The New Dress Figurative Language

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The New Dress is a short story by Virginia Woolf. The main character Mabel, struggles with depression, and hatred of her own self image. Woolf uses stream of consciousness narration, figurative language, and symbolism to examine the way in which others’ perceptions affect one’s perceptions. Virginia Woolf has a specific style of writing called stream of consciousness narration. Mabel is narrating everything that she is thinking, that includes minimal use of periods. Woolf uses this kind of narration to present others’ perceptions affect one’s perception of themselves.“Lies, lies, lies!” For a party makes things either much more real, or much less real, she thought; she saw in a flash to the bottom of Robert Haydon’s …show more content…

Mabel has felt inadequate with herself and her body ever since she was a lower class girl. She uses this new dress she obtained handmade to reflect how she feels about herself, “the pale yellow, idiotically old-fashioned silk dress with its long skirt and its high sleeves and its waist and all the things that looked so charming in the fashion book, but not on her, not among all these ordinary people. She felt like a dressmaker’s dummy standing there, for young people to stick pins into.” (506). The simile in the quote is used to examine how even if Mabel is wearing a beautiful dress, she still feels as if she is ugly, as if the people around her are somehow superior to her, and she doesn’t believe she belongs there. Before Mabel entered the party, she thought that her dress was elegant and dazzling, but when the people at the party saw the dress, Mabel began to think it was hideous. The way that the others saw her, directly influenced the way she thought about herself. Almost in an instant her perception of herself and the dress change; just when the people see her. Not only does the simile displays Mabel’s inner despair, but also the extended metaphor of a fly stuck in a saucer. Woolf USES it many ways to describe Mabel’s internal despair and failure to live up to society’s standards.” Now she could see flies crawling slowly out of a saucer of milk

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    Signs of discomfort in her life in general rather than with the dress only are evident. It is evident that the dress may have had no problem but by having low self-esteem may be the main cause of Mabel discomfort. She reveals that at a young age she hoped to marry ‘’ some hero like Sir Henry Larence, some empire builder’’( Woolf 508)-- a rich individual-- and live in such place as ‘’ Her dream of living in India’’( Woofl 508) in a lovely mansion and have everything she wished. The reason for being ashamed is not because of the dress but because she is unable to connect with the people in the party. Thus, the assumption that the dress is the main cause of discomfort are also withdrawn the questions about the incompetence of Miss Milan the dress maker are by passed. The dress could not be the cause of Mabel feeling alienated rather it is due to unstable emotions. Moreover, the aspect of the social class is evident where she thinks of how she never had adequate money even when growing up. She reveals,’’ It was being one if a family of ten; never having money enough, always skimping.’’( Woolf 507). She feels that she is poor, hence unqualified to be associating with such rich people. She is married to a poor man and lives in a small house, unlike the others who she refers as ‘’butterflies’’ and ‘’dragonflies’’ dancing in the party (Woolf 504). She finds herself as an unlucky’’ fly’’ that is in the wrong place ( Woolf

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