Thinking activity on "To The Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf

"To The Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf

 # What is lighthouse?

 
  ◆A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org)

    # Virginia woolf was one of the best critic, english novelist and essayist.

  ●The novel 'ToThe Lighthouse' was one of the best novel, because it was described woman's deep emotion with family. She was directed about Mrs. Ramsay and Lily Briscoe. Her aged 59 but, she was live till through her own experienced and her great novels.

#Here is my task given by Professor Dilip Barad sir.

    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 abstractions.)

      Ans:- ● Virginia woolf was strong woman and her own experience through this novel 'To The Lighthouse' was one of the best work in this period. She wanted to say to the complexity of human relationships, the everyday battle that people are at in their relationship with near and dear ones, it's true that the always women's were face deep struggle with family and relatives. Mrs. Ramsay was one of the best example and through this example I understand to woman's struggle with own family and personal aims; how she let go some feeling, choices and own presence with her husband and children.

      ●And another way Lily Briscoe face some social problems because, she was female artist. At that time people doesn't allow female as a writer and artist, she was face marriage force, be good house wife, tack care of children and husband's anxiety etc...

      ●Here Virginia Woolf wanted to say the real situation of our middle or upper class society. Sometime women's desire comes through different way like painted, loneliness and desolate etc. The narrative technique was to be discussed along with feature of stream of consciousness through Virginia Woolf's deep feelings with the thought of Mrs. Ramsay. It's very critically narrated by Woolf. Her she connected her personal experience with her family and works meanwhile the stream of consciousness. It's strongly recommend Woolf's own experience and her own struggle as a woman.

    

       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. Ramsay 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. )

     Ans:-

● Yes, I agree with this both things because, Novel's protagonist not only Mrs. Ramsay but, also Lily Briscoe's presence. It was very much affected with reality of society and important of woman. Lily's painting has various colour but, Mrs. Ramsay's life was darksome. I read Mrs. Ramsay like tradisional and ideal Indian woman, because in this context of the idea was clearly mentioned by weiter.


   3) Considering symbolically, does the Lighthouse stand for Mrs. Ramsay or the narrator (Virginia Woolf herself who is categorically represented by Lily)? (Key: Take help from the presentation on Symbolism to connect Mrs. Caroline Ramsay with Lighthouse. Secondly, the narrator / author cannot fully disappear from the novel and thus the stoicism of Lily to paint and thus prove that she can paint, is symbolically presented in stoicism of Lighthouse. Read 'lighthouse' symbol from presentation slide with this insight to connect lighthouse with the narrator. Give your concluding remarks in the comment below in this blog )

  ●As she is representing Virginia Woolf, we can say as a woman artist in Victorian age she has to suffer a lot and that suffering of standing alone, more searching and at some level guiding others to start walking on their own path, it suggests that lighthouse is symbolically stands for Lily Briscoe. As a woman artist she has to stand in against of whole society and that constant suffering is we can see as sea waves.

    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? (Key: The strokes of light-beams. . . )

  ● We can see same with Mrs. Ramsay as she is also saving James from Mr. Ramsay. Saving in the sense of anger. Both Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay treat James differently. Mrs. Ramsay treat James in a sense which create anger in James's mind for his father, she behaves in front of James as she is trying to save him. Secondly she is compared with Demeter. Demeter is a daughter of Rhea and goddess of corn and fertility. It is said that when she is in sorrow then whole earth becomes barren. Demeter is more worshiped by men than women, same as men are in more need of Mrs. Ramsay than women. Every men in summer house are need the help of Mrs. Ramsay in one or the other way.

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

  ● To The Lighthouse" we can see the growth of poet and painter is shown. Augustus Carmichael as poet and Lily Briscoe as painter. In both the cases it is shown that how a artist struggle for one thought or feeling that can lead towards the creation or how it is hard to paint our mind on canvas. At the end of the novel both the artist have their own creation. Augustus Carmichael has his collection of poems and Lily Briscoe has her vision in painting and at the end Virginia Woolf also had her novel. So we can say that this novel is künstlrrroman novel.

     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'.

    ●We can see in the novel that Lily is attracted towards the Bank but she is not showing her feelings in sense of marriage because she don't want to be like Mrs. Ramsay. She is not happy with Mrs. Ramsay because she is the one who supports patriarchy and also want her daughter to do the same. These lines shows that by following the order one gets death Prue died because she follows her mother's order to get marry. The reason of the Prue's death is child birth, which again is the idea of ideal or perfect woman given by Mrs. Ramsay while bringing up her daughters.

     7) You have compared the 'beginning' and the 'ending' of the novel and the film adaptation of the novel directed by Colin Gregg (you can see it again in the embedded video below this). 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?

   ● She behaves in the movie like she doesn't care about her painting and her vision, which is totally different from novel. I am agree that while making movie one has to add changes because the language of novel and camera differs but here in this case novel is more poignant than 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".)
What does the catalogue named as 'Army and Navy'signify? What does cutting of 'Refrigerator' signify?

     ● Many time she feel like her own presence and existence is hidden or minor.  In the novel Lily's last line is her vision and in the movie it is Dearest Briscoe, you are a fool. So if we take reference to understand novel's last line, from my perspective, it is the realization of Lily what she actually wants. And sometime she think her life is not complete and she wants to her own importance and she think about herself.

    9) 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 roles and capabilities of women?

    ● Somehow I find that minority for female and major person were always men. I can see that this particular story is subverted here. It is misogynist but the use of the story here is different. May be here talking about - "The Fisherman's wife" is here connected with Mr. Ramsay and the Fisherman who is fulfilling every demand of his wife is here Mrs. Ramsay, who is also fulfilling the demands of Mr. Ramsay. That is her experience and hidden desire thos are not fulfill in her hall life. So, it's connection between both wonen.

    10) How is India represented in 'To The Lighthouse'?

    ● Yes, Indian presented the different way like,  The people from west have different lenses to look towards the India. In "To The Lighthouse" also there are many reference of India but all are different. At some place India to west world is like a land which is unknown to them and far away from them, so they don't have any direct connection with India. Our culture, religion, languages and so on different and very vast cultural concepts. 

 

                       Thank you !!!

   ◆References:-

http://www.jstor.org/stable/460631

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3831911

http://www.jstor.org/stable/460303

http://www.jstor.org/stable/441465

http://www.jstor.org/stable/1345687

http://www.jstor.org/stable/441550

      ◆◆◆  Image ◆◆◆

https://dribbble.com/shots/2728978-The-Lighthouse-In-Night-Animated