Orlando

1 Pages 297 Words

Woolf’s interpretations of the role of marriage as illustrated in Orlando are symbolized by the gold wedding band, which in turn symbolizes eternity, and perhaps Orlando him/herself, who experiences marriage having both male and female traits.
Orlando, beginning the novel as a young nobleman and transforming into a female with the movement into the 19th century, finds herself yielding to the structures of society; she begins to feel alone while “everyone is mated except myself” (pg.246). However, again transforming; Orlando feels a tingling over her entire body which centers, at last, on the second finger of her left hand. She becomes acutely aware of gold rings, which surround her everywhere she looks; “It now seemed to her the whole world was ringed with gold” (pg.241). This tingling on Orlando’s finger indicates that something is lacking- something which would not allow her to be a part of her present society. Furthermore, it serves as a constant signifier that a ring alone is not enough and Orlando is forced to “yield completely and submissively to the spirit of the age and take a husband” (pg.243). She acknowledges the absence of her ring, while observing that marriage is not natural. However, she does not reject the concept of marriage, only her empty symbol, as seen when Orlando pulls the ring off her finger to portray her death. Indeed, the free-spirited Orlando of the 18th century dies, as she must adapt to life in the 19th century. Orlando’s previous time as a man enables her to bring masculine as well as feminine values and knowledge to her marriage. Therefore, when Orlando marries, she fills the ring with a new meaning rather than one predetermined by her society....