Battle to the Death?

                           

        One of the greatest mysteries in this world is death. No person alive, of course, knows what happens after death; we wonder if a person's soul goes somewhere else or if we simply cease to exist. This uncertainty in the unknown has lead to many different religions and beliefs. People are afraid of contemplating what would happen if there was no such thing as a life after death. Religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, and Wicca all believe in reincarnation. Different religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Zoroastrianism all strive for heaven but people can be condoned to hell. These contrasting beliefs all hold the same idea that life is stronger then death. Even after someone dies, they will simply live a life somewhere else or in a different state of being. This contrasts with Virginia Woolf's ideas on life and death. She believes that death is the ultimate victor and that it is stronger than anything else, including life. The moth in her narrative seems to speak from the grave and confess that "O yes...death is stronger than I am". In her perspective, the life in humans cannot stand up to the power and force that is death. The hopeful quality that exists in the creation of places like heaven and hell is a easier concept and feeling to grasp then the bleak hopelessness that surrounds Woolf's passage.  

Resources:
"The Big Religion Chart." The Big Religion Comparison Chart: Compare World Religions. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <http://www.religionfacts.com/big_religion_chart.htm>.

"The Death of the Moth" by Virginia Woolf