["Chapter 6", pp. 263-4] Orlando by Virginia Woolf encapsulates the journey of a gender fluid person on their quest for a full life full of love. Part of that journey incorporated the adventure of marriage, which includes the exchanging of wedding rings. Orlando discourses on two occasions on the symbol of the ring as well as the ring’s influence on societal tradition, concluding with Orlando contemplating her own wedding ring after her marriage to Shelmerdine: “There was a wedding ring on her finger to prove it….worse than useless….‘The wedding ring has to be put on the second finger of the left hand…for it to be any use at all.’” (Woolf 263). Orlando, and through her Woolf, is presenting a utilitarian purpose to a wedding ring.

Earlier in the novel, Orlando states that it seemed like “the whole world was ringed with gold” and the rings of her youth had evolved with society: “Rings filled the jewelers’ shops, not the flashy pastes and diamonds Orlando’s recollection, but simple bands without a stone in them” (241). There is a shift in the fashion trends regarding wedding bands during Orlando’s extensive life.

From a historical perspective, wedding rings have a long history reaching into the ancient world and changing with Greek and Roman influence overtime. In the 17th century, wedding rings became a cultural item over a personal gesture between partners. Furthermore, diamond rings, even though they could be dated back to late 100sAD in Rome, became popular within wealthy circles in the same century, which follows Orlando’s description of the rings becoming more plain and widespread (“History of the Wedding Ring").

Connecting to the life of the author, on August 10,1912, Virginia Stephen married Leonard Woolf; however, their marriage was unconventional as they only loved each other platonically, suggesting that it was a marriage of convenience (“Virginia and Lenard Woolf”). Woolf saw her marriage and her ring as a tool to live the life she wanted without the negative opinions of society getting in the way. Orlando’s ring serves a purpose to tell the world that she is married, but the ring only serves the purpose on her left ring finger, which leans into the symbolism and created tradition. Woolf further comments on the concept of marriage through Orlando: “It did not seem to be Nature” (242). (376)

Work Cited:

“History of the Wedding Ring.” With These Rings, http://withtheseringshandmade.com/history-of-wedding-rings.

“Virginia and Lenard Woolf.” Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Virginia+Woolf+marriage&title=Special:MediaSearch&go=Go&type=image.

Woolf, Virginia. “Chapter 5.” Orlando: A Biography, Mariner Books, Boston, 2022, p. 227-62.

Woolf, Virginia. “Chapter 6.” Orlando: A Biography, Mariner Books, Boston, 2022, p. 263-330.