To the Lighthouse

The interior monologues that make up the bulk of the novel emphasize the changeability of an individual’s thoughts and emotions. This impermanence that characterizes the inner workings of the human psyche emphasize that life itself is impermanent and uncertain. Various symbols in the novel, like the sea and the boar’s skull in the children’s room, also draw attention to this theme, as well as all the foreboding events in the novel that remind the reader that death can interrupt life at any point.

For example, Mrs. Ramsay’s feelings towards her husband are highly changeable; at one moment, she adores his genius, only to feel impatient with his frustrated ambition a few moments later. Tansley’s changing emotions are influenced by his lower middle-class upbringing as the son of a chemist and shopkeeper; at any moment, he may undergo an invisible change as a result of being reminded of where he comes from. Lily’s reflections on art and ambition demonstrate that her self-doubt is always at war with her impulse to paint and to create something she likes; her changed attitude towards Tansley reflects her sensitivity. Mr. Ramsay’s irrational fury at Augustus Carmichael’s request for another bowl of soup at the dinner party captures his emotional volatility, which coexists with his exceptionally rational approach to metaphysical philosophy and his interactions with his children.