The Mark on the Wall

Explicate the complicated notion of freedom within “The Mark on the Wall.” According to the story, what is freedom? What is the narrator in need of being freed from? What, according to the narrator, impinges upon her freedom, as well as the freedom at large of those belonging to her society? Within her internal intellectual system, is true freedom possible? 

In many ways, “The Mark on the Wall” can be read as an articulation of an insurgent and distinctly feminine mode of writing, thinking, and being. Howdoes Woolf articulate a distinct and insurgentfeminine/feminist position within the story?

Explicate Woolf’s engagement with Humanism and empiricism within “The Mark on the Wall.” Using outside sources, explain 2-3 central tenets of Humanism and empiricism. Then, explicate the stances on those tenets that Woolf articulates through “The Mark on the Wall.” In what specific ways is Woolf critical of Humanism and empiricism? What limitations or inaccuracies does she perceive in those schools of thought?

Explicate the notion of Nature and the natural world within “A Mark on the Wall.” What is the story’s vision of nature, and how does this vision relate to, or express,the story’s central message?

Write an essay that explains the metaphorical and literal meaning of Whitaker’s Table of Precedency within “The Mark on the Wall.” What is Whitaker’s Table of Precedency? What is the narrator’s position on the Table, and how does the Table function as a symbol or motif within the story?