The symbolizim of cracking the eggs

I think, but I am not certain, that you also see Laura Brown cracking eggs when she is making the cake for her husband.

There's probably several things you can take from it. Michael Cunningham seems to like cake-making as an allegory for domesticism. In his novel Flesh and Blood there is also a cake baking sequence which demonstrates the unhappiness of the central female character in her domestic role. In The Hours it is more pronounced, Laura makes a mess of the first cake just as she is making a mess of being a wife and mother. She's made to feel worse when Kitty tells her "anybody can make a cake, it's ridiculously easy!". She feels that for other women being a wife and mother is easy, but she can't seem to figure out how to do it.

The eggs also serve to highlight the parallels between the three characters, except of course Virginia does not have to crack the eggs herself, she has servants to do it. She's an artist.

I think you are also probably right about cracking and breaking under pressure, the eggs could be viewed as a metaphor for the delicacy of the characters, how when you put them through what they have to go through in life there is a chance they may crack. And of course, you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.








"Reality is the new fiction they say, truth is truer these days, truth is man-made"

Although I don't have anything to add - in answer, just wanted to say I appreciate your question. I do believe these are the "little" things that bring more depth to a work of art such as this film.

Oh, what the heck, ... could be lots of things such as have been mentioned.

The "egg" can represent - "a life in the making" - a gift (from a female's body) - a thing of beauty - so much potential - shouldn't it be treated with more respect? Yet, it is taken, broken open; consumed / tossed / destroyed, callously - without a moment of thought or care. Such is the "harsh truth" of the way of nature and the world?

And, can we see this harsh reality - really see it - and somehow rise above it?

I could write an essay on the egg question...good one.

First of all I think all 3 women are "broken". Eggs are broken in all their lives even if they don't break them themselves. It's just pure symbolism at it's finest.

Broken people. Broken eggs.

But who isn't?

I mean, most of us have broken eggs...unless you are my husband who hasn't cooked a meal in his life.

I think it's more about pulling us all together as people since most of us have cracked eggs as we have cracked our lives.

Eggs are "perfect" until they are cracked. We all have a "breaking point". There are tons more to say about this but zzzzzzzzz.....goodnight.

In addition to what others have said, my take on the eggs as children symbolism:

Virginia - didn't crack any herself, as the option has been taken from her because of her illness and feels it although never mentions that part.

Laura - is off screen, as she only contributes when needed but has no real desire for it.

Clarissa - is older, got the kid and female spouse she wanted, but is still emotionally tethered and is crumbling.

Woolfe has since been characterized as loathing, if not, hateful of her hired help. The cracking eggs to me meant a cracking veneer as Virginia badgers cook Nelly to forget about the Lamb Pie and go into town to get the children "ginger" (candy). Nelly, already indignant because of having no direction about the meal..."cracked" when Virginia orders her which trains to take. It could also mean that Virginia's wait-staff had to "walk on eggshells" around, because she was such a wretched boss.