Analysis of Mr. Ramsay in Woolf's To the Lighthouse
Mr. Ramsay becomes a character that represents change in Virginia Woolf's novel, To the Lighthouse. With the changes his character experiences, Woolf is able to express the movement away from traditional patriarchal ideals that were in place in Victorian England. In many respects, he is the antagonist in the novel. Through his character, Woolf probes how men and women approach life during a patriarchal society. For instance, Mr. Ramsay thinks in abstract, linear terms. His forte is philosophy, which allows him to consider life in terms of subjects and objects and how they affect reality. He is a rational creature depending upon his education for answers and the metaphor of the alphabet represents how he perceives the world. However, his is a rather fixed style of thinking and it does not leave room for growth. His journey to the lighthouse represents how is able to move away from his restrictive way of thinking and realize there is more to life.A close analysis of Mr. Ramsay illustrates how he represents the male-dominated world that Woolf experienced. He tends to take a more intellectual approach to life. Like his wife, he is aware that the world and everything in it is temporary. This fact plagues him because it is h
Mr. Ramsay is also bitter because he cannot reconcile the thoughts that cause him disturbing thoughts. This often leads to selfish and rude behavior. In addition, because he is encumbered with the responsibility of his work, he must constantly look to the women in his life for appreciation and support. As the novel progresses, his character undergoes a transformation. This is illustrated through the character of Lily, whose perspectives begin to change after Mrs. Ramsay's death. Mr. Ramsay, too, is greatly impacted by his wife's death because he must face the fact that the world cannot be broken down into linear terms, as he once believed. His movement toward the lighthouse and the fact that he is moving out of his shell are acts that symbolize a movement away from traditional patriarchal values. At the end of the novel, reality sets in. As the lighthouse comes into view, it loses the romantic qualities Mr. Ramsay attached to it. Upon closer inspection, it was a "stark tower on a bare rock. It satisfied him. It confirmed some obscure feeling of his about his own character" (301-2). In a sense, we see how Woolf is replacing the old with the new and from this transformation, Mr. Ramsay finally escaped his former way of thinking. This is best illustrated in Lily's thought, "he ha
Some common words found in the essay are:
Stella McNichol, Victorian England, Virginia Woolf's, , traditional patriarchal, movement traditional patriarchal, movement traditional, former thinking, patriarchal society, approach life, linear terms,
Approximate Word count = 873
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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