The Dynamic Personality of Virginia Woolf

Vanessa was the eldest among the Stephen' siblings. Virginia, being two and a half years younger, may not have had seen herself as having the same responsibilities of Vanessa. Vanessa seemed envious of her beauty, and charm. Even as a baby, Vanessa remembers Virginia drumming on her high chair, getting extra money from her godparents, and how her and Thoby would love to make her, "purple with rage." I imagine they got more into trouble with their caretakers, than Virginia ever did. I think Vanessa is trying to find answers to why Virginia would often reach a suicidal state of depression. Vanessa remembers many fond memories of Virginia, but also remembers how Virginia would be so excited one moment and silent the next. She refers to it as, "a tense thundery gloom."

I think one of Vanessa's fondest memories with her siblings is when they acted out their mockery of the Dilke family in the days they spent in their nursery. They spoke of finding, "large stores of gold, " and "the wonderful things they could buy in consequence, " and they would act out their performance till they fell asleep. Virginia also remembers, after they rested, after a "whooping cough", Virginia was different. Vanessa didn't recognize the facial features she associated with her before, but recognized her as gaining a "new layer of consciousness." Virginia's mind became openly curious about a lot of things, and seemed to find something to learn from many different observations, many from her readings.

Shortly after Thoby left for school, Virginia and Vanessa became much closer. I don't see anything more exciting to them as they sat in the drawing room reading, writing, and painting. Earlier in the letter, Vanessa recalls how children always refer to their siblings as in some sort of competition with one another, but, now that they are eleven and a half, and nine, they find a way of communication that was very productive for both of them.

I think vanessa understands that even though she loves her sister very much, she never fully understood her. Virginia was always surprising Vanessa as a child, and continued to surprise her as an adult, even though her jealousy of Clive and Virginia may have been misplaced. Vanessa never got to really know Virginia. The only thing they seemed to relate to the most was their lust for art.