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Essay / "The mark on the wall" as a representation of the thought process
" Everything moves, falls, slides, disappears... There is a vast upheaval of matter. (Wool 89). In Virginia Woolf's "The Mark on the Wall" (1917), the narrator reflects on the day she saw a mark on her wall and became completely perplexed by it. As she stares at the wall, the thoughts in her head seem meaningless, just random ideas that flow together as they come to her mind. She claims she can't remember anything, which is the true purpose of her daydreams in this stream-of-consciousness story. However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that she is actually describing the thought process and its challenges, as well as the difficulty in concentrating when overwhelmed by thought. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay At the beginning of the story, the narrator attempts to identify the first time she noticed the mark. This is accomplished by her memories of the way the fire illuminated the pages of her book and the way she held a cigarette, making it clear that it was both winter and after dinner time. At this point, his memory plays a useful role, helping him focus on the brand and discover what it is about. Yet as she sees the fire, her mind wanders to an old daydream of a fire-colored flag flying above a castle, as knights parade past (Woolf 83). It was, she states, "an old fantasy, an automatic fantasy, made perhaps when she was a child" (Woolf 83), and she mentions that it is a relief to be interrupted by the sight of the mark, thus putting an end to his first reverie. This is the first time readers experience our narrator's wandering mind, and the mention of the childish quality proves the immaturity of the daydream and its lack of connection to what she is actually thinking about. Her thoughts quickly jump to the goal on the wall, then immediately she falls back into her daydreams, this time wondering how exactly thoughts work, as they "invade" a new idea so aggressively and then disappear, as if nothing. was (Woolf 83). This idea is placed at a very interesting point by Woolf, since as soon as the narrator concludes with the idea that thoughts can come and go in an instant, she returns to the point. Not only has she now stated that thoughts and ideas are fleeting, but we quickly see it in action as she abandons discussion of thought to consider branding again. Every time she is brought back to the subject of the mark, her mind quickly carries away so that she can make no progress in discovering what it really is. The narrator continues with the idea that the mark was made by a nail, which sends him into another reverie, this time about what might have been hanging there. She insists that it was a “miniature” and accompanies this assertion with a colorful but unnecessary description of the woman in the miniature. Without ever explaining why to her audience, she begins to discuss the redecorating habits of previous owners and their particular designs based on each room and the age of the place. This catches readers off guard, confirming that thoughts are fleeting and disconnected. As she reconnects with the mark, the narrator's thoughts drift toward the idea of thought itself. She is struck by how common the thoughts are and yet they disappear in an instant. The idea that something is over as soon as it happens and cannot be taken back is emphasized when it.