Street Haunting: A London Adventure by Virginia Woolf

The Ghost as a Metaphor

The ghost from the tale is comparable to the mind’s creator. For instance, it appears that there is a lot of information from the mind as well as information with a lot of sentimental value in the definition of pictures like the bowl. Insofar as character growth and plot analysis are concerned, the ghost is also a metaphor. It constantly seeks out interesting stories to share and is creative and abstract. The ghost is represented by this as the other unconscious personality. The author’s subconscious self urged her to stay concentrated and go after the pencil. In the writing, the ghost represents a tendency. It is futuristic and performs what the brain cannot. Generally, the ghost symbolizes the soul of humans, the desire and the heart.

Contrasting Characters and Dichotomies

In the narration, Woolf uses contrasting characters such as arguing spouses, dwarves, and blind men. All these characters symbolize the numerous dichotomies and how, after several years of being exposed to being in two places at a time, we have learnt to see things from the point of opposition and how our perception of things could work to our disadvantage.

The Symbolism of the Pencil

The initial excuse to go out and explore, the “pencil” is a symbol of the author’s desires. In as much as the author wants to take a walk outside, she makes her goal physical, which is a representation of the task she is aiming at and ones achieved, she fills fulfilled. The pencil is a great source of symbolism in the text. It empowers a writer and the writer needs a pencil to write a story. Hence, it can be interpreted that the pencil or rather the pursuit of the pencil is like a journey the author must make to have something to “author” about.

The Eye as a Window to the Mind

Woolf notices one major quality about the eye; that the eye is attracted to beauty, the things on the surface that can easily be seen. She further asserts that the eye is neither a diver and nor does it seek for buried treasures. It implies that the eye does not examine anything but it simply records and sees. Woolf then sees a dwarf and two tall women walk into a shoe store and decides to follow them. Inside, she watches them as they try some shoes and thee author along with everyone in the store cannot fail to notice that the dwarf has nice feet. All this time, no one realized her peculiar appearance. All they did was admire her feet. Outside, there are two men walking down the street with a little boy. All these characters are personifications of the conflict visualized by the narrator.

The Human Mind as a Central Eye

The central eye described by Woolf is another description of the human mind. The human mind is described as a motor that stores experiences and uses logic based on knowledge. Hence, the eye is a store of past data and a collection of memories, opinions and things that are valued by a person. There are various stylistic devices used by the author. The title “Street Haunting” is a descriptive language that is used for the streets and chaos found there. The arguing spouses, dwarves, and blind men represent conflict that is faced by the author and prevent her from finding her true self. In addition, the dwarf, the tall women, and the blind men are a representation of the balance of opposing forces in the lives of human beings. Importantly, the pencil is the desire of the author, the true self that she desires so much and goes out to fulfill.