Hello Readers !
To the Lighthouse is a 1927 novel by Virginia Woolf. The novel centres on the Ramsay family and their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland between 1910 and 1920. Woolf constructs a remarkable, moving examination of the complex tensions and allegiances of family life and the conflict between men and women.
This blog is a part of our thinking activity task. Which was designed by Dr. Dilip Barad sir.
💠How can you explain that 'what' Virginia Woolf wanted to say (for example, the complexity of human relationship, the everyday battles that people are at in their relationship with near and dear ones, the struggle of a female artist against the values of middle/upper class society etc) can only be said in the way she has said? (Key: The 'How' of the narrative technique is to be discussed along with features of Stream of Consciousness technique which helps Woolf to put in effective manner what she experienced in abstractions.)
Stream of Consciousness is generally used to describe the flow of thoughts of mind. Use of the ‘stream of consciousness’ is a best way to bring out psychology and complexity of relation and thoughts which every person have. In the novel each and every event was narrated by multiple angle which helped her to tell her about what is going on in the various minds. In a term of narration, in this novel Verginia Woolf used a specific form of the stream of consciousness technique which is called as “indirect interior monologue”. It means that we are inside the consciousness of one character speaking to herself, thinking or remembering some past experience. The novel is written in third person, implying omniscient narrator. It is the only way to present two currents of thoughts which are flowing together. Every character in the novel is presented with his/her own conscious as well as through the consciousness of others. For instance, we come across the character of Mrs.Ramsay through his own consciousness as well as through the consciousness of her child James, Mr.Ramsay and Lily Briscoe. Though the reading of the novel is become quite boring at some part because it does not have that flow, narration is oftenly changing from one’s mind to another’s mind. Unlike the modern psychological novel the readers are placed within the mind of the reader but the central intelligence of the novelist is constantly busy in organizing the material and illuminating it by frequent comments as she wants to discover the real life of people.
💠Do you agree: "The novel is both the tribute and critique of Mrs. Ramsay"? (Key: Take some clues from the painting of Mrs Ramsay drawn by Lily Briscoe and the article by Andre Viola and Glenn Pedersen. Can we read Mrs. R in context of the idea of Ideal Indian Woman - Karyeshu dasi, Karaneshu manthri; Bhojeshu mata, Shayaneshu rambha; Kshamayeshu dharithri, Roopeshu lakshmi; Satkarma yukta, Kuladharma pathni. )
Yes I agree, The novel is a both the tribute and critique of mrs. Ramsay. The idea of ideal women is presented by Mrs.Ramsay who is always busy in serving her family guest or even more important is that throughout the novel we can see her as an ideal wife also. Mr.Ramsay’s male ego has been pampered by Mrs. Ramsay. Besides this she is a good mother also who always takes care of her child. These are the characteristics of an ideal women which the women supposed to be an Victorian society. Even after her death, she alives in the memory of everyone. Even Lily Briscoe gets her vision to complete the painting only because of Mrs. Ramsay. In this way it is a tribute to Mrs.Ramsay.
Virginia Woolf’s novel is full of symbolism in which through the character of Mrs.Ramsay; in a way by presenting her as an ideal woman(woman supposed to be in her time) or by praising her Virginia Woolf makes critique on the role of woman. By putting a Lily Briscoe as an opposed character of Mrs.Ramsay, Verginia Woolf may be tried to highlight her own rebellious nature. Lily Briscoe lives happily in company of her own art. While the Mrs.Ramsay is always busy in taking care of her family; she has not even time to think for her own self. Lily Briscoe’s painting on Mrs.Ramsay also symbolizes the struggle of women in Victorian Society.
💠Considering symbolically, does the Lighthouse stand for Mrs. Ramsay or the narrator (Virginia Woolf herself who is categorically represented by Lily)? (Key: Take help from the presentation on Symbolism to connect Mrs. Caroline Ramsay with Lighthouse. Secondly, the narrator / author cannot fully disappear from the novel and thus the stoicism of Lily to paint and thus prove that she can paint, is symbolically presented in stoicism of Lighthouse. Read 'lighthouse' symbol from presentation slide with this insight to connect lighthouse with the narrator. Give your concluding remarks in the comment below in this blog )
The lighthouse symbolically stands alone and tell in both light and darkness and it along with its beacon, is a focal point which symbolises strength, guidence and safe harbor. Same way mrs. Ramsay symbolizes spiritual strengths.
💠In the article by Joseph Blotner, two myths are patterned together. Name the myths? How they are zeroed down to the symbols of 'Window' and 'Lighthouse'? How does the male phallic symbol represent feminine Mrs. Ramsay? (Key: The strokes of light-beams. . . )
The article " Mythic patterns in To The Lighthouse" by Joseph L. Blotner, in this article he used two myths are pattern togather. These myths are 1) myth of Oedipus and another one is 2) myth of Rhea and Demeter.
The first myth is myth of Oedipus. Oedipus who killed his father and married with her own mother. This kind of disorder is known as Oedipus complex. In the novel, relation of Mrs.Ramsay between her younger son James stands for it. Though the James is child, his hatred towards his father and love for his mother can be clearly observed.
The second myth is of Greek goddess Rhea and Demeter. Mrs.Ramsay is compared with both mythical character. In reference to mythical story Rhea’s husband killed all her children but she succeeded in saving a child name Zeus. Here in the novel Mrs.Ramsay is also doing the same, she treats a James in a very sense which creates a anger in his little mind against his father. After that, she also behaves as some what, she does not know anything and tries to protect her child from Mr.Ramsay’s anger. Secondly, Mrs. Ramsay is also compared with Demeter, a daughter of Rhea and goddess of corn and fertility.There is myth that when Demeter is in sorrow entire earth becomes barren and she is worshiped by in a larger noumber of man than women. Same idea is reflected in the novel also. Mrs. Ramsay’s role during summer vacation is seems quite near to this idea. In summer house Mr.Ramsay and James are well treated by Mrs.Ramsay. She is always there for Mr.Ramsay to symphathize her. She plays a role of back bone for them. In a way, everyman is needed her help either in a one or in another way.
“The Window” symbolized female while “The Lighthouse” symbolized the male. By presenting this Verginia Woolf presented female as loving and life giver, on the other side male has shown as something who have hatred, fatal and violence. That idea of fertility of women or the quality of giving birth by female figure seems to have emphasized over male figure.
💠What do you understand by the German term 'Künstlerroman'? How can you justify that 'To The Lighthouse' is 'Künstlerroman' novel ?
The German term Künstlerroman, (German: “artist’s novel”), deals with the youth and development of an individual who becomes—or is on the threshold of becoming—a painter, musician, or poet. In 'To the Lighthouse" Lily's and Carmichael characters the novel itself is a struggle of an artist. It also deals with arrogant rejection of the commonplace life, and biographically we can say that Virginia Woolf also becoming an artist in her life and also faced lots of struggle in life because of patriarchal thinking about women of her time,in this novel the character of Lily makes it 'Kunstlerroman' novel.
💠"... the wages of obedience is death, and the daughter that reproduces mothering to perfection, including child-bearing, already has on her cheeks the pallor of death. One reminded here of various texts by Lucy Irigaray, in which she attacks mothers for being, however unwillingly, accomplices in the patriarchal system of oppression." (Viola). In light of this remark, explain briefly Lily's dilemma in 'To The Lighthouse'.
💠Movie Screening: Worksheet
💠You have compared the 'beginning' and the 'ending' of the novel and the film adaptation of the novel directed by Colin Gregg (you can see it again in the embedded video below this). Do you think that the novel is more poignant than the movie? If yes, do you ascribe the fact that the power of words is much greater than that of the screen / visuals?
💠How do you interpret the last line of the novel (It was done; it was finished.
Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision.) with reference to the ending of the film (After the final stroke on the canvass with finishing touch, Lily walks inside the house. As she goes ante-chamber, the light and dark shade makes his face play hide-and-seek. She climbs stairs, puts her brush aside, walks through the dark and light to enter her room. Gently closes the door - speaks: "Closed doors, open windows" - lies on the bed and with some sort of satisfaction utters: "Dearest Briscoe, you are a fool".)
It was done; it was finished.
Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue,
I have had my vision.
The novel ends with; Lily Briscoe’s sentence, “I have had my vision”. As the novel is known as Künstlerroman novel, it presents the artistic growth of the artist. Same happen with Lily Briscoe. At the end of the novel Lily finds her own vision; she gets the answer of all questions. She has that realization of what she actually wants to be since the begining of the novel. She realizes that, she does not want to be like Mrs.Ramsay rather she chooses to be and lives with her paintings.
In the ending scene of movie, Lily is described as being a "fool". Before the final stroke in the film, Lily Briscoe observed that Mrs.Ramsay and James were wondering in the garden. May be this is the scene which brings changes in Lily's thought. Finally she realizes that she herself is fool who does not think to be like Mrs.Ramsay. Mrs.Ramsay forgot her own values and never think about her own self. Lily is an independent free women but still she is not happy as Mrs.Ramsay. There is something which is missing what he realizes at the end of the movie by completing painting. At the end may be she wanted to be and live a life like Mrs.Ramsay.
💠What does the catalogue named as 'Army and Navy' signify? What does cutting of 'Refrigerator' signify ?
In the novel Jaemes was cutting the picture from the illustrated catalogue of the Army and Navy. Ass the title of the catalogue itself has significance which stands for war and consumerism. It is connected with the idea of modernism as well as with the nature of Mrs.Ramsay. Refrigerator is a tool of technology which preserved the good as it is for longer time. But it controls that nature process of food, the same way Mrs. Ramsay is a preserver of the culture. Who does not allow her daughters to live with Lily Briscoe’s modern idea rather makes them to live with so called old stereotype of society.
💠Why did Virginia give such prominence to the tale of the “Fisherman’s Wife”? In particular, why did she weave such a misogynist tale into the fabric of a book which so eloquently challenges received patriarchal notions about the roles and capabilities of women?
By giving a such prominence to the tale of the “Fisherman’s wife”, she is trying to criticize that patriarchal idea of society. In the tale of the Fisherman’s wife; the wife of fisherman is always demanding something with her husband. In a way it is a portrayal of self less women. Through this tale Verginia Woolf throws a light on patriarchal idea, in which every women should have to be an ideal as Mrs. Ramsay. If she is demanding for something, she should not get that respect in society which one ideal women should get.
💠Mythical Patterns in "To The Lighthouse" by Joseph L.Blother :
It is a worth reading article by Joseph L.Blother.Mythical pattern help us to understand the novel which unfolds the various aspect of Mrs.Ramsay. In this article through the concept of mythical pattern Mrs.Ramsay remains at the centre of the novel. It depicts Mrs.Ramsay as an ideal woman. For the interpretation of the novel he used Greek myths of Gaia and Uranus as well as of myth of Demeter and Porsphone is used as mother goddess of fertility and reproduction.The myth of Oedipus and Kore are used in supporting the argument of James hatred towards his father and love for his mother which feelings are intensified because of his unconsciousness knowledge of the sexual relation between his parents.The Oedipus myth is consonant with the Persephone myth in its application to To The Lighthouse and both are reflections of fundamental patterns of human experience.If we look at the architectural reading of the novel,the symbol of "The Window" is connected with the idea of life giver whereas symbol of "The Lighthouse" is connected with the idea of life taker. At the end of the article, it is stated that Mrs.Ramsay should be the centre of the novel as she gives love,stability and fruitfulness to her family and those in her orbit, so the female force should always function.
💠Reference :-
- Blotner, Joseph L. “Mythic Patterns in to the Lighthouse.” PMLA, vol. 71, no. 4, 1956, pp. 547–562. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/460631. Accessed 3 Nov. 2020.
- Gray, Jojnne. To the Lighthouse. 5 May 2016, www.scribd.com/doc/311583718/To-the-Lighthouse.
- Woolf, Virginia. To the Lighthouse. New York, Columbia University Press, 1998.
