Death of a Moth

In “Death of a Moth” by Virginia Woolf, the “why” in writing this piece is to talk about life and death. Woolf goes into detail about how insignificant the moth is compared to everything else that is surrounding the author. It is such a tiny fragment of life, but goes about everything in a carefree way. Yet, the moth travels tediously back and forth with enjoyment. Even though the moth is so insignificant, it still flies around quickly, which to the author seems sort of pathetic. As the author continues to watch the moth fly around, what soon follows is the moth’s fate. After the moth stops on the windowsill, the author realizes that the tiny glimmer of life in this small creature is beginning to fade. The author notices that the moth is slowly dying. As the author watches, she realizes that there really isn’t much she can do to help it because it is inevitable what would happen next. The moth gave such an effort to fight for its tiny life, but it couldn’t help itself. The moth makes the author think about life in a different way because normally one doesn’t think about their life all the time and how grateful they are for each moment in time, no matter how small it may be. Life can be taken for granted because so quickly it can be taken away, like in the example of the moth. The story really makes you think of life in a different way because every moment should be cherished because, like with the moth, the moments can pass so quickly.

Lindsay Warden