To the Lighthouse” : A Portrait of a Real Woman

To the Lighthouse” : A Portrait of a Real Woman

Virginia Woolf was an important precursor in Feminism. She comes after a long line of eminent Victorians of her own sex, who have joined the immortals of English literature- George Eliot, Jane Austen and the two Bronte’s. She was not of their stature but only against their background can her peculiar feminine contribution to English novel be fully assessed or appreciated.

‘To the Lighthouse’ projects challenges or realization of productive and creative possibilities of female characters like Mrs. Ramsay, Lily Briscoe, Nancy Ramsay, and other characters who move around these central characters. These characters are to be studied with the feministic point of view and built as a portrait of real woman in the Victorian England as well as its relevance in the present scenario.

Generally speaking, the word ‘sex’ plays an essential role in defining the gender of a woman when she is put in the flow of Society’s stream of socialization. The existence of a woman is not supposed to identify by the physical appearance, but by the actions and thoughts also. There is no any suspicion in telling truth that ‘Sex’ is born identity whereas ‘Gender’ is coined identity by society in which a woman lives. It is imposed upon her to behave, to think and to play a female role in specific way.
To commence with the idea of writing a novel by lady novelist (not female novelist) itself is a strong element in discussing these female characters. Virginia portraits female characters as a typical female, doing her household work, beguiling other family members what they would prefer to have and docile as a passive character, actively participating in what she is supposed to do. Character like Mrs. Ramsay is depicted as a working woman in the house, as not responsibility but as a duty. Because the atmosphere is created in such a way that they should not create any problem or complain, found by the boss (husband) Mr. Ramsay.

From start of the novel to its end, it names her as Mrs. Ramsay, not her actual name. She directly seems to be a subjugated woman with the name of superiority’s surname. The very logic lies in this context is that Mrs. Ramsay plays her duty what her imposed name will urge her to do.

Apart from naming the characters, female character Mrs. Ramsay plays plenty of roles like a wife, a mother, a care-taker, organizer of the household work, protector of her family’s reputation and social credit, friend, as a relative matchmaker for Lily and Tansley and so on and so forth. It is incredible to assume that such a multi-dimensional responsibility performing her duties simultaneously, defines the role of woman in the society. Such a female character, having eight children to bring up, taking much care of them not being distracted toward evil path and being practical in the flow of the time, seems impossible for a moment but Woolf has portrayed such motherly figure in her novel. But the sudden sharp turn in the novel, revealing Mrs. Ramsay’s unexpected death. It challenges the modern codes and conducts of Post-Modern time in which the people fail to recognize the need and necessity of the women.

People do not value of what they keep or what they have. Mrs. Ramsay might have been respected by family members and guests but being not there, may not make Mr. Ramsay need of her but changing time changes the minds of the people, too. Death of Mrs. Ramsay does matter, because there is a crucial association between her and the lighthouse. To adjust people and other things and to reach people to the lighthouse, Mrs. Ramsay seemed much active as far as male’s contribution to organize life and sustenance is concerned.

The novelist selects the female characters to arrange a day for the lighthouse, to keep balance in social relationships, and what is more important is to satisfy male-ego. She makes her husband uncomfortable because of her being died. She makes other characters to talk about the person who is died now. Why the novelist plays with the female characters is still in vagueness. Life before her death was like; she was lonely but never alone. It means, albeit, she was never surrounded by the people, felt lonely and never satisfied by the intimate relatives being with her.
Mrs. Ramsay thinks that with whom she was living, are ‘sterile’ and incapable, and that “if she did not do it, nobody would do it.” So taking care of children and guests, Mrs. Ramsay ponders that the way she was playing a role of giver and arranger, will not be maintained by others. She sees life not as it should be but as it may be. Deferring from her husband, she finds her children’s happiness in telling what they want to deserve. The happiness of the children like James and others, is not supposed to mar, rather it is to be maintained, and increased.

Mrs. Ramsay’s attitude toward children and relatives, somehow, keeps Mr. Ramsay separated, because what is real and the fact is to be taught to the children. But somewhere, Ramsay fails to realize that such a delicate and fragile period of kids should be kept joyful and society known enough. To help children to see world beautifully, goes to the side of Mrs. Ramsay and it is followed. But ramset interrupts this cycle of learning. James asks for visiting the lighthouse and his urge causes invisible controversies among the husband and wife.

Woolf challenges the wrong perception about the male’s mind-set. The children become happier when a mother interacts with them yet she speaks a lie but it is a white lie that makes children very happy. Generally, progenies are more inclined to mother’s way of nurturing. So Mr. Ramsay feels jealousy and tells that that day’s weather would be drowsier and cloudy, not good for him. This can be called a creative faculty of female to bring up offspring. She is an artist, the house, husband, children and relatives are her medium; if indeed if the purpose of the art for her, as it is for Lily, is to unite and allow them to experience the life together in brief, prefect understanding, then the party is nothing less than her masterpiece, impeccably perfect one.

When the matter of creation comes forward, Lily Briscoe’s interest in painting comes as a part of studding her role in the society and place of creative and flowered faculty of mind. Tansley always debases her paintings and gives several examples of famous paintings of the other countries. Hence creative ability of the women is suppressed in terms of demotivating them. Just the critical words of the male characters make whole novel as a feministic text taking Post-Modern generation into consideration. Lily is an independent, educated little creature, not confined to the home domestically. Women want to be free in their thinking. Their thoughts are bound by the invisible shackles of male’s criticism.

Even other female characters, moving around these two, play a vital role that is mentioned in the starting of the essay. They are not much mentioned itself suggests that existence of women in the society is mandatory but if the crisis occurs becomes compulsory. The concept of morality in depicting Mrs. Ramsay defers from page to page of the novel and incidents to incidents. To endure, to suffer, to be subdued and docile, and not to remain talkative but it engenders the readers to think that male-dominated society should claim women’s place in it.

In a nutshell, the depiction of a woman in the novel is subjugated by the educated husband who is a philosopher and intellectual. Various readings of the novel bring the point of stream of consciousness that it also affected by feministic reading. One character thinking about what he [or she] thinks about what, is the continuous process in the novel. Thinking process is lacking the need of Mrs. Ramsay who is not supposed to die but to remain alive until the last page of the novel to come.