The Power and Progression of Thought
We as human beings are innately curious. We strive to define things that are more complex so that we can better understand them. Whenever we read a piece of literature, we often look to find a more profound purpose than just the surface value of a given text. When we allow ourselves to look beyond the exterior, we frequently find a deeper meaning which allows us to form our own opinions of reality. In the tale of The Mark on the Wall, the author presents us with a story about a woman who fixates on a random mark which leads her into a unique and irregular evolution of thought. On the surface, it seems like a tangle of random and peculiar notions thrown together on a page. Once you are able to make sense of her sporadic thoughts, you realize her words have very relatable properties to them. When you think about it, we have all had moments in our lives where we bring ourselves back to an original thought after straying mindlessly into other ideas and concepts. These are the moments where we are able to understand that the sporadic progression of thought is what leads to self-reflection and helps us find contentedness in rationalization. In The Mark on the Wall, Virginia Woolf successfully demonstrates how a simple observation can lead to the power of progressional thought.
The story begins with an anonymous woman who is trying to recall the exact moment she noticed a mark on the wall. While pondering through her recollection, she begins describing other images from that day; a burning fire, three flowers in a glass bowl, and the smoke of her cigarette. Reflecting on her own thought process, she becomes almost intrigued at how quickly our minds gather to understand a new object before swiftly drifting to the next. She compares this process to ants carrying a sliver of straw so eagerly before dismissing it without any regard. This comparison demonstrates properties of the Eureka effect, an aha moment if you will, which refers to a sudden understanding of a previously incomprehensible problem. Her observation of such a process gives the reader a sense of relatability when coming to an understanding through a previously unrelated thought. We are able to use her example to compare our own moments of enlightenment that we receive when we step back and view things through a new lens. When we find a new perspective that goes beyond the surface, we become content with our ability to rationalize things in our own self-fulfilling approach.
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One of the most powerful topics that the narrator stumbles upon is Nature. Initially, this subject seems rather broad and insignificant until she flows into the realization of its grandeur.
We are able to understand this concept when the narrator begins describing how a tree still has many purposes even after it is taken from the ground. In her story, the author states “One by one the fibers snap beneath the immense cold pressure of the Earth, then the last storm comes and, falling, the highest branches drive deep into the ground again. Even so, life isn’t done with; there is a million patient, watchful lives still for a tree, all over the world, in bedrooms, in ships, on the pavement, lining rooms, where men and women sit after tea, smoking cigarettes” (Woolf 13). At first, her realization seems a bit theatrical and exaggerated. However, when you stop and analyze her observation, you begin to understand the connotation of what she is realizing. We often take for granted and dismiss the things around us, giving little or no thought to how they came about. The theme of her quote has a sort of spiritual quality to it. She describes how even after being destroyed down to the last branch, the tree's life is not over yet. The debris of one purpose fuels the creation of another. From these remains come things like pavements, ships, and bedrooms; all things used for the benefit of human life. Her reflections reveal how difficult it is to fully understand the provenance of something by just mere observation. It also shows how human beings become greedy from the gifts they are given instead of stopping to appreciate their root. One of my favorite things about this topic is its immense depth. I believe the author did an exceptional job by using this example because it forces the reader to continuously think deeper into the ambiguity of nature as a whole. If we can understand how one small piece of our environment, such as a tree, can transform into a beneficial human resource, we will realize, in a sort of epiphany, just how grand our surroundings really are.
As the narrator dwells on her recent observation, she drifts into a feeling of ambivalence towards the modern world. Her newfound appreciation for the source of her surroundings causes her to resent society's attempts to control nature rather than showing it gratitude for all its contributions. Instead of engaging in a humble give and take with our environment, society acts on greed by taking in excess in order to build a more industrial world which creates a sort of parasitic relationship, where only humanity will benefit. In addition to using environmental resources to build pavements and structures, the narrator also describes humanity’s bid to control nature by simply keeping greenery in our homes. I believe this example has a profound effect on helping the reader understand how humanity’s large ego causes us to act with a self-entitled approach to everything around us. As stated earlier, I find this topic of nature to be very pertinent to the central theme of the story because it leads the reader to so many pathways of analysis that result in a greater understanding of our surroundings. Engaging in progressional thought causes us to form mixed feelings on various subjects which further allows us to form personal opinions. Ultimately, we will emerge with a stronger sense of identity and purpose.
As the story progresses, the narrator continues to flow mindlessly through her observations, landing on one thought before drifting unconsciously to the next. As she runs through her various ideas about what the mark may be, she is suddenly interrupted by the voice of her husband. He announces that he is going to buy a newspaper, even though there is no point since nothing ever happens due to the ongoing war. He curses the emptiness of the war and complains about the snail on the wall, finally revealing the identity of the mark. The revelation of the mark’s identity as being a snail presents a symbolic correlation between the narrator’s thoughts and the world around her. The snail is like her thoughts which move at a gradual progression, layering one on top of another. On the contrary, the world outside her is alive with activity from the war. When describing the speed of modern civilization, the author states, “Why, if one wants to compare life to anything, one must liken it to being blown through the Tube at fifty miles an hour—landing at the other end without a single hairpin in one’s hair!” (Woolf 4). The Tube refers to the underground transit system in London, which is constantly moving at a rapid pace. Not only does the snail symbolize her gradual thought process, but it also represents an anchoring thought that brings her back to reality whenever her mind drifts to unpleasant thoughts that are too abstract. We are now able to realize the symbolic reason behind why the author chose the mark to be identified as a snail in the end. With this realization, the author forces not only the narrator but also the reader to be pulled back down to their original thought and reflect on all the information given between the first and last observation.
As I read through this story and analyzed all of its pieces, I couldn’t help but feel intrigued at how much was said before the narrator ever actually spoke. Every matter that was discussed came from the observation of one’s mind. This alone is enough to show how much we can learn without ever saying a word. The power of progressional thought is the power of an individual to learn on their own by simply just allowing their minds to flow through the examination of one thing to the next. When the narrator realized that the mark was just a snail, she reflected on how far removed she became from her original thought. That moment of reverting back to her original observation made both the narrator and the reader realize the magnitude of knowledge and observation that had occurred between her first and final thought. Every detail, from start to finish, contributed to an overall greater understanding of our thought processes which is something that can be understood by anybody who reads it. In this story of The Mark on the Wall, Virginia Woolf successfully demonstrates how a simple observation can lead to the power of progressional thought.
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