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An Analysis Of Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse

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Virginia Woolf, a world renown author with a portfolio of novels has a very distinct writing style that emphasize character development above all. True to her writing style, Virginia Woolf, in the novel To the Lighthouse, focuses on developing her characters while, at the same time, manages to convey her message.
In To the Lighthouse, Woolf uses her characters to explore the variety of different art forms. Unlike other tangible art forms, Mrs. Ramsay’s art can be said to be the art of pleasing others. In “Part 1: The Window”, Mrs. Ramsay is seen using her deft social skills and memorizing beauty to influence other people, make personal connections, and impact the world around her through other people. This form of art is rather intangible …show more content…

This was an era in which feminism flourished in all forms of art. Woolf uses Lily’s art as a symbol of the independence of women. In the beginning of the novel, Lily is uncomfortable with her art. She is unable to finish it because she is afraid of other’s people opinion on it; however in “Part 3: The Lighthouse,” Lily changes. For instance, with Mr. Ramsay’s presence, while Lily is painting, she becomes clumsy. “She had taken the wrong brush… and her easel, rammed into the earth so nervously, was at the wrong angle” (171). Just by the presence of Mr. Ramsay, Lily is nervous to the point that she makes mistake that. This portrays that Lily is still insecure about her art. Furthermore, as she is painting she is reminded by Charles Tansley’s opinion that “women can’t paint, can’t write.” This shows that she still lacks confidence in her art. She is taking into consideration the opinions of men, which undermines her confidence and mirrors her inabilities to finish the painting. Although, a change is that Lily continues to paint, she is not affected by the opinion of Tansley because she is able to maintain a rhythm. This reflects the change in Lily as she grows to feel confident about her art, which is a symbolic connection to being an independent woman in the novel. As Lily begin to feel comfortable with her art and neglects Tansley’s opinion, it shows that women, like Lily, during the feminist era are able to handle the criticism as they fight for their rights. In other words, Woolf uses Lily’s art as a way to symbolize the power of

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