Role of Mrs. Ramsay in To the lighthouse

1. Umm-e-RoomanYaqoob(Roll # 3)
To The Lighthouse
Adeline VirginiaWoolf
Adeline VirginiaWoolf (25January1882 – 28 March 1941) was an Englishwriterandone of the
foremostmodernistsof the twentiethcentury.Duringthe interwarperiod,Woolf wasa significantfigure
inLondonliterarysocietyanda central figure inthe influentialBloomsburyGroupof intellectuals.Her
mostfamousworksinclude the novelsMrs.Dalloway(1925),To the Lighthouse (1927) and Orlando
(1928), andthe book-lengthessayA Roomof One'sOwn(1929), withitsfamousdictum, "A woman must
have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."
To The Lighthouse
To the Lighthousewaswrittenby VirginiaWoolf in1927. The novel centers onthe Ramsay`sand their
visitstothe Isle of Skye inScotlandbetween1910 and 1920.In 1998, the Modern Library namedTo the
LighthouseNo.15 onits listof the 100 bestEnglish-language novelsof the 20th century.In2005, the
novel waschosenby TIME magazine asone of the one hundredbestEnglish-language novelsfrom1923
to present.Thisnovel isdividedintothreeparts:1) The Window, 2) Time Passes,3) The Lighthouse .
FinestCreation
Let usbeginbyquotingsome very pertinentandilluminatinglinesfrom An Introduction To TheEnglish
Novelby ArnoldKettle:“Thesubject of To The Lighthouse, if one may properly attempt to isolate it at all, is
Mrs. Ramsay and the effect of her presence, her very being, on the life around her. That effect cannot be fully
understood or fully conveyed within her own life but in the final Time section, when she is already dead she is
still the main figure.”
Mrs. Ramsay, one of the finestcreationsof VirginiaWoolf,iswithoutthe leastshade of doubtthe
central figure aroundwhichactionandmovementin To The Lighthouseisbuilt.She isdefinitely
radiatingthroughthe entire novel andimpregnatingall the othercharacters,majororminor.Fromthe
verybeginningof the novel,structurallyorpsychologically,she isthe cohesive force andthe source of
unityinit.In fact the firstpart of the novel iscompletelydominatedbythe toweringpersonalityof this
great lady. Itmust be crystal clear that inTo The LighthouseMrs. Ramsayisundoubtedlythe central
figure andthe most importantcharacter.She dominatesthe novel notonlyduringherlifetime buteven
afterher deathwithnolessimportance.
Umm-e-Rooman Yaqoob
Structural and Psychological Centre
In the veryopeningscene of the novel we findthe focusonMrs.Ramsay. Servingasa model forLily
Briscoe she sitsat the windowthatlinksthe lawnwiththe interior.Peoplestartcomingandgoing,but
Mrs. Ramsay’s part is like thatof a milestone inthe movementof variouscharacters.Mr.Ramsay and

2. Mr. CharlesTansleyare firsttocome to Mrs. Ramsay.AndMrs. Ramsay’simpressionsaboutthem,as
revealedinherstreamof consciousness,fill outthe scene forthe readers.Thenwe findMr.Bankesand
LilyBriscoe alsocomingwithinherrange of vision.Soshe isthe centre aroundwhichall seemto be
moving.Inthe novel alarge varietyof people withtheirownideasandeccentricitiesare found.Andvery
remarkablyMrs.Ramsay withhergreat tact, sympathyandunderstandingholdsthemtogether.
A UnifyingForce
Thisunifyingandcohesive force of Mrs.Ramsayis superblyrevealedinthe course of the dinnerparty
towardsthe endof the firstpart of the novel.Inthis scene she verynicelyperformsthe dutyof
connectingdifferentindividualstoeachother.Andforthisshe has alsoto engage herself withsomeof
them.LilyandCharlesTansleyare of opposite poles.ButMrs.RamsayprevailsonLilyto have some
considerationforTansley.Mrs.RamsayintervenesandTansleyisbroughtoutof hisisolation.He gets
the requiredattentiontomake himfeel atease.AndthenMr.Carmichael isalsobroughtout of himself
by the beautyof that ‘yellowandpurple dishof fruit’placedonthe middle of the table.EvenMr.
Bankes,whothinksitto be a terrible waste of time toattendsuchdinners,feelselatedafterhearing
fromher that he has justrelishedaFrenchrecipe of hergrandmother.‘Andthe whole effortof merging,
flowingandcreatingrestedonher.’
Faiza Anwar Kamal
Her Personal Charms and Attractiveness
Mrs. Ramsay was,no doubt,advancedinage and the motherof the eightchildren,still she possessed
great physical charmand attractiveness.There are frequentreferencesandappreciationof herbeauty
inthe novel andone of the great secretsof her personal appeal unmistakablyliesinherphysical charm.
Her charm elicitshighadmirationnotonlyfromthe male membersof the circle of herfriendsbutalso
fromwomen whoare equallyfascinatedbyher.Anemblemof Mrs.Ramsay’scompassionorpowerto
heal isthe ‘nurse carryinga lightacrossa darkroom’ assuringa crossor fractiouschild;the lighthere
standsfor whatMrs. Ramsayhas it inherpowerto give to others.A similarkindof emblemisusedby
Mrs. Ramsay herself inherreflectiononherownbeautyandabilitytosucceedwithpeople:‘She bore
aboutwithher,she couldnot helpknowingit,the torchof her beauty’.The ‘light’here isthatqualityto
attract people whichpeoplerespondto,andthroughwhichtheyfindaccessto hercompassion.The
warmthand brightnessof Mrs. Ramsay’s‘light’createsthe ‘circle of ‘life’intowhichshe cantake her
husbandandmake him secure.It fillsthe house tooasshe createddrawing-roomandkitchen,setthem
all aglow’.Itis responsible tooforthe almostgoldenworldof the Ramsaychildren,orof the childhood
whichshe fostersandcherishes.Soshe createsasun-filledworld,thoughithasitsshadows.Andinher
worldshe wantsmenand womentobe unitedandbecome fruitful like herself.She offersher
protectiontoall.
Mehak Rasool
Symbol ofthe Female Principle

3. Mrs. Ramsay may alsobe takenas a symbol of the female principleinlife.Probablythatiswhyshe has
neverbeencalledbyherfirstname inthe novel asClarissaDallowayin Mrs.Dalloway. Thissymbolism
seemstobe evidentwhenwe have apeepintohermindinthe dinner scene.VirginiaWoolf inhernovel
says“Again she felt, as a fact without hostility, the sterility of men, for if she did not do it nobody would do it …”
She wantsmenand womentobe unitedandbecome fruitfullikeherself.Atthe intellectual levelshe
offersherprotectionandinspirationtobothscience andart—toLilyBriscoe the painter,toBankesthe
botanist,toCarmichael the poet,toTansleythe scholarandabove all to her husbandthe philosopher.
Thus she seemstohave the whole of the othersex underherprotection.
Sheerphysical charmalone cannotaccount forso much of appeal andattractiveness.Beautywithout
grace and dignitycannothave somuch influence onothers.She hasabundantfemininegraces.She is
polite andculturedinhermannersandkindand considerate inhertemperament.She isabsolutelyfree
fromall egotismandis neverina moodto assertherself.Hence hergraceful mannersandkind
dispositioncombinedwithherextraordinaryphysical charmcasta healthyspellonall whocame in
contact withher.
Rabia Ashiq
Her Kind and Sympathetic Nature
The most outstandingtraitof Mrs. Ramsay’scharacter is hercompassionforthe poorand the
unfortunate,the greatconcernandconsiderationforthe childrenandinfinitesympathyforthe unhappy
and neglectedsouls.Herheartoverflowswiththe milkof human sympathyandkindness.Inthe very
firstfewchapterswe findherverybusyinknittingstockingsforthe sicksonof the Lighthouse-keeper.
She feelsforthemall astheyare to live adull and unhappylife inalonelyisland.Notonlythis,we also
findhergoingto the townto helpthe poor andthe needy.
Thenwe findherhavinggreat affectionandsympatheticconsiderationforthe children.She knowsthe
truth,yet notto disheartenhersevenyearoldsonshe deviatesfromtruth.ButMr. Ramsayshattersthe
hope of a youngsoul bybluntlytellinghimthattheywon’tbe able togo to the Lighthouse the nextday
due to inclementweather.Andthisdifferenceof attitude revealsthe sharpcontrastbetweenthe
husbandandthe wife.
As regardsthe grown-upsshe hasall sympathyforCharlesTansleyinspite of all hisegotismand
peculiarities.She knowsthatTansleyispoor.He had to struggle hardto take out an existence for
himself.She isalsoasource of inspirationtoLilyBriscoe.She iskindandsympatheticto Carmichael
whose life hasbeenshatteredbyashrewishwife.She triesherbesttosmoothenthe widowedlife of
Mr. Bankes.Above all,inspite of greatdifference intemperamentandintheirattitude towardsthe
problems of life Mrs.Ramsayisa constantsource of inspirationtoMr.Ramsay, herhusband.She knows
that he is absolutelydependentonherforsympathyandunderstanding.
Samia Shabbir
As a Match-maker

4. EvenMrs. Ramsay’smaniaformatchmakingleanstovirtue’s side.Thisrevealsanotheraspectof her
essentiallyfeminine character.Outof hergreat sympathyforall she is keenlyinterestedinestablishing
peace and harmonyamongpeople.She feelsforthe lonelylife of awidower;she isconcernedaboutthe
future of an oldmaid.That is whyshe wantsLilyBriscoe to marry Mr. Bankes.She isnot goingto mind
evenif LilymarriesCharlesTansley.Her joyknows noboundwhenshe comestoknow that Paul and
Minta are engaged.Itisa matter of pride forher forbringingthemtogether.Of course she cannotbe
blamedif theirmarriage isa failure.Infact,essentiallyfeminine asshe is,she wantsmenandwomento
unite andbecome fruitful like herself.
Sense of Humour
Mrs. Ramsay possessesagoodsense of humourtoo. Whenshe covers‘that horridskull’tothe
satisfactionof bothCamand James,itnicelyrevealshersenseof humourbesideshersympathetic
understanding.Whenwe findherlaughingquiteingoodhumourwhenshe thinksaboutMintamarrying
a man witha goldwatch ina wash-leatherbag.
Kinza Qaisarani
Dominatesevenafter Death
The dominatingpersonalityandthe imposingphysical presence of Mrs.Ramsay isfeltbyus onlyinthe
firstpart of To The Lighthouse. Inthe secondpartall of a suddenwe find:“Mr. Ramsaystumblingalong
a passage stretchedhisarmsout one dark morning,but,Mrs. Ramsayhavingdiedrathersuddenlythe
nightbefore,he stretchedhisarmsout,theyremainedempty.”Eventhenshe pervadesthe whole book.
Her influenceonthe importantcharacters, especially onLilyBriscoe andMr.Ramsay, isreallyvery
significant.Inthe final movementof the novel Mrs.Ramsayis constantlypresentedthroughLily
Briscoe’sconsciousness,andherfull significance asaunitingforce isclearlyrevealed.Itisthe apparition
of thisgreatlady,at the same windowinthe same summer-house,which enablesLilyBriscoe to
complete herpicture afteralapse of tenyears.Andat the verysame momentMr. Ramsay,who under-
tookthe journeytothe lighthouse withCamandJamesto fulfil one of Mrs.Ramsay’scherishedwishes,
landsat hisdestination.ThisshowshowMrs.Ramsaydeadismore powerful thanMr.Ramsay living.
Conclusion
Mrs. Ramsay mighthave some little flawsinhercharactersuchas her susceptibilitytoflattery.Itmight
be that she wantedto be praisedor appreciatedwhile helpingothersordoingsome gooddeed.But
withherextreme civilityandgoodness,withherirresistible charmsanddominatingpersonalityhersisa
unique characterfromthe penof a great artist.We mayconclude byquotingthe apropos remarksof
JoanBennett:“Mrs Ramsay, Mrs. Daloway, Eleanor Pargiter, each of the main personalities in Between the
Acts, and many others from her books, inhabit the mind of the reader and enlarge the capacity for sympathy. It
is sympathy rather than judgement that she invokes, her personages are apprehended rather than
comprehended.”
Sara George