Symbolism, Imagery, and Allegory
in “To the Lighthouse”
The Hen in Mr. Bankes’s Memory
Remember? In their youth, Mr.
Bankes and Mr. Ramsay are walking down the road when a hen comes flying up to
protect her chicks, and Mr. Ramsay goes, "Pretty pretty." According
to Mr. Bankes, that’s when their friendship stopped. The two of them were down
metaphorically different roads. So what’s with the hen? Why not a tree stump or
a horse? Well, a hen protecting her chicks is pretty domestic. Mr. Bankes is
trying to say – and he does say it later – that Mr. Ramsay’s turn to the
domestic life is what killed their friendship. And that’s expressed
symbolically by the hen in the road and Mr. Ramsay saying, "Pretty
pretty."
The Window
Mrs. Ramsay spends her afternoon
sitting at a window, reading to James. Lily Briscoe is attempting to paint
them. The window encapsulates Mrs. Ramsay in a very static position, while
everyone else is caught up in dynamic movement: Mr. Ramsay is walking, Lily is
painting, the children are playing cricket. The window furthermore frames Mrs.
Ramsay as the centerpiece of the whole tableau. Mr. Bankes gazes adoringly at
her, Lily looks at her critically in order to properly paint her, and Mr.
Ramsay runs over for sympathy. The window is therefore the physical
manifestation of the more abstract idea that Mrs. Ramsay is the center of the
household, in addition to the idea that she is separate and apart from everyone
else (literally separated by a pane of glass).
Waves
So waves do a couple things in To
the Lighthouse. First, and most importantly, they are the drumbeat of Time
for Mrs. Ramsay. They are usually a soothing force, but they take on a more
ominous tone when they become synonymous with destruction. For Mr. Ramsay,
waves are a destructive power because they are part of the vast sea of human
ignorance that eats away at a little spit of land symbolizing human knowledge.
We threw out the idea that waves are a negative force, but our trash guy picked
it up and threw it back at us. Smart man. How can you attach a value to the
rhythm of life itself? The waves represent flux – you know, ups and downs, as
well as forcibly reminding Mrs. Ramsay of transience. Life, as well as waves,
always goes on, but they’re never the same. So, if you didn’t pick up on it by
now, the impermanent waves are a counterpoint to the permanent light from the
Lighthouse.
The Lighthouse
Before launching into what Virginia Woolf might be talking about
with this here Lighthouse, let's take a second to consider what a lighthouse
is. The American Heritage Dictionary tells us that it's a "tall structure
topped by a powerful light used as a beacon or signal to aid maritime
navigation." So, metaphorically speaking, a lighthouse is a beacon. It's
something people who are lost can look towards for guidance. And it's a
"tall structure" – a big, solid, unmoving structure. But that
powerful light? It does move. When the night falls, it flashes on, and
when the sun rises, it shuts off. So a lighthouse works as both a symbol of stability
(as a beacon) and of change (as its lights go on and off with the turning
of the day).
Now, about this specific Lighthouse. We know that it's visible from the Ramsays' summer home but separated from it by a stretch of sea, because Mr. Ramsay loves to look at it (see 1.1.22). And we know that, at least at first, James Ramsay really wants to get there – so much that when Mr. Ramsay says they won't be able to sail to the Lighthouse the next day, James Ramsay contemplates murder: "Had there been an axe handy, a poker, or any weapon that would have gashed a hole in his father's breast and killed him, there and then, James would have seized it" (1.1.4).
Now, about this specific Lighthouse. We know that it's visible from the Ramsays' summer home but separated from it by a stretch of sea, because Mr. Ramsay loves to look at it (see 1.1.22). And we know that, at least at first, James Ramsay really wants to get there – so much that when Mr. Ramsay says they won't be able to sail to the Lighthouse the next day, James Ramsay contemplates murder: "Had there been an axe handy, a poker, or any weapon that would have gashed a hole in his father's breast and killed him, there and then, James would have seized it" (1.1.4).
The Lighthouse as a Symbol for
Traditional Family Structure
So, why do James and Mr. Ramsay have so much invested in the
Lighthouse – either in getting to it in the first place or in preventing others
from going? Well, one important thing they share in common is that they're both
guys. Another important thing? They're both really into Mrs. Ramsay. Sure,
one's her husband and the other's her son, but they feel they have to compete with
each other for her attention – remember: "most of all [James] hated the
twang and twitter of his father’s emotion which, vibrating round them,
disturbed the perfect simplicity and good sense of his relations with his
mother" (1.7.1). So we don't exactly think it's far-fetched that this
whole conflict over whether they'll go to the Lighthouse might be
connected to the way James and Mr. Ramsay seem to be wrangling over Mrs.
Ramsay.
What we're getting at, in a roundabout way, is that the Lighthouse is potentially a symbol for family structure, and especially for the authority of the father in the traditional family. Not to be crude or anything, but the lighthouse is kind of a phallic symbol, and phallic symbols in literature often mean that there are daddy issues coming down the pike.
James and Mr. Ramsay are squabbling over who gets power over the family: Mr. Ramsay is the authority figure, so he gets to say "No! the weather will be bad!" And James is a rebel who's all "Why do you have to ruin everything? Just as I'm getting along so well with Mom!" But in the end, James concedes that his dad always seems to wind up being right (1.1.4) – which just makes everything worse for him. James won't get to the Lighthouse in this section of the novel, and the family power remains largely in Mr. Ramsay's hands. Their relations become more complicated in Section Three – but for more on that, see James Ramsay's "Character Analysis."
Other evidence for this reading? We've got lots. Consider Charles Tansley, that unpleasant guy who's always hanging around in the first section. He looks up to Mr. Ramsay (he wants to be him, basically). He's embarrassed by his own inability to insert himself successfully into social situations. And he's oppressive when it comes to the relationship between women and artistry – he basically tells Lily Briscoe that women can't paint or write (1.17.22).
Charles is obviously concerned with maintaining the patriarchal status quo. So he takes it upon himself to tell James Ramsay that James won't be able to go to the Lighthouse the next day (1.2.1). See, he's joining Mr. Ramsay in keeping the power of the Lighthouse away from the other members of the Ramsay family – because if Charles Tansley can't have patriarchal authority, no one (except, you know, Mr. Ramsay) can.
What we're getting at, in a roundabout way, is that the Lighthouse is potentially a symbol for family structure, and especially for the authority of the father in the traditional family. Not to be crude or anything, but the lighthouse is kind of a phallic symbol, and phallic symbols in literature often mean that there are daddy issues coming down the pike.
James and Mr. Ramsay are squabbling over who gets power over the family: Mr. Ramsay is the authority figure, so he gets to say "No! the weather will be bad!" And James is a rebel who's all "Why do you have to ruin everything? Just as I'm getting along so well with Mom!" But in the end, James concedes that his dad always seems to wind up being right (1.1.4) – which just makes everything worse for him. James won't get to the Lighthouse in this section of the novel, and the family power remains largely in Mr. Ramsay's hands. Their relations become more complicated in Section Three – but for more on that, see James Ramsay's "Character Analysis."
Other evidence for this reading? We've got lots. Consider Charles Tansley, that unpleasant guy who's always hanging around in the first section. He looks up to Mr. Ramsay (he wants to be him, basically). He's embarrassed by his own inability to insert himself successfully into social situations. And he's oppressive when it comes to the relationship between women and artistry – he basically tells Lily Briscoe that women can't paint or write (1.17.22).
Charles is obviously concerned with maintaining the patriarchal status quo. So he takes it upon himself to tell James Ramsay that James won't be able to go to the Lighthouse the next day (1.2.1). See, he's joining Mr. Ramsay in keeping the power of the Lighthouse away from the other members of the Ramsay family – because if Charles Tansley can't have patriarchal authority, no one (except, you know, Mr. Ramsay) can.
The Lighthouse, the Traditional
Mother's Role, and Mrs. Ramsay
And how about Mrs. Ramsay? Here's where this gets really
interesting, because Woolf loves to explore ways of thinking about family and
lineage outside the traditional father-son trajectory. So motherhood is a big
deal in a lot of her work.
One thing that's interesting about Mrs. Ramsay is that she knows that James won't be able to get to the Lighthouse, but she doesn't want to tell him. She hides the unpleasant truth from him, just as she wraps that boar skull in her shawl so that Cam can go to sleep in Part One, Chapter Eighteen. Mrs. Ramsay makes Mr. Ramsay's domineering, oppressive ways manageable for the Ramsay kids who have to live with his bullying. She genuinely loves Mr. Ramsay and she genuinely loves her kids – and she's also what stands between Mr. Ramsay and his family to make sure that all of them can live together.
Mrs. Ramsay finds Mr. Ramsay's place at the head of their traditional family necessary, natural, and inevitable, but she knows that it's hard for her children to accept. So she does her best to make everything run smoothly: that's her great talent. The Ramsays' traditional family would be impossible without her soothing influence.
The book underlines Mrs. Ramsay's own investment in the Lighthouse (and in the importance and authority of fatherhood) by emphasizing that she makes charitable donations to the Lighthouse keeper (who, apparently, has a son with a "tuberculous hip" [1.1.5]). She's not only looking after her own children – she's such a Supermom that she can also look after other people's kids.
In a larger sense, Mrs. Ramsay's charitable work is linked to the Lighthouse because it's part of her role as a traditional mother to take care of people. If the Lighthouse symbolizes the power the dad has in the traditional family, the charity is like the mother's place in that power structure. The dad is a beacon; he's what people are imitating, while the mom takes care of everybody. Mrs. Ramsay's support for this division of labor is pretty apparent when she gets all reproving with her daughters in that internal monologue in the first section of the novel:
For how would you like to be shut up for a whole month at a time, and possibly more in stormy weather, upon a rock the size of a tennis lawn? She would ask; and to have no letters or newspapers, and to see nobody [...] How would you like that? She asked, addressing herself particularly to her daughters. So she added, rather differently, one must take them whatever comforts one can. (1.1.5)
In other words, sure, it stinks always to be in a subordinate position in a family, but at least women don't get stuck with the lonely, difficult work of being model dads. Mrs. Ramsay gets that the patriarchy isn't great for her – but it's not great for Mr. Ramsay or the Lighthouse keeper either. She sees it as her natural job to make things better for those poor guys. Besides, Mrs. Ramsay might say, everyone has to get married anyway, right?
One thing that's interesting about Mrs. Ramsay is that she knows that James won't be able to get to the Lighthouse, but she doesn't want to tell him. She hides the unpleasant truth from him, just as she wraps that boar skull in her shawl so that Cam can go to sleep in Part One, Chapter Eighteen. Mrs. Ramsay makes Mr. Ramsay's domineering, oppressive ways manageable for the Ramsay kids who have to live with his bullying. She genuinely loves Mr. Ramsay and she genuinely loves her kids – and she's also what stands between Mr. Ramsay and his family to make sure that all of them can live together.
Mrs. Ramsay finds Mr. Ramsay's place at the head of their traditional family necessary, natural, and inevitable, but she knows that it's hard for her children to accept. So she does her best to make everything run smoothly: that's her great talent. The Ramsays' traditional family would be impossible without her soothing influence.
The book underlines Mrs. Ramsay's own investment in the Lighthouse (and in the importance and authority of fatherhood) by emphasizing that she makes charitable donations to the Lighthouse keeper (who, apparently, has a son with a "tuberculous hip" [1.1.5]). She's not only looking after her own children – she's such a Supermom that she can also look after other people's kids.
In a larger sense, Mrs. Ramsay's charitable work is linked to the Lighthouse because it's part of her role as a traditional mother to take care of people. If the Lighthouse symbolizes the power the dad has in the traditional family, the charity is like the mother's place in that power structure. The dad is a beacon; he's what people are imitating, while the mom takes care of everybody. Mrs. Ramsay's support for this division of labor is pretty apparent when she gets all reproving with her daughters in that internal monologue in the first section of the novel:
For how would you like to be shut up for a whole month at a time, and possibly more in stormy weather, upon a rock the size of a tennis lawn? She would ask; and to have no letters or newspapers, and to see nobody [...] How would you like that? She asked, addressing herself particularly to her daughters. So she added, rather differently, one must take them whatever comforts one can. (1.1.5)
In other words, sure, it stinks always to be in a subordinate position in a family, but at least women don't get stuck with the lonely, difficult work of being model dads. Mrs. Ramsay gets that the patriarchy isn't great for her – but it's not great for Mr. Ramsay or the Lighthouse keeper either. She sees it as her natural job to make things better for those poor guys. Besides, Mrs. Ramsay might say, everyone has to get married anyway, right?
The Lighthouse and Lily Briscoe
The answer to that question belongs to Lily Briscoe: Lily
doesn't have to get married because she has her work. She can see the
Lighthouse, but instead of trying to get there, instead of trying to fit
herself into a traditional womanly or maternal role, she paints the
scene in front of her. She uses her art to represent the essence of the
Lighthouse without actually having to be part of everything it represents. Lily
basically marries her art, so there's no cause for her to try to sail to the
Lighthouse in Part Three: the Lighthouse doesn't offer her anything besides an
attractive view and some perspective on what drives Mr. Ramsay.
A Final Word
We've talked about the Lighthouse
as a symbol for family authority and how control over getting to the Lighthouse
has a lot to do with family power. But what about the whole
eternal-yet-shifting thing we brought up way back in the first paragraph of
this discussion?
Like the Lighthouse tower itself, the family as an institution is (or at least, seems) solid and unchanging. But individual families come and go as rapidly as a lighthouse beacon goes on and off – time changes the shape of all families (remember the loss of Mrs. Ramsay in Part Three?). As is the case in many Woolf novels, the progress of time is a major theme of To the Lighthouse. No matter how solid Family may seem as a concept, every family has its own private shape and trajectory, a tension between the ideal and lived reality that the Ramsay family certainly dramatizes.
Like the Lighthouse tower itself, the family as an institution is (or at least, seems) solid and unchanging. But individual families come and go as rapidly as a lighthouse beacon goes on and off – time changes the shape of all families (remember the loss of Mrs. Ramsay in Part Three?). As is the case in many Woolf novels, the progress of time is a major theme of To the Lighthouse. No matter how solid Family may seem as a concept, every family has its own private shape and trajectory, a tension between the ideal and lived reality that the Ramsay family certainly dramatizes.
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