9 Virginia Woolf : To the Lighthouse
Dr. P. P. Ajayakumar
1. Objective:
- To enable them to approach the novel from divergent angles unearthing it inner meanings.
- To help them to explore new ways of looking at the novel.
- To provide multimedia learning package on English literature.
2. Introduction:
Virginia Woolf: Born on 25th January 1882 in one of the most prestigious literary families, Virginia Woolf grew up among the most important and influential British intellectuals of her time. Her father was Sir. Leslie Stephen, the editor of the Dictionary of National Biography and her mother was Julia Stephen who served as a model for Pre-Raphaelite painters. Brought up in a highly literate and intellectual atmosphere Virginia wrote for the prestigious Times Literary Supplement and established a space among the leading literary figures of England of that time at an early age. Her mother’s unexpected death in 1895 when Virginia was only 13 is considered to be one of the causes of her several nervous breakdowns. The death of her father in 1904 led to continuous illnesses and mood swings and she was hospitalized in 1910, 1912 and 1913 at Burley House for short periods. They moved from 22 Hyde Park Gate to 46 Gordon Square in Bloomsbury after the death of her father. Virginia Stephen married Leonard Woolf on 10 August 1912. They together founded the Hogarth Press in 1917. She became one of the leading novelists in England with the publication of The Voyage Out,Mrs. Dalloway, Orlando and To the Light House. Michael Cunningham’s novel, The Hours (1998) depict three generations of women affected by Woolf’s novel, Mrs. Dalloway. In 2002 Stephen Daldry directed a film based on the novel with the same title in which Nicole Kidman acted the role of Virginia Woolf.
Virginia Woolf and Modernism: Virginia Woolf is considered as one of the leading modernist writers along with James Joyce and Joseph Conrad. However her fame rests mainly on the experimental nature of her narrative and its lyrical charm. Virginia Woolf adopted the stream of consciousness style under the influence of Henry Bergson, the French thinker and the novelists Marcel Proust and James Joyce. Her narratives plunged deep into the psyche of the characters. Though her themes are considered to be uneventful and commonplace her lyricism and stylistic virtuosity provided a magical charm to the narrative that unraveled the inner consciousness of the characters portrayed. Most of the events portrayed in the novel take place in the mind of the character and the treatment is quite different from the Victorian tradition.
Virginia Woolf and Feminism: Virginia Woolf’s writing is shaped mainly by her concern and fascination for women, their lives and experiences in a patriarchal society. She responded to the double standards offered to women in her own family and portrayed these issue in her novels. Mrs. Ramsay in To the Lighthouse enacts the gender role assigned to a mother as well as she could. The rise of feminist criticism and theory during the second half of the twentieth century altered the reception of female writers including Virginia Woolf.
Stream of Conscious technique: The ‘Stream of Consciousness’ otherwise known as ‘interior monologue’ is a narrative mode that portray the thoughts and feelings that pass through the mind without any punctuation. The term was first used by the Psychologist, William James in his book, The Principles of Psychology (1890). It intends to present divergent impressions of the mind like the visual, auditory, physical, associative and subliminal that creates an indelible impression in the mind, in order to capture the total flow of the character’s consciousness. One of the most famous practitioners of the stream of consciousness technique is James Joyce. In his novel Ulysses (1922)one character, Molly Bloom delivers a 4391-word sentence the whole of which is internal monologue. The novel To the Lighthouse reveals itself through the continual activity of the character’s consciousness rather than external events.
To the Lighthouse: The novel To the Lighthouse (1927) focuses on the Ramsay family’s visit to the lighthouse. The novel tells the story of Ramsay family and the guests who stays with them at the vacation home in Hebrides Island in Scotland. The novel reveals woman’s experience as an alternative to the male dominated perceptions of reality. It is considered to be autobiographical to a certain extent and the portrayal of Mr. Ramsay and Mrs. Ramsay has close bearing on the characteristics of her father and mother. The novel is divided into three sections, ‘The Window,’ ‘Time Passes’ and ‘The Light House.’
3. Summary:
The Window: Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay and their eight children along with several house guests were staying at their summer house at Hebrides. Mrs. Ramsay assures James her youngest child that he will be able to visit the nearby lighthouse the following day if the weather permits. But Mr. Ramsay rudely intervenes and rejects that chance outright saying that weather will not allow it. James feels hatred for his father who is rude and insensitive to his needs. At the same time his affection for mother is reiterated because of her consoling remarks. But Charles Tansley an intellectual and friend of Mr. Ramsay disagrees with the views of Mrs. Ramsay. Though irritated by Tansley’s remarks Mrs. Ramsay behaves well with him and invites him for an errant into town. On the way they saw the advertisement of a circus and Mrs. Ramsay suggested that they all go for the circus. But Tansley rejects that offer saying that he was never taken to circus as he was born in an impoverished family. Mrs. Ramsay realized the feeling of insecurity resident in Tansleydue to his humble background and shows concern for him. Tansley feels that Mrs. Ramsay is the most beautiful woman that he has ever met and is very much affectionate to her. In the evening looking out through the window he announces that there will not be any trip to the light house the next day. Though she comforts James saying that the weather may change by next morning she hears the roaring sound of the waves rolling against the shore indicative of bad weather.
Lily Briscoe was painting the portrait of Mrs. Ramsay at the end of the lawn. Lily and her old friend William Bankes finds Mr. Ramsay and his philosophy ridiculous. They don’t understand why he demands so much attention. On the other hand they have great adoration for Mrs. Ramsay and her beauty. Mrs. Ramsay takes care of all the guests. She even knits stocking for the lighthouse keeper’s son as she expects that she could present it to him when she visits the lighthouse if the weather is fine. But Mr. Ramsay finds it a kind of extraordinary irrationality. He resumes his strolling on the lawn thinking about the progress of human thought which is analogous to the alphabet. Certain philosophers struggle in their progress from A to Z and certain others reach Z without much trouble. Mr. Ramsay feels that he belongs to the latter group and finds himself a failure. But Mrs. Ramsay boosts his confidence by saying that Tansley considers him as the greatest living philosopher. Reassured of his importance he started thinking about the progress and the fate of civilization and great men. He compares the encroaching waters with human ignorance which eats away whatever is known for certain. William Bankes is critical of Mr. Ramsay and considers him to be a hypocrite. But Lily doesn’t agree with him. She finds Bankes drawn towards Mrs. Ramsay and ponders about human relationships, how one person is not able to understand another.
Mrs. Ramsay is a clever match maker. She has sent Paul Rayley and Minta Doyle for a walk on the beach with the intention of bringing them together. When they are late in returning she imagines that Paul has proposed to Minta. She wanted her children to be as young as they are at present and the family to be as happy as they are now. She enjoys peace when she is no longer herself. She finds that happiness in this world is so fleeting and reason, order and death are so overwhelmed by suffering and death. During their walk together Mrs. Ramsay expresses her displeasure to Mr. Ramsay regarding the behavior of Tansleyand comments on Prue’s beauty and Andrew’s promises as a student. She finds Lily and William Bankes together and feels that they should come together in marriage. Nancy accompanied Paul and Minta on their walk. Minta loses her grandmother’s brooch and the search was in vain. They come back home late. In order to prove his sincerity Paul decided to go early in the morning to explore the beach for the brooch. Looking at the dinner table Mrs. Ramsay ponders over her life. She finds the room dirty and finds herself lonely. Lily finds her hostess look old, remote and worn and realizes that she pities men but not women. Tansley considers Mrs. Ramsay foolish and insists that no one will be going to the lighthouse tomorrow. The dinner is served. Mrs. Ramsay believes that Lily and Bankes must marry.
The dinner is over. The guests scatter. Mrs. Ramsay is pleased to be part of the party. In the nursery, children are still awake. Cam cannot sleep while the boar’s skull nailed to the wall stares at her and James refuses to allow it to be removed. Mrs. Ramsay satisfies both by covering it with a shawl. Prue, Minta and Paul go to the beach to watch the waves coming in. Mrs. Ramsay realizes the feeling of insecurity regarding his reception as a philosopher that Mr. Ramsay experiences. He has to be reassured again and again of her love and affection. He wanted Mrs. Ramsay to tell him that she loves him. She walks to the window and looks out to the sea and tells him that he is right—there will be no trip to the lighthouse the next day. Mr. Ramsay understands that these words mean that she loves him though she never said it explicitly.
Time Passes
Paul, Minta, Andrew, Prue and Lily return from the beach and they shut themselves within the respective rooms. The house falls into darkness except for the room of Augustus Camichael who reads Virgil. At midnight he also sleeps blowing out the candle. There was utter darkness. The wind that crept inside the house was the only thing that moves. Autumn comes with its destructive winds. Mrs. Ramsay dies suddenly. The following afternoon Mr. Ramsay wanders through the hallway stretching arms as if he is reaching out to her. The items in the house are packed and stored. Wind enters and asks “will you fade?” The objects answer “we remain.” Only Mrs. McNab, the housekeeper disturbed the silence. She cleans the house and wonders how long it will remain like that. In spring Prue Ramsay gets married. In Summer, she dies from an illness connected with child birth. Andrew Ramsay is killed in France. Augustus Camichael publishes a volume of poetry. Mrs. McNab feels that the family will never return. She is old and finds it difficult to keep the house in good condition. Ten years have passed. The war is over. Mrs. McNab with the help of Mrs. Bastlabour hard to keep the house back in order. Lily Briscoe arrives on an evening in September. Camichael arrives and reads a book by candle light. Lily listens to the waves. They find the place exactly the same as it looked ten years before.
The Lighthouse: Sitting at the breakfast Lily remembers her last visit ten years before. Ten years have elapsed after the death of Mrs. Ramsay. She tries to recollect the painting that she left incomplete and decides to finish it. But she worries whether Mr. Ramsay will intervene and thinks angrily that what Mr. Ramsay knows is how to take whereas all Mrs. Ramsay did was give. Lily finds Mr. Ramsay a thoroughly changed man and feels sympathy for him. But she finds Cam and James unsympathetic to their father. Lily is relived when Mr. Ramsay and children heads forthe boat and her painting takes on rhythm. Though she was ‘depressed by thoughts about the insignificance of her painting and the derogatory remark of Charles Tansley she maintains the rhythm of her work.
She started feeling more and more admiration for Mrs. Ramsay who had the ability to craft substance out of even silliness and spite and felt that Mrs. Ramsay made life itself an art. She watches a boat carrying Ramsays heads out to the sea. As the boat closes the lighthouse Mr. Ramsay showed great anxiety and impatience. But the children were silent. The fisherman’s boy cuts a piece from a fish that he had caught and baits it on a hook and then throws the mutilated body into the sea. Lily continues to paint remembering Mr. Ramsay. She felt glad that she never got married. She attempts to call out to Mrs. Ramsay as if she would return. But nothing happens.
The boat comes to a stop between the shore and the lighthouse. James realizes that it was the terrible moods of his father that he hated and not him. He was also a victim of these spells of tyranny. He compares his vision of the lighthouse in the past and its present appearance. When his father objected to his visit to the lighthouse about ten years before it appeared to him as silvery and misty but now it looks very different. But he feels that both images are true. He remembers his mother Mrs. Ramsay who inspired him and protected him as a child. He felt that she spoke exactly what came to her mind. Cam feels liberated from her father’s anger and expects that her brother will put aside grievances with their father. Lily remembers Mrs. Ramsay and feels that one needs more than fifty pairs of eyes to see someone clearly and fully. Mr. Ramsay finishes writing his book. He praises James’s sailing and bounds like a young man on to the rock. James feels happy that at last he got something that he cherished for long, his father’s praise. Lily finishes her painting and felt relieved.
4. Analysis:
The Multiplicity of Reality: The novel attempts to make it clear that reality differs from person to person. What is real for Mr. Ramsay is not so for Mrs. Ramsay. Each live in a world of his/her own and looks at the world from his/her own angle. At one occasion Lily refers to the fact that she needed more than fifty pairs of eyes to understand Mrs. Ramsay properly. It refers to the multiplicity of reality.
Permanence of Art: The painting Lily begins in the early part of the novel is completed about ten years after at the end of the novel. She goes through divergent experiences of life during this period and observes the personality of Mrs. Ramsay closely. She has great appreciation as well as criticism for her. But however great and eventful the life is, all those experiences falls into oblivion once the person dies. On the other hand art helps in retaining the timeless moments of life crossing over the winds of change. While mourning Mrs. Ramsay she observes that ““nothing stays, all changes; but not words, not paint.”
Life as Art: Though a philosopher Mr. Ramsay most often fails to develop a philosophical understanding of life. Instead he roams around the fleeting concerns of life. He needed the emotional support now and again and suffered from lack of confidence. Mrs. Ramsay on the other hand tries to understand the needs and feelings of other people and tries her best to make others happy. She gives confidence to Mr. Ramsay and motivates her children as well as her guests. She is a good match maker and an entertaining host. Mrs. Ramsay tries to cultivate memorable experiences and in that process lives artistically.
Gender Roles: The novel presents the clash of gender ideologies through characters like Mrs.RamsayandLilyBriscoe.Mrs.Ramsay’sconcernforthemaleguestsandhercare in keeping them comfortable are indicators of her leaning towards the traditional Victorian gender role that she follows. Moreover she is insists on finding a suitable match to each woman. Lily Briscoe on the other hand does not accept Mrs. Ramsay’s over indulgence towards male guests. She even criticizes Mrs. Ramsay for her partiality. She also resists Mrs. Ramsay’s persuasion to get married.
Symbolism: The Sea in the novel is indicative of uncertainty. It also can be suggestive of the fullness of life and the immensity of death. The land and the house refer to the idea of shelter and stability. The window is the dividing and connecting point between the outer and the inner worlds, the self and the society. The Lighthouse is a positive symbol that links hope, light, comfort and enthusiasm.
4.6 The Narrator: The narrator speaks in the third person and describes the characters and actions subjectively, giving us insight into the characters’ feelings. The narrative switches constantly from the perceptions of one character to those of the next. · Although Mrs. Ramsay is the central focus of To the Lighthousein the beginning, the novel traces the development of Lily Briscoe towards the end, making it more accurate to describe Lily as the protagonist.
5. Interesting Facts:
As a child, it took Woolf longer than usual to begin speaking in coherent For a time, Woolf wrote while standing at a desk 3’6″ tall because she wanted to be like a painter who could instantly step away from her canvas to get a better While still in the nursery, she was nicknamed “The ”Woolf first tried to kill herself at the age of 22 by jumping out of a window. The window she jumped from, however, was not high enough to cause serious While writing her first novel, The Voyage Out, Woolf asked friends and relatives for advice whenever she got stuck or had After that, no one was allowed to see her manuscripts until they were finished.
5.6. Woolf’s dog, Hans, was known for interrupting parties by getting sick and relieving itself on the hearthrug.
5.7. As a child, Woolf was a formidable bowler.
5.8.Woolf once discovered a diary she had written during one particular sane and lucid period in her life, and laughed upon rereading it.
Woolf was highly critical of her friends’ eating habits at the dinner table, often reproving them for eating with either too little grace or too much enthusiasm.
Woolf once said that her death would be the “one experience I shall never describe.”
Source: http://flavorwire.com/143610/59-things-you-didnt-know-about-virginia-woolf
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Reference
- Beja, Morris. Ed. To the Lighthouse: A Casebook. London: Macmillan, 1970. Print.
- Davies, Steve. Virginia Woolf: To the Lighthouse. London: Penguin, 1989. Print.
- Beja, Morris, ed. To the Lighthouse: A Casebook. London: Macmillan, 1970. Print.
- Hyman, Virginia R. To the Lighthuse and Beyond: Transformations in the Narratives of Virginia Woolf. New York: P.Lang, 1988. Print.
- Kelley, Alice Van Buren. To the Lighthouse: The Marriage of Life and Ar Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1987. Print.
- Vogler, Thomas. A. ed. Twentieth Century Interpretations of To the Lighthouse: A collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1970.
- Pease, Allison. The Cambridge Companion to To the Lighthouse. London: Cambridge, 2015. Print.
- Winston, Janet. A Reader’s Guide to Woolf’s To the Lighthouse. London: Bloomsnury, 2009. Print.
- Whitworth, Michael H. Virginia Woolf (Author’s in Context). London: Oxford,
Print.