Topic: Symbolism in 'To The Lighthouse'
Name : Pandya Dharmishtha D.
Paper No. : 9(The Modern Literature)
Class : M.A Sem- 3
Banch : 2015-17
Roll No.: 22
Email Id: [email protected]
Submitted by : Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English M.K.
Bhavnagar University
Introduction of Virginia Woolf :
Adline Virginia Woolf
Born on 25th January, 1882
Died on 28th March, 1941
She was an English writer and one of the foremost modernism of
the twentieth century
To the lighthouse
This novel is published on 5th May- 1927.
The novel is landmarkof high modernism.
To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf used the language of
psychoanalysis.
Reader can find stream of conciousness during reading the
novel.
The centre of the novel is Mr. And Mrs. Ramsays and thier visit
to the isle of skye in scotland.
The novel's first section taking place on a daybefore the first
World War.
The Window
Last section taking place on a day afterthe first World war.
The Lighthouse A middle period in which all the action happens
off stage during the war.
Time Passes
What is Symbolism?
In the broadest sense a symbol is anything which signifies in
this sense all words are symbols.
In discussing literature, the term symbol is applied only to a
word or phras that signifies an object or event which in its turn
signifies something, or has a range of resference, beyond
itself.
In simple way, can say that symbol is something which can show
some idea, thought, image, in one word or design. If only symbol
can show, reader can understand whole idea of that concept.
Symbolism in Virginia Woolf's 'To the Lighthouse'
Lighthouse: Titular Significance
Lily's Painting
Ramsay's Summer House
The Boar's skull
Rose's arrangement of the grapes and pears
The Sea, The Storm, The rock, reefs and shallow water.
Lighthouse: Titular Significance
The lighthouse is stand alone on a rock with the huge
construction.
That light symbolized the ray of goodness.
It is symbolized like truth triump over darkness.
Different critic has explained this symbol in a different
way.
Lily's Painting
Symbolizes woman's struggle in patriarchal society.
Against gender convention: Women can't paint or write.
The process of Lily's painting throughout the novel can be seen
as not only a symbol of the artistic dilemma faced by the modern
artist, but specially of a female artist.
Ramsay's Summer House
Psychological condition of the characters.
Physical condition of the house.
Mrs. Ramsay's dinner party presents her own inner notions of
untidiness and inablity to preserve beauty.
The Boar's skull
Reminder that death is always at hand
Symbolizes transient nature of art and life.
Mrs. Ramsay's understanding nature and enduring power to suffer
for others as she wraps it with her shawl.
Rose's arrangement of the grapes and pears
Rose arranges fruit basket for her mother's dinner party, it
symbolically presents guests' private suffering and unite them.
Basket symbolizes frozen quality of beauty, art and truth. The
absence of fruite basket in 3rd part.
The Sea, The Storm, The rock, reefs and shallow water
The Sea shows the instability of time and life.
The Sea
The storm
Storm consist of both wind and rain. And as air is the element
representing the mind, and water is the element representing the
emotions, storms symbolize agitated thoughts and emotions.
Metaphorically, storms are our Inner Demons which torment both our
mind and our subconscious.
The Rock
The rock show the life is too hard to life. It gives suffer, as
Mrs. Ramsay survived her life. The rocks, reefs and shallow water
symbolized the final danger and miseries.
Just as the saying its always seems always darkest before the
dawn.
Reefs Shallow Water
These symbols are showing certainty of life. The rock show the
life is too hard to life . It gives suffer.
Conclusion
In the novel express about human's different about behaviors and
how to srugglewoman life.
To The Lighthouse is a masterpiece of construction through
symbolism. It is an organic whole.
