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To the lighthouse.

To The Lighthouse is Novel written by Virginia Woolf. She was known as strong feminist writer. If we talk about the plot of the novel we see that it has not traditional plot.  This Novel is written in stream of consciousness.  We see in the novel there is consists of series of experience, memories, emotion and feeling explained by  symbol.  In this Novel what metter was the impression that is created in mind of character.



The main character of the novel Mrs. Ramsay is traditional role of woman. Where as other main character Lily Brisco  is completely opposite then her.

As this blog is part of my  thinking activity here I am answering some question.

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 in effective manner what she experienced in abstraction.)

If we talked about the what Virginia Woolf  we can see that she talks about the day to day life things. This are the things on which people won't pay more attention. In our daily life there is complexity of relationship this thing we see in the characters of Mrs. Ramsay she is always in struggle with the Mr. Ramsay and their children. This thing we see in very bugging that when Jemes gets upset at that time she is the person who handal Jemes. Apart from this she always provide sympathy to Mr. Ramsay and in one scene we see that  in front of everyone on dinner table Mr. Ramsay humiliated Mrs. Ramsay still she continues smile and set on dinner table.  So, in the character of Mrs. Ramsay we found complexity of relationship and everyday life battles.

 If we talk about the struggle of the woman artist that thing we see in the character of Lily Brisco. She is painter in the novel she thinks that by doing painting she will remain in the heart of the people. But apart from her people around him believe that " woman can't paint or write" this thing hurt her.  Mrs. Ramsay is also one person who thinks that she must settled down rather than doing painting.

By this two character we found the complexity of human relationship and problem of woman artist.

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 - Karyeshu dasi, Karaneshu manthri; Bhojeshu mata, Shayaneshu rambha; Kshamayeshu dharithri, Roopeshu lakshmi; Satkarma yukta, Kuladharma pathni. 

When we first look this Novel we found that novel is to prised to Mrs. Ramsay. But when we look at the painting of Mrs. Ramsay done by Lily Brisco we see that it is more of critical. By looking to that painting and her life we see that she is always obey her husband gives him sympathy and done nothing significant. 

In the article Vision In The Lighthouse by Glenn Peterson we also found that it talk's about the Mrs. Ramsay as negative force. In this we found that author believe that still the time Mrs. Ramsay was alive till that time her family never United. After her death even Jemes who hate her father realise that he is not that bed person. 

If we talk about Indian culture we found that there is a sloke which discribe the quality of ideal woman the sloke is like, 


 Karyeshu dasi, Karaneshu manthri; Bhojeshu mata, Shayaneshu rambha; Kshamayeshu dharithri, Roopeshu lakshmi; Satkarma yukta, Kuladharma pathni. 
According to this good wife must work like maid ( karyeshu dasi) who works alot but never demand for anything. Her family is everything for her. The other quality is she must be a good adviser (karaneshu manthri ) whenever husband is wrong she must give her right advise. The next quality is she must be a good food maker as well as she must like to feed people and that thing must have her satisfaction ( Bhojeshu mata ). The next quality is about giving of sexual pleasure whenever husband demand for sexual relationship she must ready ( shaynesu  Rambha). The other quilty is of forgiveness she must forgive people and take care of them ( Kshamayeshu dharithri ). The next quality is of taking care of finical think of house ( Roopesu Lakshmi). She must did good work and so because of her Karma  family will get good life(  Satkarma yukta),  this thing makes good wife (Kuladharma pathni). 

When we look at this in Mrs. Ramsay we found all this quilty.  She works for her family, she always provide sympathy to Mr. Ramsay, she like to feed the people and also she good forgiver. Mr. Ramsay insult her in front of everyone still she forgive him. So we can  read the character of Mrs. Ramsay in the context of the ideal Indian woman. 

3. Considerings symbolically does the Lighthouse stand for Mrs. Ramsay or the narrator (Virginia Woolf herself who is categorically represented by Lily)? 

If we look symbolically to lighthouse as Mrs. Ramsay so we can connect that both the think. Lighthouse stands that it can show the path to the ship when there is  Strom or when ship doesn't find the way. When we look this thing on part of Mrs. Ramsay we see that she also become  the person who shows path ti the family members. She provided emotional safety to the family. 

When we talk about any work we can't say that author is completely disappear. There is some effect of the writer we can found in the work. So we can say that Lily can be catagorically repeat as Virginia Wloof. 

4. 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? 

When we talked about the myth in novel we found two myth. The one myth is about the  myth of pagan. We found that in this myth she is connected with Reha. Both the character have similar number of children. The other character who is compered with Mrs. Ramsay is Demeter. The way Demeter make earth fruitfulness the same manner Mrs. Ramsay makes family fruitful. It talk's that female is always life giver. 

The other Myth is about the Oedipus. We see that  the relationship of Mrs. Ramsay and Jemes can contact with this Myth. 

5. What do you understand by the German term 'Künstlerroman'? How can you justify that 'To The Lighthouse' is 'Künstlerroman' novel? 

The kunstlerroman novel talk's about the artist growth. This we can take in two ways. Frist in Novel We found in the charachar of the Lily Brisco. She has faced so many crisis during her journey as a painter. The second We can connect with the Wloof's personal life. As a author she has also faced struggle during her life. 

6. "... 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'. 

The character of Lily she is more faminist she won't believe in practice of traditional womanhood. She won't like to serve man and she also doesn't like when Mr. Ramsay want sympathy and look towards her. But she failed to provide that thing to him. She is unlike Mrs. Ramsay. We found that the suggestion of marriage is also not like by her. Because she is different then other traditional woman it may be the  reason she desied to live alone.

  7. You have compared the 'beginning' and the 'ending' of the novel and the film adaptation of the novel directed by Colin Gregg  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?

If I talked about my experience if beginning of both the  I like about the novel. Because From very begging we enter in the mind of different characters.  That allows us to know about actual there that and there did. That are there word and there did are match or not. We come to Know about that are they just preatting of being good or they are in actual good.  This is he reason. I like more then the movie.

8. 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".) 

When we think about this line it was done, it was finished it may be two meaning. First, ‘it is completed…’ means now, she proved to patriarcal world that, ‘women can paint, women can write’ and second, she completed Mrs. Ramsay’s painting and found her vision means her mental confusion or dilemma about Mrs. Ramsay’s character is clear. With reference to the movie, Lily favours Mrs. Ramsay’s character and she accepted her character with using her thinking like, ‘closed doors, open windows’. She might accept the idea that some changes in life is necessary.


9 What does the catalog named as 'Army and Navy' signify? What does cutting 'Refrigerator signify?

Army and navy catalog signifies time of war. Refrigerator symbolizes preservation of culture. In the  novel Mrs. Ramsay is traditional housewife, guiding James while cutting refrigerator suggests that she wants other to preserve culture, for instance she suggest Lily to marry. Apart from this refrigerator is also a symbol of change that new era new technology is coming and people also using it. 


10 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 role and capabilities of women?

The tale of "Fisherman's wife is connected with the character of Mrs. Ramsay as well as Mr. Ramsay, because Woolf is subverting the misogyny of fairy tale for example, the male character are behaving like fisherman's wife, they have wishes which are not fulfilled in a way they wants and that unsatisfied desire leads them towards failure. Mrs. Ramsay is more successful in her work than Mr. Ramsay and Lily Briscoe is better in her profession than Charles Tansley. Fairy tale shows the dangers of male willfulness and desire.

11. How is India represented in 'To The Lighthouse'?

India is represent 6 times in novel. The character of Mrs. Ramsay the way she tell people to stay with them then how she tell them to stay. Wealth of india is also represent in the Novel. 

12.Write summaries of these articles:

1. Mythic patterns in To The Lighthouse : 

The first Article " Mythic patterns in To The Lighthouse" talks about how we can read some kind of Myth in the Novel. Though we don't find direct connection of Myth in novel but still we can read several Myth in it. In this article Mrs. Ramsay is compered Regards. Who is also good and loving mother. Like Mrs. Ramsay Rehaalso has male youngest child. Who also opposed his father. Mrs. Ramsay is also compered with Goddesses of corn Demeter. Demeter is symbol of Fruitfulness. Same way Mrs. Ramsay is also like to feed people. The other Myth is Myth of Oedipus. In which we can see the relationship of Mrs. Ramsay and Jemes. 

2. Fluidity vs Muscularity : Lily's dilemma in Wloof's To The Lighthouse 

In this article author talk's about the Lily's dilemma. In the beginning it talk's about the relation of Mrs. Ramsay and her daughter. It also say that because her daughter lives obedient to her and died in pragnacy. In the same article we found that author consider this Novel as kunstlerroman. This type of novel talks about the growth of artist. This thing we can connect with Lily Brisco's journey as a painter. 

3. Vision  In The Lighthouse : 

This article began with the line "someone had blundered" this thing unforld the character of Mrs. Ramsay in completely different manner. In this author say that till the time Mrs. Ramsay was in family they are not completely together. They have more misunderstanding about each other. But after her death they come together. Lily Brisco's vision found Mrs. Ramsay guilty in order to her importance. She wants that all her family have respect to her and they must connect with her.  So in this article we come to Know about complete different side of Mrs. Ramsay's character.

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