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To The Lighthouse
To The Lighthouse
What is a lighthouse?
o The familys house in Skye is likened to a mind, full of voices
and memories
o Lighthouse stands for a dream of order, a light from outside
bringing clarity to troubled human intelligence
o
decides "No, the other was also the Lighthouse. For nothing was simply
one thing. The other Lighthouse was true too"
o IDEA of multiple truths. Essence of what lighthouse symbolizes a
destination, an answer the characters all trying to reach, different ways
they each relate to the lighthouse
Lighthouse is symbol of Light itself. Source of light: Turning, she looked
across the bay, and there, coming regularly across the waves first
two quick strokes and then one long steady stroke, was the light of
the Lighthouse. It had been lit to being [herself], a wedge-shaped
core of darkness, something invisible to others Mrs. Ramsay identify
herself with being the Light.
o
o LIGHTHOUSE IS MALE? MRS. RAMSAY STATE SHE IS
LIGHTHOUSE? ITS EYES ARE HER EYES?
Identifies with the long steady stroke, sees reflection of her own
dreams in the boys eyes.
o Mr. Ramsay had lots his temper over the Lighthouse stares
into the hedge, into its intricacy, its darkness.
o she looked out to meet that stroke of the Lighthouse, the long steady
stroke, the last of the three, which was her stroke. SHE BECAME THE
THING SHE LOOKED AT
Light as in Paradise Lost. *****
o Mrs. Ramsay is filled with Light.
o Look through the window through a glass darkly but not need to go
to it, not need to see face to face
She is source of light. She is source of peace and harmony to James, perfect
simplicity and good sense
o Restores father creating drawingroom and kitchen, setting them all
aglow
o Sacrificng her energy for others. Even in exhaustion, throb through
herrapture of successful creation
o Even when dead, embodied in the light that helps Lily focus. I have
had my vision LIGHT is essential truth and energy.
o She looked up over her knitting and met the third stroke and
it seemed to her like her own eyes meeting her own eyes,
purifying out the existence that lie, any lie. She was
beautiful like that light.
o Celebration of her capacity to BE, and to sustain and transmit
values.
Oneness with the Light symbolizes her achievement of transcendent
being.
o which was so much her.
In Time Passes Mrs. Ramsay dies and the lighthouse bean explores the
empty house like an unseeing eye, wearily, ghostily, as if they had featherlight fingers
o
Lilys picture
o Gift of Mrs. Ramseys gift of harmonizing human relationship
into memorable moments is almost like work of art
o Art is symbol for enduring reality
o Mrs. Ramsey knows relationships are doomed to imperfection,
spot of time and change
But in art, eternal unity in an unchanging form-through,
as in Lilys picture, form may be inadequate
o I have had my vision. so that we may all have our own
vision (meaning of life?) at the very end (of the book/of life),
revelation of own work
Ends with Lily having revelation of own work, seen Mr. Ramsey arrive
at Lighthouse with children
o Discouraging influence of Mrs. Ramsey (wants her to marry)
and actively oppressive influence of Charles Tansley, never
finds a way to capture what shes trying to say about life in her
art
o Effort to paint is to reconcile Mr. Ramsey (masculine society)
and her painting (women entering masculine dominated world)
Through memories of Mrs. Ramsey, who lived with Mr.
Ramsey for years while raising children and doing good
Mrs. Ramsey not perfect but gave Lily needed tools to
find new way of painting outside influence of Mr. Ramsey
and his like.
o Final section, gains perspective of Mr. Ramsey and everything
he stands for.
Moment he reaches lighthouse, reconciling with his son,
Lily sees he have no power over her artistic production.
Paint whatever she likes, no longer feels weight of social
and gender hierarchies that Mr. Ramsey once
represented to her.
o Lily stop acknowledging his power. Mr. Ramsey also let go. He
must have reached it. (meaning lighthouse and self)
Made his own peace with all intellectual burdens fighting
all his life, REACHED R.
Stops fighting the world, Lighthouse seems to disappear.
"For the Lighthouse had become almost invisible, had
melted away into a blue blaze.
o Found answer to how she can paint, as a woman, without
competing with tyrants like Mr. Ramsey.
Find own artistic confidence, also accept her past
dominated by Mrs. Ramsey and present dominated by
Mr. Ramsey.
As Mr. Ramsey surrenders some of own authority to son,
he is less threat to Lily.
At last, she can have her vision.
Similarly, in the last scene with Mrs. Ramsay, we see her and Mr.
Ramsay sharing a joint look at the lighthouse.
o Both think of mrs ramsay
Lilys painting
o Brushstrokes resemble three fold rhythm of the lighthouse
beam she made her first quick decisive stroke. The brush
descended
Brown and white is Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay
Stroke and pause is light and darkness of beam
Linked with rising falling waves. EBB AND FLOW
o Rhythm of painting begins to resemble long steady stroke,
which Mrs. Ramsay identified
Return to the beginning, talking about lighthouse, very circular.
Finally make land at lighthouse because we have reached R just like Mr.
Ramsay. Argue this point.