Thinking Activitie : To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th century authors and also a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device.Here I want to discuss her famous modern novel" To The Lighthouse" which connected also her like.

         She lived a short life maybe the age of 59 between 1882-194 but she was suffering a lot through mental illness & society. I listened &reaf in sources that she committed suicide also. Why did she suicide? We can't give a particular reason for her suicide. It's happening rarely cases in the world that the writer preferred suicide. Her parents Leslie Stephen also historian, author, and critic. She had own ' Hogarth ptess '. Hence according to her choice, she could write and published own way. Her famous work like as a

1) Mrs. Dalloway (1925)
2) To the lighthouse (1927)
3) Orlando (1928)
4) A Room of One's own (1929)

Here title used very symbolic way because ' Lighthouse ' is a symbol of something statistic, overcoming challenges, adversity or guide for loss path into the sea. I should notify that Virginia Woolf has sense of geographical because she used geographical location and poetic images in the novel. Moreover, she employed the narrative technique of ' stream of consciousness' in this novel artistically. Its a difficult task for her which read each character subconscious mind.

According to Virginia Woolf:-

    " Life isn't a series of gig lamps symmetrically arranged; life is a luminous halo, a semi-transplant envelope surrounding us from the other beginning of consciousness to end."

This novels genre is a stream of consciousness which first published in 1927. Here the narrator speaks in the third person narrative way who describes the all characters action with subjectively. However, the novel tones Elegiac, poetic, rhythmic and imaginative and setting places in the isle of Skye in the Hebrides. Here we confused that who is a central character? But let me know that Mrs Ramsay is the central character at the beginning of the novel but at the end of the novel I felt that Lily Briscoe played the vital role of the central figure in the novel. When the second part of the novel started with Mrs. Ramsey's dinner party's at that time novel achieved the stage of climax. This novel themes like the transience of and work; art a means of presentation;  the movie subjective nature of reality and restorative effects of beauty. Now let's start a discussion on the following all questions;

1. 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 ineffective manners what she experienced in abstractions.)

     

 Ans: Virginia Woolf has good ability to discrimination and deep sensivity which proved through reiteration of the each characters. Another things I found she defines information of her life with biographical way. At the end of the novel maybe Virginia Woolf represented her struggle, ambitious by Briscoe. We know that she has luxurious life as a woman who think a lot thwn she wrote on woman rights & real circumstances of female, patriarchal population of modern times. Throughout of novel she interpreted duty & relationship of female characters with male characters with different ways. Mrs Ramsay played various roll as motherhood, wife, housekeeper. 

     In the novel I can find the complexity of human relationship through characters of Mrs. Ramsay who maybe we find in today's culture and percent Society also have it's difficult task to solving that problem because of most of the person dependent on other people. Here Mrs. Ramsay as an example of a good Indian housewife. She can't do anything without the permission of her husband. So when women broke her particular sense of longing or hoping for a person at that time increased battle between dear and near. Here I found one example that indirectly happens battle between Lily and Mrs. Ramsay. 

Moreover, as a female character in the novel Lily Briscoe was soul of art and rationality. Mrs. Ramsay disgusted to drawn painting and lily in a hidden way. Here novelist try said through character of lily that, How to struggling a woman as an artist? What is the importance of art in life? In the novel one dialogue proved the mind of society and battle between two gender which spoken by Tansley one male character. 

            " women can not paint write..."

Same as the situation openly happening in today's society. Generally, modern society give all type of freedom everybody although in middle and lower class woman is working in only kitchen and take carw of children. Many people gave capture of women like as ' Devi'. So hidden ambition of modern society that women's no need to go outside for working and learning. Still, women are facing so many boundary in present community. So that there is no equality in any field.

2.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 -