In her somewhat biographical novel Orlando (1928), Virginia Woolf presents the reader with a work of historical fiction interwoven with such universal concepts as nature, societal dictations, and the quest for happiness. Following the winding path of Orlando, born man then transformed to woman, Woolf taps into the underlying principles of society from the reign of Elizabeth I to 1928. Through the use of ornate visual imagery intense attention to detail, and complex metaphors, Woolf confronts those problems that restrict an individual from attaining true happiness: society's definition of gender roles, the harsh aftermath of failed loves, and an ever-present desire within humankind to distance oneself from nature.
Early on in the novel Woolf addresses the topic of happiness and its connection to the emotion of love. During his relationship with his first love, Princess Marousha Stanilovska Dagmar Natasha Iliana Romanovitch, or Sasha, Orlando often experiences bouts of dissatisfaction or unease: “Then, suddenly Orlando would fall into one of his moods of melancholy…nothing thicker than a knife's blade separates happiness from melancholy” (Woolf 34). Woolf's commentary on the minor division between emotions on opposite ends of the spectrum calls the reader's attention to Orlando's behavior throughout the rest of the novel. Her use of the phrase “nothing thicker than a knife's blade” indicates the degree of caution one must take in completely succumbing to his/her emotions. On a surface as thick as a knife blade, little room is left for error.
Expanding on the notion of little room for error later in the book, Woolf discusses gender roles as dictated by society and the restrictive measures they place on an individual, in particular through specific ideas of proper dress. She also makes very clear her thoughts concerning the authority of society in producing such structured and defined roles: “At once and the same time therefore, society is everything and society is nothing. Society is the most powerful concoction in the world and society has no existence whatsoever” (142). By reflecting on the dual character of society, Woolf invites her readers to question the role it plays in their lives. Interestingly, Woolf comments on the sway society holds over the lives of people: “society is the most powerful concoction in the world.” Juxtaposing this statement with the one concerning the nonexistence of society, Woolf acknowledges her desire to resist the flow of the masses in following what society prescribes, and instead make an effort to defy convention.
Woolf blurs genders lines in one such effort to openly defy social conventions. Orlando's body, though born in the male form, later transforms to the female form, however maintains the same mental and intellectual capacity present in the male form. He awakes one morning to find himself a woman: “Orlando had become a woman-there is no denying it. But in every other respect, Orlando remained precisely as he had been. The change of sex, though it altered their future, did nothing whatever to alter their identity” (102). Woolf takes care to underscore the lack of a change in Orlando's identity. Though the physical makeup of Orlando's body, the intellectual and emotional part did not differ. Thus, Woolf takes a stand against gender discrimination in arguing women's capacity for intelligence equals that of men. She later addresses her sex change in relation to the man she once was: “And here it would seem from some ambiguity in her terms that she was censuring both sexes equally, as if she belonged to neither; and indeed, for the time being she seemed to vacillate; she was man; she was woman; she knew the secrets, shared the weaknesses of each” (117). These feelings Orlando experiences mirrors Woolf's attempt to make aware to the reader the unimportance of such definitive titles as “man” or “woman,” when the qualities of one sex can be seen in the other.
Supporting her argument for the unnecessary assignment of gender roles, Woolf remarks on the nature of clothing and its tendency to define the individual under it, rather than the individual defining the clothing. Reinforcing Woolf's earlier argument of society's position function as the dictator of thoughts and mentalities, she now comments on the restriction of clothing: “Vain trifles as they seem, clothes have…more important offices than merely to keep us warm. They change our view of the world and the world's view of us. Thus, there is much to support the view that it is clothes that wear us and not we them; we may make them take the mould of arm or breast, but they mould our hearts, our brains, our tongues to their liking” (138). In particular, Woolf's usage of the phrase “They change our view of the world and the world's view of us” makes an important statement: upon first impression of an individual, one only sees his/her clothes, rather than the person and mind beneath them. Thus roles get assigned, assumptions are made, and once more, society and its respective trends triumphs as the dominant force in civilization, predetermining reactions to and relationships between humans.
Throughout the entirety of the novel, nature assumes a vital role in the life of Orlando. The one constant in the world over the span of 400 years, nature serves as Orlando's anchor to reality and truth, providing him/her with small doses of contentment and almost, happiness. She commits herself fully to nature in an attempt to embrace its reality: “'I have found my mate,' she murmured. "It is the moor. I am nature"s bride'” (182). Orlando gives herself, fully, over to nature. In addition, her fascination with nature persists throughout the story as she/he returns time and time again to the Oak Tree, a large tree present from the beginning of the novel under which Orlando often sat to daydream and write his/her poem “The Oak Tree.” In essence, Woolf expresses Orlando's sentiment towards nature in one short flippant statement: “The English disease, a love of Nature, was inborn in her” (106).
Woolf creates a complex character who embraces warring aspects of him/herself rather than chooses one over the other to be dominant. Echoing her previous works that focused more directly on feminism, such as A Room of One's Own, Orlando addresses the two feminist views: androgyny and difference, however spends more time promoting the androgynous view: “…she was censuring both sexes equally, as if she belonged to neither” (117). Essentially, Orlando battles with these concepts of gender definition, social implications, and the inevitably of time, but in the end, when seeking true happiness, turns to his/her books and the smooth ease of good literature: “Orlando had so ordered it that she was in an extremely happy position; she need neither fight her age, nor submit to it; she was of it, yet remained herself. Now, therefore, she could write, and write she did” (196). Orlando's quest for happiness ends upon encountering equilibrium within her life. Only when all aspects of her personality and character have equal representation, may she relax and retire to the pursuit of greater desires such as writing.
