Virginia Woolf was born on January 25, 1882, a descendant of one of Victorian Englands most prestigious literary families.

er fat!er, "ir #eslie "tep!en, was t!e editor of t!e Dictionary of National Biography and was married to t!e daug!ter of t!e writer William $!ac%eray. Woolf grew up among t!e most important and influential &ritis! intellectuals of !er time, and recei'ed free rein to e(plore !er fat!ers library. er personal connections and abundant talent soon opened doors for !er. Woolf wrote t!at s!e found !erself in )a position w!ere it was easier on t!e w!ole to be eminent t!an obscure.* +lmost from t!e beginning, !er life was a precarious balance of e(traordinary success and mental instability. +s a young woman, Woolf wrote for t!e prestigious Times Literary Supplement, and as an adult s!e ,uic%ly found !erself at t!e center of Englands most important literary community. -nown as t!e )&loomsbury .roup* after t!e section of #ondon in w!ic! its members li'ed, t!is group of writers, artists, and p!ilosop!ers emp!asi/ed nonconformity, aest!etic pleasure, and intellectual freedom, and included suc! luminaries as t!e painter #ytton "trac!ey, t!e no'elist E. 0. 1orster, t!e composer &en2amin &ritten, and t!e economist Jo!n 0aynard -eynes. Wor%ing among suc! an inspirational group of peers and possessing an incredible talent in !er own rig!t, Woolf publis!ed !er most famous no'els by t!e mid31425s, including The Voyage Out, Mrs. Dalloway, Orlando, and To the Lighthouse. Wit! t!ese wor%s s!e reac!ed t!e pinnacle of !er profession. Woolfs life was e,ually dominated by mental illness. er parents died w!en s!e was young6 !er mot!er in 1845 and !er fat!er in 14576and s!e was prone to intense, terrible !eadac!es and emotional brea%downs. +fter !er fat!ers deat!, s!e attempted suicide, t!rowing !erself out a window. $!oug! s!e married #eonard Woolf in 1412 and lo'ed !im deeply, s!e was not entirely satisfied romantically or se(ually. 1or years s!e sustained an intimate relations!ip wit! t!e no'elist Vita "ac%'ille3West. #ate in life, Woolf became terrified by t!e idea t!at anot!er ner'ous brea%down was close at !and, one from w!ic! s!e would not reco'er. 8n 0arc! 28, 1471, s!e wrote !er !usband a note stating t!at s!e did not wis! to spoil !is life by going mad. "!e t!en drowned !erself in t!e 9i'er 8use. Woolfs writing bears t!e mar% of !er literary pedigree as well as !er struggle to find meaning in !er own unsteady e(istence. Written in a poised, understated, and elegant style, !er wor% e(amines t!e structures of !uman life, from t!e nature of relations!ips to t!e e(perience of time. :et !er writing also addresses issues rele'ant to !er era and literary circle. $!roug!out !er wor% s!e celebrates and analy/es t!e &loomsbury 'alues of aest!eticism, feminism, and independence. 0oreo'er, !er stream3of3consciousness style was influenced by, and responded to, t!e wor% of t!e 1renc! t!in%er enri &ergson and t!e no'elists 0arcel ;roust and James Joyce. $!is style allows t!e sub2ecti'e mental processes of Woolfs c!aracters to determine t!e ob2ecti'e content of !er narrati'e. <n To the Lighthouse =142>?, one of !er most e(perimental wor%s, t!e passage of time, for e(ample, is modulated by t!e consciousness of t!e c!aracters rat!er t!an by t!e cloc%. $!e e'ents of a single afternoon constitute o'er !alf t!e boo%, w!ile t!e e'ents of t!e following ten years are compressed into a few do/en pages. 0any readers of To the Lighthouse, especially t!ose w!o are not 'ersed in t!e traditions of modernist fiction, find t!e no'el strange and difficult. <ts language is dense and t!e structure amorp!ous. @ompared wit! t!e plot3dri'en Victorian no'els t!at came before it, To the Lighthouse seems to !a'e little in t!e way of action. <ndeed, almost all of t!e e'ents ta%e place in t!e c!aracters minds. +lt!oug! To the Lighthouse is a radical departure from t!e nineteent!3century no'el, it is, li%e its more traditional counterparts, intimately interested in de'eloping c!aracters and ad'ancing bot! plot and t!emes. Woolfs e(perimentation !as muc! to do wit! t!e time in w!ic! s!e li'edA t!e turn of t!e century was mar%ed by bold scientific de'elopments. @!arles Barwins t!eory of e'olution undermined an un,uestioned fait! in .od t!at was, until t!at point, nearly uni'ersal,

w!ile t!e rise of psyc!oanalysis, a mo'ement led by "igmund 1reud, introduced t!e idea of an unconscious mind. "uc! inno'ation in ways of scientific t!in%ing !ad great influence on t!e styles and concerns of contemporary artists and writers li%e t!ose in t!e &loomsbury .roup. To

the Lighthouse e(emplifies Woolfs style and many of !er concerns as a no'elist. Wit!
its c!aracters based on !er own parents and siblings, it is certainly !er most autobiograp!ical fictional statement, and in t!e c!aracters of 0r. 9amsay, 0rs. 9amsay, and #ily &riscoe, Woolf offers some of !er most penetrating e(plorations of t!e wor%ings of t!e !uman consciousness as it percei'es and analy/es, feels and interacts.

Plot Overview
CoteA To the Lighthouse is di'ided into t!ree sectionsA )$!e Window,* )$ime ;asses,* and )$!e #ig!t!ouse.* Eac! section is fragmented into stream3of3consciousness contributions from 'arious narrators. )$!e Window* opens 2ust before t!e start of World War <. 0r. 9amsay and 0rs. 9amsay bring t!eir eig!t c!ildren to t!eir summer !ome in t!e ebrides =a group of islands west of "cotland?. +cross t!e bay from t!eir !ouse stands a large lig!t!ouse. "i(3year3old James 9amsay wants desperately to go to t!e lig!t!ouse, and 0rs. 9amsay tells !im t!at t!ey will go t!e ne(t day if t!e weat!er permits. James reacts gleefully, but 0r. 9amsay tells !im coldly t!at t!e weat!er loo%s to be foul. James resents !is fat!er and belie'es t!at !e en2oys being cruel to James and !is siblings. $!e 9amsays !ost a number of guests, including t!e dour @!arles $ansley, w!o admires 0r. 9amsays wor% as a metap!ysical p!ilosop!er. +lso at t!e !ouse is #ily &riscoe, a young painter w!o begins a portrait of 0rs. 9amsay. 0rs. 9amsay wants #ily to marry William &an%es, an old friend of t!e 9amsays, but #ily resol'es to remain single. 0rs. 9amsay does manage to arrange anot!er marriage, !owe'er, between ;aul 9ayley and 0inta Boyle, two of t!eir ac,uaintances. Buring t!e course of t!e afternoon, ;aul proposes to 0inta, #ily begins !er painting, 0rs. 9amsay soot!es t!e resentful James, and 0r. 9amsay frets o'er !is s!ortcomings as a p!ilosop!er, periodically turning to 0rs. 9amsay for comfort. $!at e'ening, t!e 9amsays !ost a seemingly ill3fated dinner party. ;aul and 0inta are late returning from t!eir wal% on t!e beac! wit! two of t!e 9amsays c!ildren. #ily bristles at outspo%en comments made by @!arles $ansley, w!o suggests t!at women can neit!er paint nor write. 0r. 9amsay reacts rudely w!en +ugustus @armic!ael, a poet, as%s for a second plate of soup. +s t!e nig!t draws on, !owe'er, t!ese missteps rig!t t!emsel'es, and t!e guests come toget!er to ma%e a memorable e'ening. $!e 2oy, !owe'er, li%e t!e party itself, cannot last, and as 0rs. 9amsay lea'es !er guests in t!e dining room, s!e reflects t!at t!e e'ent !as already slipped into t!e past. #ater, s!e 2oins !er !usband in t!e parlor. $!e couple sits ,uietly toget!er, until 0r. 9amsays c!aracteristic insecurities interrupt t!eir peace. e wants !is wife to tell !im t!at s!e lo'es !im. 0rs. 9amsay is not one to ma%e suc! pronouncements, but s!e concedes to !is point made earlier in t!e day t!at t!e weat!er will be too roug! for a trip to t!e lig!t!ouse t!e ne(t day. 0r. 9amsay t!us %nows t!at 0rs. 9amsay lo'es !im. Cig!t falls, and one nig!t ,uic%ly becomes anot!er. $ime passes more ,uic%ly as t!e no'el enters t!e )$ime ;asses* segment. War brea%s out across Europe. 0rs. 9amsay dies suddenly one nig!t. +ndrew 9amsay, !er oldest son, is %illed in battle, and !is sister ;rue dies from an illness related to c!ildbirt!. $!e family no longer 'acations at its summer!ouse, w!ic! falls into a state of disrepairA weeds ta%e o'er t!e garden and spiders nest in t!e !ouse. $en years pass before t!e family returns. 0rs. 0cCab, t!e !ouse%eeper, employs a

few ot!er women to !elp set t!e !ouse in order. $!ey rescue t!e !ouse from obli'ion and decay, and e'eryt!ing is in order w!en #ily &riscoe returns. <n )$!e #ig!t!ouse* section, time returns to t!e slow detail of s!ifting points of 'iew, similar in style to )$!e Window.* 0r. 9amsay declares t!at !e and James and @am, one of !is daug!ters, will 2ourney to t!e lig!t!ouse. 8n t!e morning of t!e 'oyage, delays t!row !im into a fit of temper. e appeals to #ily for sympat!y, but, unli%e 0rs. 9amsay, s!e is unable to pro'ide !im wit! w!at !e needs. $!e 9amsays set off, and #ily ta%es !er place on t!e lawn, determined to complete a painting s!e started but abandoned on !er last 'isit. James and @am bristle at t!eir fat!ers blustery be!a'ior and are embarrassed by !is constant self3pity. "till, as t!e boat reac!es its destination, t!e c!ildren feel a fondness for !im. E'en James, w!ose s%ill as a sailor 0r. 9amsay praises, e(periences a moment of connection wit! !is fat!er, t!oug! James so willfully resents !im. +cross t!e bay, #ily puts t!e finis!ing touc! on !er painting. "!e ma%es a definiti'e stro%e on t!e can'as and puts !er brus! down, finally !a'ing ac!ie'ed !er 'ision.

Character List
Mrs. Ramsay 3 0r. 9amsays wife. + beautiful and lo'ing woman, 0rs. 9amsay is a wonderful !ostess w!o ta%es pride in ma%ing memorable e(periences for t!e guests at t!e familys summer !ome on t!e <sle of "%ye. +ffirming traditional gender roles w!ole!eartedly, s!e la'is!es particular attention on !er male guests, w!o s!e belie'es !a'e delicate egos and need constant support and sympat!y. "!e is a dutiful and lo'ing wife but often struggles wit! !er !usbands difficult moods and selfis!ness. Wit!out fail, !owe'er, s!e triump!s t!roug! t!ese difficult times and demonstrates an ability to ma%e somet!ing significant and lasting from t!e most ep!emeral of circumstances, suc! as a dinner party. 9ead an in3dept! analysis of 0rs. 9amsay. Mr. Ramsay 3 0rs. 9amsays !usband, and a prominent metap!ysical p!ilosop!er. 0r. 9amsay lo'es !is family but often acts li%e somet!ing of a tyrant. e tends to be selfis! and !ars! due to !is persistent personal and professional an(ieties. e fears, more t!an anyt!ing, t!at !is wor% is insignificant in t!e grand sc!eme of t!ings and t!at !e will not be remembered by future generations. Well aware of !ow blessed !e is to !a'e suc! a wonderful family, !e ne'ert!eless tends to punis! !is wife, c!ildren, and guests by demanding t!eir constant sympat!y, attention, and support. 9ead an in3dept! analysis of 0r. 9amsay. Lily Briscoe 3 + young, single painter w!o befriends t!e 9amsays on t!e <sle of "%ye. #i%e 0r. 9amsay, #ily is plagued by fears t!at !er wor% lac%s wort!. "!e begins a portrait of 0rs. 9amsay at t!e beginning of t!e no'el but !as trouble finis!ing it. $!e opinions of men li%e @!arles $ansley, w!o insists t!at women cannot paint or write, t!reaten to undermine !er confidence. 9ead an in3dept! analysis of #ily &riscoe. James Ramsay 3 $!e 9amsays youngest son. James lo'es !is mot!er deeply and feels a murderous antipat!y toward !is fat!er, wit! w!om !e must compete for 0rs. 9amsays lo'e and affection. +t t!e beginning of t!e no'el, 0r. 9amsay refuses t!e si(3year3old Jamess re,uest to go to t!e lig!t!ouse, saying t!at t!e weat!er will be foul and not permit itD ten years later, James finally ma%es t!e 2ourney wit! !is fat!er and !is sister @am. &y t!is time, !e !as grown into a willful and moody young man w!o !as muc! in common wit! !is fat!er, w!om !e detests. 9ead an in3dept! analysis of James 9amsay. Paul Rayley 3 + young friend of t!e 9amsays w!o 'isits t!em on t!e <sle of "%ye. ;aul is a %ind, impressionable young man w!o follows 0rs. 9amsays wis!es in marrying 0inta Boyle.

Minta Doyle 3 + flig!ty young woman w!o 'isits t!e 9amsays on t!e <sle of "%ye. 0inta marries ;aul 9ayley at 0rs. 9amsays wis!es. Charles Tansley 3 + young p!ilosop!er and pupil of 0r. 9amsay w!o stays wit! t!e 9amsays on t!e <sle of "%ye. $ansley is a pric%ly and unpleasant man w!o !arbors deep insecurities regarding !is !umble bac%ground. e often insults ot!er people, particularly women suc! as #ily, w!ose talent and accomplis!ments !e constantly calls into ,uestion. is bad be!a'ior, li%e 0r. 9amsays, is moti'ated by !is need for reassurance. William Bankes 3 + botanist and old friend of t!e 9amsays w!o stays on t!e <sle of "%ye. &an%es is a %ind and mellow man w!om 0rs. 9amsay !opes will marry #ily &riscoe. +lt!oug! !e ne'er marries !er, &an%es and #ily remain close friends. Au ustus Carmichael 3 +n opium3using poet w!o 'isits t!e 9amsays on t!e <sle of "%ye. @armic!ael languis!es in literary obscurity until !is 'erse becomes popular during t!e war. An!rew Ramsay 3 $!e oldest of t!e 9amsays sons. +ndrew is a competent, independent young man, and !e loo%s forward to a career as a mat!ematician. Jas"er Ramsay 3 8ne of t!e 9amsays sons. Jasper, to !is mot!ers c!agrin, en2oys s!ooting birds. Ro er Ramsay 3 8ne of t!e 9amsays sons. 9oger is wild and ad'enturous, li%e !is sister Cancy. Prue Ramsay 3 $!e oldest 9amsay girl, a beautiful young woman. 0rs. 9amsay delig!ts in contemplating ;rues marriage, w!ic! s!e belie'es will be blissful. Rose Ramsay 3 8ne of t!e 9amsays daug!ters. 9ose !as a talent for ma%ing t!ings beautiful. "!e arranges t!e fruit for !er mot!ers dinner party and pic%s out !er mot!ers 2ewelry. #ancy Ramsay 3 8ne of t!e 9amsays daug!ters. Cancy accompanies ;aul 9ayley and 0inta Boyle on t!eir trip to t!e beac!. #i%e !er brot!er 9oger, s!e is a wild ad'enturer. Cam Ramsay 3 8ne of t!e 9amsays daug!ters. +s a young girl, @am is misc!ie'ous. "!e sails wit! James and 0r. 9amsay to t!e lig!t!ouse in t!e no'els final section. Mrs. Mc#a$ 3 +n elderly woman w!o ta%es care of t!e 9amsays !ouse on t!e <sle of "%ye, restoring it after ten years of abandonment during and after World War <. Macalister 3 $!e fis!erman w!o accompanies t!e 9amsays to t!e lig!t!ouse. 0acalister relates stories of s!ipwrec% and maritime ad'enture to 0r. 9amsay and compliments James on !is !andling of t!e boat w!ile James lands it at t!e lig!t!ouse. Macalister%s $oy 3 $!e fis!ermans boy. e rows James, @am, and 0r. 9amsay to t!e lig!t!ouse.

Themes& Moti's ( )ym$ols

0r. 9amsay and 0rs. 9amsay ta%e completely different approac!es to lifeA !e relies on !is intellect, w!ile s!e depends on !er emotions. &ut t!ey s!are t!e %nowledge t!at t!e world around t!em is transient6t!at not!ing lasts fore'er. 0r. 9amsay reflects t!at e'en t!e most enduring of reputations, suc! as "!a%espeares, are doomed to e'entual obli'ion. $!is reali/ation accounts for t!e bitter aspect of !is c!aracter. 1rustrated by t!e ine'itable demise of !is own body of wor% and en'ious of t!e few geniuses w!o will outlast !im, !e plots to found a sc!ool of p!ilosop!y t!at argues t!at t!e world is designed for t!e a'erage, unadorned man, for t!e )liftman in t!e $ube* rat!er t!an for t!e rare immortal writer. 0rs. 9amsay is as %eenly aware as !er !usband of t!e passage of time and of mortality. "!e recoils, for instance, at t!e notion of James growing into an adult, registers t!e worlds many

dangers, and %nows t!at no one, not e'en !er !usband, can protect !er from t!em. er reaction to t!is %nowledge is mar%edly different from !er !usbands. W!ereas 0r. 9amsay is bowed by t!e weig!t of !is own demise, 0rs. 9amsay is fueled wit! t!e need to ma%e precious and memorable w!ate'er time s!e !as on eart!. "uc! crafted moments, s!e reflects, offer t!e only !ope of somet!ing t!at endures.
Art as a Means of Preservation

<n t!e face of an e(istence t!at is in!erently wit!out order or meaning, 0r. and 0rs. 9amsay employ different strategies for ma%ing t!eir li'es significant. 0r. 9amsay de'otes !imself to !is progression t!roug! t!e course of !uman t!oug!t, w!ile 0rs. 9amsay culti'ates memorable e(periences from social interactions. Ceit!er of t!ese strategies, !owe'er, pro'es an ade,uate means of preser'ing ones e(perience. +fter all, 0r. 9amsay fails to obtain t!e p!ilosop!ical understanding !e so desperately desires, and 0rs. 39amsays life, t!oug! filled wit! moments t!at !a'e t!e s!ine and resilience of rubies, ends. 8nly #ily &riscoe finds a way to preser'e !er e(perience, and t!at way is t!roug! !er art. +s #ily begins !er portrait of 0rs. 9amsay at t!e beginning of t!e no'el, Woolf notes t!e scope of t!e pro2ectA #ily means to order and connect elements t!at !a'e no necessary relation in t!e world6)!edges and !ouses and mot!ers and c!ildren.* &y t!e end of t!e no'el, ten years later, #ily finis!es t!e painting s!e started, w!ic! stands as a moment of clarity wrested from confusion. +rt is, per!aps, t!e only !ope of surety in a world destined and determined to c!angeA for, w!ile mourning 0rs. 9amsays deat! and painting on t!e lawn, #ily reflects t!at )not!ing stays, all c!angesD but not words, not paint.*
The Subjective Nature of Reality

$oward t!e end of t!e no'el, #ily reflects t!at in order to see 0rs. 9amsay clearly6to understand !er c!aracter completely6s!e would need at least fifty pairs of eyesD only t!en would s!e be pri'y to e'ery possible angle and nuance. $!e trut!, according to t!is assertion, rests in t!e accumulation of different, e'en opposing 'antage points. Woolfs tec!ni,ue in structuring t!e story mirrors #ilys assertion. "!e is committed to creating a sense of t!e world t!at not only depends upon t!e pri'ate perceptions of !er c!aracters but is also nothing more than t!e accumulation of t!ose perceptions. $o try to reimagine t!e story as told from a single c!aracters perspecti'e or6in t!e tradition of t!e Victorian no'elists6from t!e aut!ors perspecti'e is to reali/e t!e radical scope and difficulty of Woolfs pro2ect.
The Restorative Effects of Beauty

+t t!e beginning of t!e no'el, bot! 0r. 9amsay and #ily &riscoe are drawn out of moments of irritation by an image of e(treme beauty. $!e image, in bot! cases, is a 'ision of 0rs. 9amsay, w!o, as s!e sits reading wit! James, is a sig!t powerful enoug! to incite )rapture* in William &an%es. &eauty retains t!is soot!ing effect t!roug!out t!e no'elA somet!ing as trifling as a large but 'ery beautiful arrangement of fruit can, for a moment, assuage t!e discomfort of t!e guests at 0rs. 9amsays dinner party. #ily later complicates t!e notion of beauty as restorati'e by suggesting t!at beauty !as t!e unfortunate conse,uence of simplifying t!e trut!. er impression of 0rs. 9amsay, s!e belie'es, is compromised by a determination to 'iew !er as beautiful and to smoot! o'er !er comple(ities and faults. Ce'ert!eless, #ily continues on !er ,uest to )still* or )free/e* a moment from life and ma%e it beautiful. +lt!oug! t!e 'ision of an isolated moment is necessarily incomplete, it is lasting and, as suc!, endlessly seducti'e to !er.
Motifs Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the texts major themes.

The ifferin! Behaviors of Men and Wo"en

+s #ily &riscoe suffers t!roug! @!arles $ansleys booris! opinions about women and art, s!e reflects t!at !uman relations are worst between men and women. <ndeed, gi'en t!e e(tremely opposite ways in w!ic! men and women be!a'e t!roug!out t!e no'el, t!is difficulty is no wonder. $!e dynamic between t!e se(es is best understood by considering t!e be!a'ior of 0r. and 0rs. 9amsay. $!eir constant conflict !as less to do wit! di'ergent p!ilosop!ies6indeed, t!ey bot! ac%nowledge and are moti'ated by t!e same fear of mortality6t!an wit! t!e way t!ey process t!at fear. 0en, 0rs. 9amsay reflects in t!e opening pages of t!e no'el, bow to it. .i'en !er rat!er traditional notions of gender roles, s!e e(cuses !er !usbands be!a'ior as ine'itable, as%ing !ow men can be e(pected to settle t!e political and economic business of nations and not suffer doubts. $!is understanding attitude places on women t!e responsibility for soot!ing mens damaged egos and ac!ie'ing some %ind of !armony =e'en if temporary? wit! t!em. #ily &riscoe, w!o as a 3single woman represents a social order more radial and lenient t!an 0rs. 9amsays, resists t!is duty but ultimately ca'es in to it.
Brackets

<n )$ime ;asses,* brac%ets surround t!e few sentences recounting t!e deat!s of ;rue and +ndrew 9amsay, w!ile in )$!e #ig!t!ouse,* brac%ets surround t!e sentences comprising @!apter V<. Eac! set of sentences in brac%ets in t!e earlier section contains 'iolence, deat!, and t!e destruction of potentialD t!e s!ort, stabbing accounts accentuate t!e brutality of t!ese e'ents. &ut in @!apter V< of )$!e #ig!t!ouse,* t!e purpose of t!e brac%ets c!anges from indicating 'iolence and deat! to 'iolence and potential sur'i'al. W!ereas in )$ime ;asses,* t!e brac%ets surround ;rues deat! in c!ildbirt! and +ndrews peris!ing in war, in )$!e #ig!t!ouse* t!ey surround t!e )mutilated* but )ali'e still* body of a fis!.
Symbols Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. The Li!hthouse

#ying across t!e bay and meaning somet!ing different and intimately personal to eac! c!aracter, t!e lig!t!ouse is at once inaccessible, illuminating, and infinitely interpretable. +s t!e destination from w!ic! t!e no'el ta%es its title, t!e lig!t!ouse suggests t!at t!e destinations t!at seem surest are most unobtainable. Just as 0r. 9amsay is certain of !is wifes lo'e for !im and aims to !ear !er spea% words to t!at end in )$!e Window,* 0rs. 9amsay finds t!ese words impossible to say. $!ese failed attempts to arri'e at some sort of solid ground, li%e #ilys first try at painting 0rs. 9amsay or 0rs. 9amsays attempt to see ;aul and 0inta married, result only in more attempts, furt!er e(cursions rat!er t!an rest. $!e lig!t!ouse stands as a potent symbol of t!is lac% of attainability. James arri'es only to reali/e t!at it is not at all t!e mist3s!rouded destination of !is c!ild!ood. <nstead, !e is made to reconcile two competing and contradictory images of t!e tower 6!ow it appeared to !im w!en !e was a boy and !ow it appears to !im now t!at !e is a man. e decides t!at bot! of t!ese images contribute to t!e essence of t!e lig!t!ouse6t!at not!ing is e'er only one t!ing6a sentiment t!at ec!oes t!e no'els determination to arri'e at trut! t!roug! 'aried and contradictory 'antage points.
Lily#s Paintin!

#ilys painting represents a struggle against gender con'ention, represented by @!arles $ansleys statement t!at women cant paint or write. #ilys desire to e(press 0rs. 9amsays essence as a wife and mot!er in t!e painting mimics t!e impulse among modern women to %now and understand intimately t!e gendered e(periences of t!e women w!o came before t!em. #ilys composition attempts to disco'er and compre!end 0rs. 9amsays beauty 2ust as Woolfs

construction of 0rs. 9amsays c!aracter reflects !er attempts to access and portray !er own mot!er. $!e painting also represents dedication to a feminine artistic 'ision, e(pressed t!roug! #ilys an(iety o'er s!owing it to William &an%es. <n deciding t!at completing t!e painting regardless of w!at !appens to it is t!e most important t!ing, #ily ma%es t!e c!oice to establis! !er own artistic 'oice. <n t!e end, s!e decides t!at !er 'ision depends on balance and synt!esisA !ow to bring toget!er disparate t!ings in !armony. <n t!is respect, !er pro2ect mirrors Woolfs writing, w!ic! synt!esi/es t!e perceptions of !er many c!aracters to come to a balanced and trut!ful portrait of t!e world.
The Ra"says# $ouse

$!e 9amsays !ouse is a stage w!ere Woolf and !er c!aracters e(plain t!eir beliefs and obser'ations. Buring !er dinner party, 0rs. 9amsay sees !er !ouse display !er own inner notions of s!abbiness and !er inability to preser'e beauty. <n t!e )$ime ;asses* section, t!e ra'ages of war and destruction and t!e passage of time are reflected in t!e condition of t!e !ouse rat!er t!an in t!e emotional de'elopment or obser'able aging of t!e c!aracters. $!e !ouse stands in for t!e collecti'e consciousness of t!ose w!o stay in it. +t times t!e c!aracters long to escape it, w!ile at ot!er times it ser'es as refuge. 1rom t!e dinner party to t!e 2ourney to t!e lig!t!ouse, Woolf s!ows t!e !ouse from e'ery angle, and its structure and contents mirror t!e interior of t!e c!aracters w!o in!abit it.
The Sea

9eferences to t!e sea appear t!roug!out t!e no'el. &roadly, t!e e'er3c!anging, e'er3mo'ing wa'es parallel t!e constant forward mo'ement of time and t!e c!anges it brings. Woolf describes t!e sea lo'ingly and beautifully, but !er most e'ocati'e depictions of it point to its 'iolence. +s a force t!at brings destruction, !as t!e power to decimate islands, and, as 0r. 9amsay reflects, )eats away t!e ground we stand on,* t!e sea is a powerful reminder of t!e impermanence and delicacy of !uman life and accomplis!ments.
The Boar#s Skull

+fter !er dinner party, 0rs. 9amsay retires upstairs to find t!e c!ildren wide3awa%e, bot!ered by t!e boars s%ull t!at !angs on t!e nursery wall. $!e presence of t!e s%ull acts as a disturbing reminder t!at deat! is always at !and, e'en =or per!aps especially? during lifes most blissful moments.
The %ruit Basket

9ose arranges a fruit bas%et for !er mot!ers dinner party t!at ser'es to draw t!e partygoers out of t!eir pri'ate suffering and unite t!em. +lt!oug! +ugustus @armic!ael and 0rs. 9amsay appreciate t!e arrangement differently6!e rips a bloom from itD s!e refuses to disturb it6t!e pair is broug!t !armoniously, if briefly, toget!er. $!e bas%et testifies bot! to t!e )fro/en* ,uality of beauty t!at #ily describes and to beautys seducti'e and soot!ing ,uality.