This document discusses symbolism in Virginia Woolf's novel "To the Lighthouse". It summarizes that the novel uses symbols like the titular lighthouse, Lily's painting, Ramsay's summer house, a boar's skull, and arrangements of fruit to represent abstract ideas. The sea, storms, rocks and shallow water symbolize the instability, inner turmoil, hardships and dangers of life. The document analyzes these symbols and their interpretations by different critics. It concludes that the novel skillfully uses symbols that can be interpreted in various ways to create an organic whole.

1. Hiteshbhai C. Parmar
Semester – M.A. Sem. 3
Year 2014 – 15
Date: - 05-09-2014
Topic:- Symbolism in Virginia
Wollf’s ‘To The Lighthouse’
My Presentation at:
Smt. S.B. Gardi Department of English,
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji
Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar.

2. To The Lighthouse
• This novel is published on 5th
May – 1927.
• The novel is landmark of high
modernism.
• To the Lighthouse, Virginia
Woolf used the language of
psychoanalysis.
• Reader can find stream of
consciousness during reading
the novel.

3. To The Lighthouse
• The novel set on duration of 10 years
(it deals with the year - 1910 to 1920).
• The centre of the novel is Mr. and Mrs. Ramsays and
their visit to the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

4. The novel divided into three parts.
The novel’s first section taking place on a day
before the First World War.
The Window
A Middle period in which all the action happens
“off stage” during the war
Time Passes
Last section taking place on a day after the
First World War.
The Lighthouse

5.  What is Symbolism?
• In the broadest sense a symbol is anything which signifies
something; in this sense all words are symbols.
• In discussing literature, however, the term "symbol" is applied
only to a word or phrase that signifies an object or event
which in its turn signifies something, or has a range of
reference, beyond itself.

6.  What is Symbolism?
• 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.

7. Hospital

8. Traffic Lights

9.  What is Symbolism?
• . . . the artistic method of revealing ideas or truths through
the use of symbols
• Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
• Many novels have two layers of meaning. The first is in the
literal plot, the second in a symbolic layer in which images and
objects represent abstract ideas and feelings. Using symbols
allows authors to express themselves indirectly on delicate or
controversial matters.
• Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

10.  Modernist Literature and
Symbolism
• The Modern Period, in the decades after World War I, was a
notable era of symbolism in literature.
• The general association of a Peacock with pride and of an
Eagle with heroic endeavor,
• The Rising sun with birth of something good.
• The Setting sun with death, or surrender or failure.

11.  Modernist Literature and
Symbolism
પર્વત ને નામે પથ્થર, દરરયાને ને નામે પાણી,
‘ઈર્ાવદ’ આપણે તો, ઈશ્વરને નામે ર્ાણી.
This name ‘ઈર્ાવદ’` is shows the name of writer. That writer is
Chinu Modi.

12. • Gulliver’s Travel
Power position of White people on the entire
society.
Ideology of white people and their ambitious.
Satire on science and blindly followed people.
Animals are more rational and civilized.

13. • Symbolism in Virginia Wollf’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 Storms, the rock, reefs and shallow
water

14. 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
triumph over darkness.
• Different critic has
explained this symbol in a
different ways. (See .doc)

15. 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
o a female artist.

16. Ramsay’s Summer House
• Against gender convention:
“Women can’t paint or
write”.
• “Time Passes” section

17. The Boar’s Skull
• The presence of the skull
acts as a disturbing
reminder that death is
always at hand.
• Symbolizes transient nature
of art and life.

18.  Rose’s arrangement of the grapes
and pears (The Fruit Basket)
• The basket testifies both to
the “frozen” quality of
beauty that Lily describes
and to beauty’s seductive
and soothing quality.
• The absence of fruit basket
in 3rd part, signifies the
transitory nature of beauty,
art and truth.

19. The Sea, the Storms, the rock, reefs
and shallow water
The Sea
• The Sea shows the
instability of time and life.

20.  The Storms
• Storms consist of both wind
(air) and rain (water). 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.

21. The Rock
• The rock show the life is too
hard to life. It gives suffer,
as Mrs. Ramsays 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”

22. Reefs  Shallow Water
•These symbols are showing certainty of life. The rock show the
life is too hard to life. It gives suffer.

23. Conclusion
• While finding symbols in the novel, it is still a
subject of debates. Still critics are interpreting the
symbols in different ways. To The Lighthouse is a
masterpiece of construction through symbolism. It
is an organic whole.

24. Thank You…...