thing on the planet: death. The author uses ornate detail in describing the moth, which makes it seem more significant than it really is. She also uses great detail in describing other things, such as what is going on outside of the window. As the world continues to go about everyday life outside of the window, the moth is barely holding on to life. One has to think that we are all just on the edge of death after reading this story, because life is so fragile and can slip away from us at any time. It is my opinion that Woolf’s “why” for this story is the fact that she was struggling with her own life, and the moth represents this. I also believe that in the same way the moth is trapped in its struggle for life on the window sill, Woolf feels trapped in her room, disconnected from the world around her. As the world goes by around her, she feels trapped in her own struggle. Although the life form that she describes in the story is insignificant compared to others, she managed to keep my attention by her great use of detail and imagery. All in all I believe that she did a wonderful job portraying her theme of how life is fragile to all things, and that we should live in the moment because in the blink of an eye it could all end.   

Drew Sprinkle