To The Lighthouse :: essays research papers

To the Lighthouse, published in 1927 is one of Virginia Woolfs most successful novels written in a stream of consciousness style. The novel is change integrity 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 creation 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 posture 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, set upnot 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 cre ate a domestic space where she support 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 remainder of the island and its engulfment in the sea(23-24). 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 incomingAt a certain moment, she supposed, the house would become so shabby that something moldiness be done. If they could be tau ght to wipe their feet and not bring in the beach with them &8211 that would be something&8230And the result of it was&8230that things got shabbier and got shabbier summer after summer. The mat was fading the wallpaper was flapping&8230Still, if every door in a house is left perpetually open, &8230 things must spoil&8230it was the doors that annoyed her&8230 (38-9).