Time in To the Lighthouse To the Lighthouse, published in 1927 is one of Virginia Woolfs most successful novels written in a stream of consciousness style. The novel is divided into three parts, which revolve around the members of the Ramsey family and their guests during visits to their summer vacationing residence on the Isle of Skye. The central preoccupation within the novel however is not to be found within the lives of the characters, instead they are seen as being secondary to the overall grounding of the novel in the house itself. Woolf examines the actions of the characters and the passing of time from the perspective of the central symbol of the actual physical domestic space of the house. The characterization of Mrs. Ramsey, who is identified as being the guardian, or the angel of the house, cannot be separated from the actual physical space itself.
Just as the walls and doors of the house serve to keep out and protect the inhabitants from the outside world, Mrs. Ramsey works to create a domestic space where she can shield the people from the effects of modern life and offer a retreat into a more natural landscape. This natural landscape however can be seen as a threat, the pounding of the waves on the surf turns from a soothing tattoo to her thoughts to the ghostly roll of drums remorselessly beat(ing) the measure of life, and terrified the sound makes her think of the destruction of the island and its engulfment in the sea(23-24).
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The simple fact that sound of the pounding waves comes to her suddenly, whereas before it had been concealed by the sounds of conversations being held outside, points to the hollowness of the house. Mrs. Ramsey works to maintain the house as being a protective barrier, which can be seen through her obsession with wanting to keep all the doors closed, effectively trying to bar the outside world from entering: At a certain moment, she supposed, the house would become so shabby that something must be done.
If they could be taught to wipe their feet and not bring in the beach with them that would be somethingAnd the result of it wasthat things got shabbier and got shabbier summer after summer. The mat was fading; the wallpaper was flappingStill, if every door in a house is left perpetually open things must spoilit was the doors that annoyed her (38-39).
Mrs. Ramsey does not wish to be removed from the natural landscape, but prefers and feels safer to observe it at a distance through the frame of the windows, or even from behind the casing of the hedges. Mrs. Ramseys strife to create harmony and build up the house as a sanctuary of life is constantly thwarted by the awesomeness of the nature which surrounds the house.
The beach is not the only physical thing that is being pounded by the effects of the sea. The house is beginning to slowly decay and fall apart. The effects of time have slowly begun to their damage, the greenhouse roof is falling down, and even the idea of discussing this destruction, is too much for Mrs. Ramsey. That would mean admitting to the fragility of the protective barrier of the house which she clings to. She may try to hide behind keeping up the appearance of the house by flinging a green shawl over the edge of a picture frame, but the futility of this action hits her when she realizes that in two weeks it would be the color of pea soup, nothing is being protected in this house, not even colors of a shawl (39).
This is further compounded in the Time Passes section of the novel, Woolf gives the reader a glimpse of what would happen to this sanctuary if the inhabitants were to desert it for a period of years.
The house is slowly overcome and reclaimed by nature; it cannot on its own hold back the effect of time. The domestic space that Mrs. Ramsey wishes to maintain is finally seen to emanate from the individuals themselves and not from the physical space of the house. It is Mrs. Ramsey who creates a stability of place within herself; it is to her that people come to be reaffirmed and to stabilize their own identity. Th mood of To th Lighthous is on of nostalgia. Th bulk of th novl (sction I) taks plac bfor World War I, bfor th dath of Mrs.
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Ramsy, and bfor th nd of childhood of th Ramsy childrn. Th rst of th novl looks back on thos momnts of wholnss, innocnc, and dsir. Th novl is havily ovrlaid with a sns of mmory and time. ach of th vivid momnts of th first sction has th fling of mmory in th sns that thy sm to hav acquird symbolic significanc ovr th yars so that thy hav formd vivid momnts dfining livs and rlationships. Lilly Brisco, th paintr who stayd with th family at th summr hom, is a charactr that focuss largly on hr mmory of th summr hous and Mrs. Ramsy, spcially whn sh rturns yars latr to finish hr painting.
Lilly Brisco illustrats th powr of mmory and symbolism in prsrving somon who has passd away. Th novl is writtn in thr sctions and ach srvs as a function of mmory and time. Th first part is whr th mmoris ar formd, th ncoding of mmory. In th scond part a considrabl amount of tim passs and th mmoris ar put away. Th third part is th crucial stag of mmory rtrival, whn th mmoris ar brought up in th minds of th popl who rturn to th summr hom. Part III, “Th Lighthous,” rsums th story of th Ramsys, now without Mrs.
Ramsy. In th first part of th novl, Jams Ramsy had askd to go to th lighthous. His mothr had said h could and his fathr had said h could not bcaus th wathr would b too rough to allow th boat to land. Th novl nds with Jams achiving his dsir and, along with his sistr Cam, rconciling with his fathr. Part III is also a compltion of th narration of Lily Brisco painting a portrait of Mrs. Ramsy. In th absnc of Mrs. Ramsy, sh complts this portrait bgun tn yars ago. For all who rturn to th summr hom th lighthous is viwd as a symbol of Mrs.
Ramsy. Mrs. Ramsy vn compard hrslf to th lighthous whn sh was aliv, commnting that sh thought sh was lik th third flash of light, th longr, stadir on that popl countd on. It was a guiding light for th sailors as it watchd ovr thm, as Mrs. Ramsy was th guid that watchd ovr thos around hr. Th trip to th lighthous and th finishing of th painting ar both symbolic of finding closur with Mrs.
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Ramsys passing and at th sam tim showing how sh livs on through thir mmoris and through th lighthous. Lily struggls to paint hr portrait of Mrs. Ramsy. Sh runs through hr mmoris of Mrs. Ramsy as sh paints. Sh rmmbrs Mrs. Ramsy’s dsir that popl gt marrid. Lily fls vindicatd in hr choic not to marry.
Lily also rmmbrs th words of Charls Tansly who told hr womn cannot paint or writ. Lily struggls with hr ida of Mrs. Ramsy and finally coms to a rcognition of hr as a powrful and also a flawd human bing. Lily and Mrs. Ramsy ar two vry diffrnt typs of woman. Mrs. Ramsy is th classic matriarchal figur, taking car of thos around hr, whil Lily is a modrn woman, intrstd in hr own accomplishmnt and not concrnd with strotyps of what a woman nds to b or do.
At th last momnt, Lily maks a strok of th brush, which complts hr painting. This last strok rally shows how Lily rmmbrs Mrs. Ramsy and xactly how mmory srvs hr. Th singl lin that Lily adds to th painting is placd btwn th figurs of Mrs. Ramsy and th tr, which rprsnt natur. Th lin is rprsntativ of th lighthous and acts as a bridg btwn Mrs.
Ramsy and th tr. Natur dos not hav to dal with mortality lik popl do, but with a symbol of th prson who has passd carrying thir mmory on, it is as if th prson has scapd th grasp of mortality. Mrs. Ramsy has did, but sh is vry much aliv symbolically through th lighthous. Lilys painting shows how through th mmoris of th family Mrs. Ramsy livs on.
Virginia Woolf infuss this book with th concpts of tim passing and its toll on th world around it. Bsids th popl lost within th family, thr is th war taking th livs of many. Through th ys of th popl around Mrs. Ramsy w gt to s how mmory can battl th ffcts of tim and prsrv somon in our harts and minds dspit th yars going by. Time and memory play an important role within the conceptual framework of the work, and Virginia has created a masterpiece that would be fascinating people of various ages for many more years. Words Count: 1,536.
Bibliography:
1.
Woolf, V. To the Lighthouse. New York: Harper Collins, 1997..
