Being and Becoming in Virginia Woolf's Women Characters

Introduction

This paper analyzes the theory of being and becoming and discusses how this theory relates to war and violence in Virginia Woolf's portrayal of female characters in her novels. Being and becoming addresses theories of existence and how one matures as an entity in society. Throughout Woolf's body of work, her characters evolve from simple creatures consumed with thoughts of darkness and death. Through a myriad of experiences involving power, control, and pain, they transform their lives from simple existence into complex portrayals of beauty — lives that reflect the art of becoming human beings capable of appreciating all that life has to offer.

The Theory of Being and Becoming

To understand being and becoming, and how this relationship exists with regard to war and violence — and further with Woolf and her women characters — one must first understand the underlying theories. According to Karpatschof (2000), to understand being, one must first understand existence, and to do this one must specify the "coordinates of existence," or the particular interval something occupies in time and space. Something must be acknowledged as existing when "we are forced to realize its existence, being unable to deny its existence," and its existence can be denied only when we are "unable to assert its existence" (Karpatschof, p. 84).

According to Karpatschof (2000), there are categories of being. "Phenomenon" refers to a casual mode of existence in which something "appears," while an object mode appears as a more "substantial entity," where more "solid and dignified behavior" is expected (p. 88). From here one may arrive at "essence," which categorizes being that exists in "an even more fundamental sense" — one that includes an "ensemble of properties resistant to change" at a magnitude much lower than that of phenomenon or objects (Karpatschof, p. 88).

This form of being, defined by changes that make it more elaborate, may more accurately be described as "becoming" — metamorphosing into something more than simply coming into existence, which is defined more narrowly by phenomenon. Objects and essence involve change and progression: the becoming of something that came into existence into a new creation. This is what becoming entails — the development from what was once simple into something more detailed, complex, and exacting.

Any good author knows that the plot of a story, or real life for that matter, is a process of "being and becoming structured around insights realized and gained through reflection on experiences" (Johns, p. 102). Being is also a process of working with the self and others, rather than simply doing and working for. It is a reflective model that requires individuals to create an environment in which they are available for relationships — typically therapeutic ones — to evolve (Johns, 2009). Being allows one to "become" with time, enabling individuals to realize desirable goals and practices (Lee, 1997).

Johns (2009) suggests that being involves a modest degree of self-control, demonstrated by individuals like Woolf who experienced severe trauma during their lives. It includes poise, defined as "a graceful and elegant manner of holding the body; calmness and confidence; readiness and preparedness to accomplish tasks at hand" (Johns, p. 105).