Virginia Woolf’s “To The Lighthouse”

Hello Friends,
This Blog is a part of my online blog task for Virginia Woolf’s “To The Lighthouse”. Click here to see the worksheet of the blog task.

My responses to the questions are given below:-

   

   1.) “Life is Simple, People are Complicated”

This thought can be justified with the help of the novel ‘To the Lighthouse’. Virginia Woolf used the narrative technique “Stream of Consciousness’” in very effective manner. We as human very well know how thinking makes our relations so much complicated. How people have a variety of thoughts every minute which makes life more complicated. Virginia Woolf presents the hidden thoughts of each and every character. For example:

James hatred for his father….

“Had there been an axe handy, a poker, or any weapon that would have gashed a hole in his father's breast and killed him, there and then, James would have seized it.” – Part 1

Thus, the writer has used the effective technique to represent the play of conspicuous human relations and human mind.

   

 2.) "The novel is both the tribute and critique of Mrs. Ramsay"

At some point we do feel that the novel is critique of Mrs.Ramsay. Her behaviour is quite different with the females in the house and with the male members. When the daughters ask her about their attires, she doesn’t take much interest in replying them as she takes interest in James activities.

“How would you like that? She asked, addressing herself particularly to her daughters. So she added, rather differently, one must take them whatever comforts one can.” – Part 1

Even her behaviour with Lily Briscoe is quite different. She doesn’t accept her way of living. She somewhere agrees with the thought “Women can’t paint, women can’t write”.

At large if we see this novel, we can say that it is a tribute to Mrs.Ramsay. She is the link between the family members, the best hostess and a shoulder giver to all the people. She represents the ideal woman, who keeps everyone happy. Even after her death she is remembered. We can see her presence also in her absence. Lily Briscoe’s painting is also a kind of tribute she gives to Mrs.Ramsay. No one be like her in the modern time. She can be compared with the ideal Indian women and also with the Sanskari Bahu of all Indian daily soap.

From the modern perspective, she is not the ideal women.

  

 3.) “Symbols are the language of something invisible spoken in the visible world”

Many symbols can be found in the novel “To the Lighthouse”. Lighthouse is the central symbol in the novel.

Lighthouse can be interpreted in many ways as a strong emotional pillar, a light of hope which guides the people lost in the sea etc. Many characters also can be seen as the lighthouse in the novel.

Mrs.Ramsay –

Mrs.Ramsay can be seen as the lighthouse in the novel. She is strong emotional pillar for the family as well as the guest. She pampers the ego but as such she tries to keep everyone happy. Of course that is not appropriate way to give happiness. She is wonderful support and connecting link of the family.

Lily Briscoe-

Lily can also be called lighthouse of the novel. Despite of much criticism regarding her art, at last she proves herself. Her dedication is as strong as the lighthouse which falsifies Tansley’s comment “Women can’t paint, Women can’t write”.

The Narrator-

The narrator guides us whenever we get confused in the novel with the help of the narrative technique (brackets, parenthesis, and interior direct monologue) like lighthouse guides the ones who are lost in the sea.

For example:-

[Here Mr. Carmichael, who was reading Virgil, blew out his candle. It was past midnight.]

   

  5.)“An artist is an explorer” – Henri Matisse

             According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Kunstlerroman’ (German: - “artist’s novel”), or a novel that deals with the youth and development of an individual who becomes or is on the threshold of becoming – a painter, musician or a poet.

Keeping Lily Briscoe at the centre of the novel, we can say that “To the Lighthouse” is a Kunstlerroman novel. In the first part “The window” we can see Lily’s dilemma as an artist. She is not satisfied by her work. She is missing something, which is not able to capture by her.

"She took up once more her old painting position with the dim eyes and the absent-minded manner, subduing all her impressions as a woman to something much more general; becoming once more under the power of that vision which she had seen clearly once and must now grope for among hedges and houses and mothers and children--her picture. It was a question, she remembered, how to connect this mass on the right hand with that on the left.”

In the last part, we see that she is able to get her vision clearly.

“With a sudden intensity, as if she saw it clear for a second, she drew a line there, in the centre. It was done; it was finished. Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision.”

Thus, we can see the growth and improvement of Lily Briscoe as a painter.

More answers will be updated  soon on this blog....Enjoy Reading!!!

Thank You.....