Hello Readers,
" To The Lighthouse" Blog task
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?
- Virginia Woolf used a stream of consciousness technique 3rd person narrative to move from one to another character's mind. It is useful if we want to write about others, we can write what they are thinking.
Yes, we all are struggling every day to make happy to each other especially to a person who is superior in our home, we are hiding our likes and dislikes because we want to live together to be happy. Here Mrs. Ramsay also facing this problem every day, in some scene, I've seen that she is acting as she is happy but inside truth is different.
If I talk about artists than they were facing troubles in the past and in the future may be they have to suffer when any women artist want to arise than society will stand against her and nobody will anchorage her. Lily was facing the same problem in the novel.
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. R in the context of the idea of Ideal Indian Woman - Karyeshu dasi, Karaneshu manthri; Bhojeshu mata, Shayaneshu rambha; Kshamayeshu dharithri, Roopeshu lakshmi; Satkarma yukta, Kuladharma pathni. )
If we talk about Indian culture we found that there is a sloke which discribe the quality of ideal woman the sloke is like,
Karyeshu dasi, Karaneshu manthri; Bhojeshu mata, Shayaneshu rambha; Kshamayeshu dharithri, Roopeshu lakshmi; Satkarma yukta, Kuladharma pathni.
According to this good wife must work like maid ( karyeshu dasi) who works alot but never demand for anything. Her family is everything for her.
Mrs. Ramsay considered as an ' Angle of the House' in the novel and if we talk about our culture than the ladylike Mrs. Ramsay will maybe favorite in the future also. She is reaming live in others' minds because she gives her best to her family members but somewhere she was not happy inside so we have seen these both situations. When we read the different articles than we can feel that Ramsay took as a so-called angel in the novel.
Here, women writing about women so sometimes I have felt that the writer has portrays herself in Lily's character and she want to say that, in the patriarchy women like Lily not liked by males. She is also doing activities like painting and writing so she breaks that an idea “women can’t paint can’t write”. So the novel is both the tribute and critique of Mrs. Ramsay.
3- Considering symbolically, does the Lighthouse stands 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.
Light'house' is a symbol of spiritual strength and emotional guidance and here in this house Mrs. Ramsay making a spiritual bridge between other human and she is given all the services to others to make happy them as lighthouse doing and helping.
It is my opinion that whenever I think or imagine about the lighthouse, I imagine the single property as it is Lily I have imagined as a lighthouse stand. lighthouse also standing alone to prove itself. "Women can't write or paint" as the lighthouse also has to suffer many storms and waves into the sea. but ultimately at the last, Lily proves herself by completing her painting that she can stand alone and prove herself against a patriarchal society, so Lily is more suitable.
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. . . )
Myth of Oedipus, we can see in the character of James and Mrs. Ramsay.
James always hates his father and he always tried to live closer to his mother and Mrs. Ramsay's goal also is to care for her son James. She has given always the first priority to her son.
Myth of Pagan, Mrs. Ramsay remains in threefold relation. As a Rhea, Demeter and Persephone. In the pagan Myth women as a superior and in Christian Myth women as an inferior.
5- What do you understand by the German term 'Künstlerroman'? How can you justify that 'To The Lighthouse' is 'Künstlerroman' novel?
Künstlerroman, (German: “artist’s novel”), class of Bildungsroman, or apprenticeship novel, that deals with the youth and development of an individual who becomes—or is on the threshold of becoming—a painter, musician, or poet.
In the novel Augustus Carmechael struggles to write the poem, Here the same way Lily also throughout the novel tries to complete the painting. In the third part, she completes the painting of Mrs. Ramsay, and finally, she has had her own vision.
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'.
By these lines, we can say that Lily is in dilemma because of patriarchy. Mrs. Ramsay also gave support to patriarchy and she is also trying to teach follow the same rule of patriarchy and we know that here Lily want to live with freedom.
According to Mrs. Ramsay, women need family and relationships to be a live lifetime in others' heart and here Lily not agree to be obedience. By following the order one gets death Prue died because she follows her mother's order to get married. The reason of Prue's death in childbirth, which again is the idea of an ideal or perfect woman. I think she may think that There is nothing good to be an Angel of the house or to be a mother.
Lily given constantly mental fight but in the end, she again thinks about Mrs. Ramsay that Mrs. Ramsay remains in everyone's heart even after her death. So she is in dilemma, what she has to do?
7- You have compared the 'beginning' and the 'ending' of the novel and the film adaptation of the novel directed by Colin Gregg. 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?
Yes it is, there are a few differences between the novel and a movie. The opening scene of Novel comes in a film almost after an hour. Most of the scenes run faster compared to the novel. In the novel, Lily just puts her brush. While in a movie she goes upstairs and starts talking with herself.
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".)
It is a little bit hard to give an accurate answers because she has painted Mrs. Ramsay's painting but something was missing in that picture. In the movie, frames were showing that she was mood less.
In the novel I think she was happy to get freedom and she has proved that women can paint and write. Mrs. Ramsay was alive in her painting for womanhood and her qualities but after getting the success against the patriarchal society. She proves herself but she not able to come out from her inner struggle.
9- What does the catalog named as 'Army and Navy' signify? What does the cutting of 'Refrigerator' signify?
'Army and navy' catalog signifies a time of war.
Mr. Ramsay's bigger son dies in the war. So here the catalog named as ' Army and Navy ' represents the war and consumerism.
' Refrigerator' preserve the things as it is
Normally we use a refrigerator for keeping the things as it is and here we can find those things in Mrs. Ramsay, she always tries to preserve the refined form of culture as it is her responsibility so we can say she remains as a preserver of the culture like traditional woman.
10- 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?
The writer wants to do satire on women character through the tale of the "Fisherman's Wife", which is told by Mrs. Ramsay to James. in that story fisherman's wife was too much demanding, she presented as a dull character and here in the novel when Mrs. Ramsay dies her husband suffers a lot of issues because he was depending on his wife. In the patriarchy some males fail because of depending nature.
11- How is India represented in 'To The Lighthouse'?
(Read this blog for passing reference)
12- Write summaries of these articles:
Mythic Patterns in To The Lighthouse
Fluidity vs Masculinity: Lily's Dilemma in Woolf's To The Lighthouse
Vision in To The Lighthouse by Glenn Pedersen
12) Write summaries of these articles:
Mythical Pattern in the Lighthouse
By Joseph L. Blotner
Joseph interpret her novel to connect with Greek myth. Joseph mentioned that Mrs. Ramsay character portrait as goddess in the novel. And he connect Olympian gods and goddesses like threefold in relation to Zeus- Mother Rhea, wife Demeter and daughter Persephone. And he compare Mrs. Ramsay character with Rhea and James compare with Zeus. Mrs. Ramsay attitude toward marriage seems more pagan than Christian. The reappearance of Persephone has its symbolic equivalent in the novel in the return of the force which Mrs. Ramsay represented.
Joseph also mentioned Sigmund Freud’s interpretation of the Oedipus myth which is most famous myth. James behaviour like mother attachment and father hater child so it is Oedipus myth ideas. Joseph Blotner also proved that Virginia Woolf's diary shows that she read Greek so unconsciously she included myth in her novel.
The first Article " Mythic patterns in To The Lighthouse" talks about how we can read some kind of Myth in the Novel. Though we don't find direct connection of Myth in novel but still we can read several Myth in it. In this article Mrs. Ramsay is compered Regards. Who is also good and loving mother. Like Mrs. Ramsay Rehaalso has male youngest child. Who also opposed his father. Mrs. Ramsay is also compered with Goddesses of corn Demeter. Demeter is symbol of Fruitfulness. Same way Mrs. Ramsay is also like to feed people. The other Myth is Myth of Oedipus. In which we can see the relationship of Mrs. Ramsay and Jemes.
• Fluidity VS Muscularity- Lily's dilemma in Woolf's To the Lighthouse article by Andre Viola.
Andre Viola focus on Lily character and he showed Lily is central character of the novel. Mrs. Ramsay character present patriarchal society's mindset. Lily argument with Mrs. Ramsay and Mrs. Ramsay has strong argument than Lily perhaps here may be Virginia tried to show society's set moral always won than individual ideas. Lily growth of as artist so it called Künstlerome novel. Lily dilemma show that she doesn't like Mrs. Ramsay because Lily felt Mrs. Ramsay is like obedience woman and she isn't want to become ideal or obedience woman. Even she hasn't want any companion like husband she wants to live alone.In this article author talk's about the Lily's dilemma. In the beginning it talk's about the relation of Mrs. Ramsay and her daughter. It also say that because her daughter lives obedient to her and died in pragnacy. In the same article we found that author consider this Novel as kunstlerroman. This type of novel talks about the growth of artist. This thing we can connect with Lily Brisco's journey as a painter.
- Vision in To The Lighthouse Article by
Article start with this line -
" Someone had blundered" The vision of Lily reveals that it was Ramsay. In the scene Mrs. Ramsay speak this line - someone had blundered. According to the article Mrs Ramsay done blundered and she is responsible for father and son relationship like cruel.
Glenn Pedersen mentioned that matriarchal and prove that it is also danger like patriarchal. After Mrs. Ramsay death Mr. Ramsay and his son relation like better than Mrs. Ramsay alive.
This article began with the line "someone had blundered" this thing unforld the character of Mrs. Ramsay in completely different manner. In this author say that till the time Mrs. Ramsay was in family they are not completely together. They have more misunderstanding about each other. But after her death they come together. Lily Brisco's vision found Mrs. Ramsay guilty in order to her importance. She wants that all her family have respect to her and they must connect with her. So in this article we come to Know about complete different side of Mrs. Ramsay's character.
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