Views on To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

To the Lighthouse is a 1927 novel by Virginia Woolf. The novel centers on the Ramsays and their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland between 1910 and 1920.

Following and extending the tradition of modernist novelists like Marcel Proust and James Joyce, the plot of To the Lighthouse is secondary to its philosophical introspection. Cited as a key example of the stream-of-consciousness literary technique, the novel includes little dialogue and almost no action; most of it is written as thoughts and observations. The novel recalls childhood emotions and highlights adult relationships. Among the book's many tropes and themes are those of loss, subjectivity, and the problem of perception.

The time in which she was living was not that much grown that could favor women. Woolf’s experimentation has much to do with the time in which she lived: the turn of the century was marked by bold scientific developments. The rise of psychoanalysis, a movement led by Sigmund Freud, introduced the idea of an unconscious mind. Such innovation in ways of scientific thinking had great influence on the styles and concerns of contemporary artists and writers like those in the Bloomsbury Group. To the Lighthouse exemplifies Woolf’s style and many of her concerns as a novelist (Sparknotes). Novel not only explores the complexity of human relationships in day to day life and struggle of a woman artist in patriarchal society, but with the help of stream of consciousness she allowed readers to realize the complexity of human mind, and its perceptions, each and every individual has its own perceptions and perspectives to live life happily, with that it also provides deep insight over human motives. The novel by many a considered as biographical one, as its characters based on her own parents and siblings, it is certainly her most autobiographical fictional statement, and in the characters of Mr. Ramsay, Mrs. Ramsay, and Lily Briscoe, Woolf offers some of her most penetrating explorations of the workings of the human consciousness as it perceives and analyzes, feels and interacts.

Yes I agree with the comment that the novel is both tribute and the critic of the character of Mrs. Ramsay. Firstly the painting which is painted by Lily Briscoe is in reality character portrayed by Virginia Woolf, by creating such character she give tribute to Mrs. Ramsay. By painting Lily immortalize her it is not less than tribute. But with the second point which says that in a way Mrs. Ramsay is helping to perpetuate the patriarchy in society, for example her treatment to her girl child and boy child are different in a way it helps patriarchy for its continuation. In Lily’s point of view she is suffering in life where she is, but still she wants others to live like her (get married). 

In my opinion she is the perfect example of typical Indian woman as prescribed in Hindu scriptures, she works like a maid, know what her husband wants, listen to everybody with sympathy, she cooks very delicious- thus guest like to visit again and again, and praise her foods, she satisfied sexual need of her husband, she is very beautiful- Mr. Banks, Tensely, and other guest also gave complement on her beauty, adheres to the tradition and customs, and over all she has everything which are attributes of good wives in India. 

Light house symbolize both the female Mrs. Ramsay and Lily Briscoe as Virginia Woolf , as both struggles a lot in the society. As character of Mrs. Ramsay lights others life by making other happy even guide people, she worked as light in the life of Mr. Ramsay whenever he felt need of that. The statement that women can’t paint and woman can’t write’ applicable to both. Lily and Virginia the completion of both the painting as well as the work To the light house is the symbol victory against patriarchy. 

We can see this novel as artistic growth of Virginia Woolf as well as of Lily Briscoe, the painter in the novel finally she has painted, she becomes painter from the innocent but, self determined girl to the Lily of the last scene. Novel is the record of a amateur painter to the mature one, in the same way it applicable to Virginia too that the novel itself is the progression of Virginia to became Virginia Woolf a writer. 

The end the viewer who had no background information of Virginia Woolf, interpret as Lily’s submission to Mr. Ramsay she accepted what he wants, but it is not so actually she closed herself in the room to celebrate her feminity, thus she say ‘you were stupid Mrs. Ramsay’, windows are symbol of feminism, thus she recalls this dialogue to celebrate her feminism.