The Constraints Of The Internal Quest Essay

, Research Paper

The masculine dismissal of a women’s quest

A quest is a tale that celebrates how one can cleverly and resolutely rise

superior to all opposition. Yet as fresh prospectives on history now suggest, in this

search for freedom and order, the masculine craving for adventure, demanded

restrictions upon women, forcing her into deeper confinement, even within her

limited province. Thus the rights of a man are separated by the expectancies of a

woman. Each subsequent story deals with a search for truth that is hidden by the

facades of social convention. This search is often hampered by the conventions

that are part of the outside and inside domain. For a female’s quest is best

displayed in the sphere of domestic life, which drastically diminishes her diversity of

action, compared to men who are expected to live public, successful lives.

The Homeric journey for males is a physical adventure in the external world.

Odysseus is a man who pursues his objective against all opposition. He absolutely

refuses to give in, whatever happens to him en route for home. Constantly, he

reinforces the principle that will guide him throughout his struggles:

“For if some god batters me far

out on the wine-blue water, I will endure it,

keeping a stubborn spirit inside of me,

for already I have suffered much and

done much hard work…” (The Odyssey 9. 12-16)

So the hero of The Odyssey displays the manifold ability to overcome beings of all

kinds, one after the other. Always he comes to fore as the master, and by his

extraordinary greatness, leaves all others behind him. From Odysseus, the readers

can learn to conquer life. But there is an issue of uncertainty within the Greek-value

system, for it places far greater emphasis upon successful performances in the

external world than of inner consciousness of right and wrong. The outside domain

thrusts the hero into countless situations that are difficult to endure. But Odysseus

“rich in ingenious ideas” and even richer “in devices to gain end” (9. 53-55) realizes

that he is no longer free, but must be eminently tactful when necessary. The male

journey is a struggle wholly different than the internal world, and the Odysseus learns

to respond flexibly if he is going to survive.

In contrast to the male quest of combat, is a women’s voyage of domesticity.

Virginia Woolf discusses a world where women have been denied external

opportunities and consequently become internal. For if it was indeed possible for all

women to obtain A Room of One’s Own, they too, would have the opportunity for

cultured, artistic, talent.

“For women have sat indoors,

all these million of years…for this creative

power differs greatly from the creative power

of men. And one must conclude that it would be

a thousand pities if it were hindered or wasted….

for there is nothing to take its place (87).

All of her life, Woolf struggles with this sadness that threatens to overwhelm and

annihilate her. In many ways, her thoughts are an attempt to challenge the

unearned privileges of men who are permitted to explore the outside world.

Moreover, in contrast to the world of nature, is another symbol of domesticity in the

cloistered and confined home for Louise Mallard. In her own room, she looks

through the open window. Mrs. Mallard indeed has what Woolf stresses is so

important, yet it is only a temporary and eventually insufficient refuge. She leaves it

as she must, to rejoin her sister downstairs, and in unlocking the door, she

paradoxically confines herself to the prison of her own home. Now death is her only

salvation. Instead of “soaring free like the birds” (The Story of An Hour 31), Louise

escapes the only way open to her. But this women, similar to so many of her time, is

an atypical heroine, and her adventures, are contrary to the typical male heroic.

Consequently, this era of repressive spirit provided material for female

authors to discuss the anger that has been sealed off by men. By the end of the 18th

century, the novel came to be seen as a powerful educational tool for young women.

Woven into the narrative of Virginia Woolf’s internal experiences are the threads of

her comments on a women’s external capabilities. “I thought about how unpleasant

it is to be locked out, and I thought about how worse it is worse perhaps to be locked

in (A Room of One’s Own 25). In this crucial passage, Woolf emphasizes her

prescription for change: she prophecies that although men are the sources of power

in society, they are extremely threatened by the emergence of female writers in their

disciplines, for

only then will the truth surface. She looks forward to the golden age when women will

have what “…so long has been denied to them – leisure and money, and a room to

themselves” (27). Moreover, Woolf praises and admires Jane Austen, for her gift

of writing and her circumstances match eachother completely. But

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