Virginia Woolf
In rare moments of transparency, Woolf writes about her personal life in these essays. She is concerned with presenting her journey as an artist from a practical standpoint as well as a romantic one. As the variety of essays illustrates, she is not always the most objective author of her own life. Reminiscences and A Sketch of the Past portrays two vastly different perspectives on Woolf's own childhood. She embraces the unusual and attempts to conceal no impulse of sentiment in these essays, admitting that her deceased mother is her primary audience.
Woolf's Mom
Woolf's mother died when her daughter was only a teenager. She left a profound impact on the girl, however, and never seems far from her mind. She raised her daughter in a happy environment but often restricted Woolf's choices, something which later weighs on the author. Despite any disappointments, she remains Woolf's primary inspiration for her writing and serves as a sort of barometer against which Woolf weighs her own self-approval.
Mr. Valpy
In "22 Hyde Park Gate," Woolf recalls the time when her neighbor Mr. Valpy killed himself. She learned about it in bits and pieces from the adults in the room, but the truth of the event sinks in when she sees the apple tree in the yard which somehow remained forever connected to him in her mind. The tree, a symbol of life, became her emblem of value.
