My Point of View Regarding Novel ‘To The Lighthouse’ by Virginia Woolf.

  My Point of View Regarding Novel ‘To The Lighthouse’ by Virginia Woolf.

 For the touch of this creation, I remember one quote ..

“ Light never Died , Sound never Travels”

we can see the light , we are not seeing live , it is little late –whatever we seeing is late , it is travelling from eyes to light .

Stream of Consciousness

I want say something about ‘Stream of Consciousness’ technique means we can say that its complex narrative technique. In this Stream of consciousness technique the story develops through the flow of thoughts in the minds of the characters. This technique is used by modernist writers. here in this novel Virginia Woolf used Stream of Consciousness Technique that deals with different subjects like –Complexities of human relationship, struggle of female artist, everyday battles with near and dears etc. With the use of Semicolons, Parentheses she beautifully narrates the novel. And which is also different from traditional narrative structure. Use of direct and indirect monologue and free association draws reader towards character’s inner world and their thinking process. The flow of thoughts is represented by means of long-winding, interconnected sentences.

In direct interior monologue in  To The Lighthouse

In “To The Lighthouse" Virginia Woolf succeeds in producing a much subtle effect through the use of this technique. This novel contains a great deal of straight, conventional narration and description but the interior monologue is used often enough to give the novel its special character of seeming to be always with in the consciousness of the chief characters.

Characters, Presented Through their own and through other’s Consciousness

Virginia Woolf Shoes us a particular person in this novel not only through the Consciousness of that person himself or herself, but also through the

Consciousness of the other persons. We are given the interior monologues of the various characters in this novel, and it is largely through the twin devices of stream of Consciousness and the interior monologue that we come to know the various characters. Thus we see Mrs. Ramsay not only through her own Consciousness but through the Consciousness of Mr. Ramsey, the child James, Lily Briscoe, Mr. Tansley, and Mr. Bankes. Similarly we come to know Mr. Ramsay not only through his own Consciousness but also through the Consciousness of Mrs.Ramsay, the young James, Lily Briscoe, and Mr. Bankes. In fact, every character in the novel is presented to us through his own Consciousness and also through the Consciousness of the other characters. At the same time, the characters are occasionally presented to us directly by the allknowing author of the novel, and also sometimes bits of conversation or dialogue between the characters.

Free Association in To The Lighthouse

The chief technique in controlling the movement of stream of consciousness in fiction has been an application of the principles of psychological free association .Levels  the writing expresses and make it possible for the writers to deal as much as possible the characters.

The Aesthetic Significance

Technique breaks out the traditional narrative structure. By the help of this technique the character may think about other upon seeing related things recall old memories at familiar sights and thing on another thing or person upon seeing on the consciousness shift freely among.

Use of Parenthesis () and Brackets in the novel . Brackets used in ‘ Time Passes ’- it signifies Death, Quickly Things goes on .Parenthesis tell something that is Parallel ,Meeting thoughts etc.

 Here Joseph Blotner has describe the two types of famous myths.

 A) The Pagan Myth

 B) Oedipus Myth

                    

The pagan myth represented primordial goddesses and it is described the major role of female with the idea of Karl Jung. It is mentioned the female role like the mother, and mother remain in the center , mother is controlling one and all . In this myth Rhea is presented as a mother, Demeter is presented as a wife and Persephore is presented as a Daughter. The importance of this myth in this novel is that here these three role is reflected in only one character that is Mrs. Ramsay.

The male phallic symbol represents feminine Mrs.Ramsay how?

Here the female phallic symbol is The window and the male phallic symbol is The lighthouse. The female phallic symbol shows the life giving identity and power and male phallic symbol (The lighthouse) is praising the light in a way Mrs.Ramsay praising herself. Love and stability is described in to the character of Mrs.Ramsay. 

Oedipus complex. This complex we find in James character who was a youngest son of the Ramsay’. He loves his mother deeply and feels a murderous antipathy toward his

father with whom he must compete for Mrs. Ramsay’s love and affection.

 India in “ To The Lighthouse”

In the very first part begins with this dialogue

“Yes, of course, if it’s fine tomorrow,

Said Mrs.Ramsey.” But you’ll have to be up with the lark. ”she

added ”

This dialogue proves that she is a loving and traditional mother who loves her child a lot. And, to give him consolation that tomorrow is whether will good we will go for the ‘Lighthouse’. In that time Mr. Ramsey said that-

“ but.” said his father, stopping in front of the drawing room window”

“It won’t be fine.”

This dialogue is the image of father image in the ‘patriarchal society.’ And second dialogue about the ‘power position’ of men in the house. India is ruled by the men. here also  Mrs.Ramsay’s character presented  as “Indian Nari” Mrs. Ramsey is a wife, a mother of eight children, House wife. Mrs. Ramsey is also at the center of her family. Mrs. Ramsey’s talent of bringing people together an art.

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

Yes it is relevant to say that novel is both tribute and critique of Mrs.Ramsay. Woolf reflects her own pain in the character of Mrs. Ramsey . Woolf reflects her own life in the character of Lily as modern woman. Mrs. Ramsay is a round character which remains from beginning to the end in the novel, first she is physically living and then in minds of people she remains live. Along with Lily Briscoe we also as a reader, Throughout the novel wants to understand her character and her life as a whole. How she deals with all family members and makes family united. She plays the role of a wife, mother, and house keeper.

She is a match maker and gives much importance to the marriage According to her all men and all women should definitely be married . Mrs. Ramsey is the idealized woman type according to Victorian values.

In the Novel Woolf  beautifies this character as well as it also seems that she is criticizing this character. And by drawing her as a motherly figure Virginia Woolf also tributes her.

On the other very well Portrait by Woolf, she represents Lily as a role model for women she defies the patriarchal society  Lily ignores the patriarchal rules and she aims to take her social role with her with becoming an artist.

   

   Last reference which seems as like , as we know that Indian women considered For House hold things, her work was to take care of children and Home. but today it is different picture that what we see in the society, there is  a change .

Last line of the Novel

Woolf reflects her own life in the character of Lily as modern woman. In a Crucial moment, which occurs in silence, Lily Briscoe decides that she will not marry and that she will paint.  It just makes that role an awkward fit. Lily Briscoe also understands what she is giving up because she is half in love with Mrs. Ramsey or the ideal of Mrs. Ramsey. Painting Mrs.ramsey’s portrait, Lily paints what inspires her and what inspires her and what condemns her as a woman artist.

The moment also parallels James ‘s ability to see the lighthouse and his father anew but holds singular importance for the structure of the novel . Mr.Ramsay , Mrs.Ramsay and Lily Briscoe makes three distinct attempts to harness the chaos that is life and make it meaningful . Mr. Ramsay and Mrs. Ramsay both intellectual and social attempts to order life fall short. only Lily’s “vision” that is unable her to separate .

By the end of the novel ,Lily ,a serious and diligent worker, puts. into practice all that she had learned from the materials around her – the changing light , the view of bay. her artistic achievements suggests a larger sense of completeness in that she finally feels united with Mr.Ramsay and rational.

Use of German term 'Künstlerroman'

  The meaning of Kunstlerroman means the novel about somebody’s life or Artist’s novel.

According to this meaning we can say that in this novel many biographical catches included by the author.

Like
1)Mrs. Ramsay’s character drawn as a mother of Virginia.
2) Deep philosophical thinking of Virginia reflected in the dialogue of the novel.
3) 8 siblings of author drown as children of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay.
4) Drown herself in water.(suicide)

“Life is not a series of gig lamps symmetrically arranged; life is luminous halo (things remain tomorrow) semi-transparent envelop surrounding us from the beginning of consciousness to the end.”