The Idea of an Essay, Volume 2

74 devastating efforts. It is time for this phantom to be “caught…by the throat” and killed by women everywhere (P. 350). But how does one go about killing this phantom? Women must pause and ask themselves why they as individuals are fighting to have everything. It doesn’t come as a surprise thatWoolf suggested this in her speech. After she charged women to “discuss and define” the barriers that hinder them in their professions, she continued by saying, “But besides this, it is necessary also to discuss the ends and the aims for which we are fighting, for which we are doing battle with the formidable obstacles. Those aims cannot be taken for granted; they must be perpetually questioned and examined” (P. 353). Therefore, in the name of evaluating ends and aims, it is not only time for the modern day phantom to reach her demise, but it is also time to reevaluate the proposition that women can have it all. Perhaps this claim is simply not true for some women, or maybe even for all women. Each woman needs to determine this for herself, however, as she decides what she—and not society— wants her life to look like. Women will ultimately be happier and more fulfilled if they are honest with themselves and form their goals accordingly because behind every female professional is a woman—a valuable human being who does not need to be defined by society’s overwhelming expectations any more than women in Woolf’s day needed to be defined by the Angel in the House. Defining the obstacles, examining goals, and determining solutions will neither be easy nor come quickly. It certainly didn’t for Virginia Woolf and her female peers. It is all worth it, however, if it means that women can be satisfied and unhindered in whatever path in life they choose. Works Cited Woolf, V. (2005). Professions for Women. In J. E. Aaron, 40 Model Essays: A Portable Anthology (pp. 348-353). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.