"To the
Lighthouse" is a novel by Virginia Woolf. There is very little action as the novel works through the "Stream of Consciousness"
technique that Woolf is known for. It evokes imagery creating an atmospheric record of the experiences by the characters moment by moment. The reader is introduced to Mr Ramsay, a self-pitying philosopher whose mind is rational but rather cold. On the other hand, Mrs Ramsay is a warm, creative and intuitive woman.
The first
section is called "The Window." It describes a day during their summer holiday on the west coast of Scotland, where their guests include a painter, Lily Briscoe; an ageing poet, Augustus Carmichael; a scientist, William Bankes; and a young academic, Charles Tansley.
The novel focuses on the conflict arising from young James Ramsay's desire to visit the
lighthouse, and his father's earnest hope for this to eventuate. The expedition takes on symbolic qualities with underlying tensions caused by differences of perspective between Mr and Mrs Ramsay.
The second section is called "Time Passes." Mrs Ramsay has died, her eldest son, Andrew, killed in World War I, and the daughter, Prue, has died in childbirth. The Ramsay house by the seaside is deserted. At the end of this section, the painter Lily Briscoe and the poet Augustus Carmichael arrive to make the place alive again. Lily Briscoe in a way takes over the role of Mrs Ramsay as housekeeper.
During the final section called "The Lighthouse," Mr Ramsay and James, his son, make the long overdue voyage to the lighthouse. James, who is now 16 years old, forgives his father while Lily Briscoe paints something which is inspired by Mrs Ramsay.
The ending signifies one of triumph as Lily Briscoe says, "It is finished" from two events correlated in Briscoe's mind: her completion of the painting and at long last, the visit to the lighthouse, by the father and son, is realized.