Can You See Through Your Window?

Most children have heard their parents or elders moan about how short life is. This is the paradox of life; even though life seems fleeting, it’s the longest experience anyone will have. The lifespan of animals ranges from a couple of days to hundreds of years. Despite this stark contrast, all living creatures share the spirit of life. Virgina Woolf views her encounter with a day moth as an insight into the similarities between all beings. At the beginning of her observations, and the start of a new day, the moth happily flits from corner to corner of a window. This is because the moth does not know any better. This experience is very similar to that a young child. The child repeats his/her actions with a sense of joy and purpose, because he/she are not able to see what lies beyond the “window”. Both the child and the moth are satisfied with themselves because they cannot yearn for what they don’t know. Woolf instills the belief that they have not been tainted by life’s vices.  As Woolf continues to watch, representative of years passing, the moth perches itself on the windowsill and faces the sun. At this point, the moth begins to perceive the window as a barrier. The bright, warm sun represents its enticing aspirations and the dull interior represents the moth's reality. As in our lives, death is inevitable for the moth. Woolf almost tries to help revive the moth, but she realizes that her efforts are futile. The moth’s life has come to an end. Its life serves to prove a belief: when the spirit of life has left a creature, its life will soon end. The duration of one’s life is based on the joy one find in his/her situation. But, just as Woolf views the moth’s actions as pitiful, sometimes the battle of life may seem pointless. It is each person’s responsibility to find his or her energy. There will always be a window but whether it is transparent or obscured is each persons choice.