Psychoanalytic Eyes: A Psychoanalytic Approach to Literature

Psychoanalytic Eyes: A Psychoanalytic Approach to Literature

This blog will be much more than a literary theory because we will discuss Psychoanalytic Criticism. I am not well-versed in this field. However, on one such occasion, I met Sigmund Freud who is the founder of the science of psychoanalysis. 

Our blog consists of two parts:

1.     Sigmund Freud and his Psychoanalytic Criticism

2.     Jacques Lacan Psychoanalytic Criticism

Before starting, I will briefly mention both. Initially, let’s define what is Psychoanalytic Criticism?

What is Psychoanalytic Criticism

Psychoanalytic criticism is a way of analysing literature by looking at how the hidden parts of the mind (what we call the unconscious) might influence characters, authors, and even the story itself. It’s about uncovering the deeper emotions, desires, and conflicts that shape behaviour and decisions in a text.

Freud’s Psychoanalysis

The foundation of psychoanalytic criticism comes from Sigmund Freud’s theories about the human mind. He divided the mind into three main parts:

1.     Id (Instincts): The part of us that says, “I want it now!” It’s all about desires and impulses.

2.     Ego (Reality): The part that balances the id and the superego. It says, “Let’s think this through and find a solution.”

3.   Superego (Morality): The part that says, “This is right, and this is wrong.” It’s like our inner rulebook.

According to Freud, characters (and even authors) might show hidden fears, desires, or inner struggles in their words, actions, and dreams.

Lacan’s Mirror Stage

Jacques Lacan expanded on Freud’s ideas. He introduced the concept of the “mirror stage,” where a child looks into a mirror and starts to understand themselves as a separate being. In literature, this can be applied to characters searching for their identity or struggling to understand who they are.

An Example: Hamlet

Let’s take Shakespeare’s Hamlet as an example. Hamlet struggles with decisions throughout the play, torn between action and inaction. Freud’s idea of the Oedipus Complex (a child’s deep, unconscious feelings of rivalry with their father and attachment to their mother) can be used to analyze Hamlet’s complicated emotions about his parents. This might explain some of his hesitations and internal conflicts.

Why Does It Matter?

Psychoanalytic criticism helps us see stories on a deeper level. Instead of just asking “What happened?” we ask, “Why did this character act this way?” It gives us insight into the human mind and emotions, making the story richer and more meaningful.

The Unconscious

Sigmund Freud’s theory of the mind divides it into two main parts: the conscious mind (or the ego) and the unconscious mind. While the conscious mind contains thoughts and feelings that we are aware of, the unconscious mind holds thoughts, memories, and desires that are kept hidden from our awareness.

What is the Unconscious?

The unconscious is like a secret place in our minds where we keep things we don’t notice or think about. It is where we store feelings, thoughts, and sometimes even things we don’t know we feel or think. For example, sometimes we do not know why something makes us happy or why we feel sad. But our unconscious has the answers to those feelings.

A lot of times, things we do not realize are in our unconscious can affect what we do or how we feel. These hidden thoughts don’t just pop up in our minds by themselves, but sometimes they show up in strange ways like in dreams or through behaviours that seem a little odd (called "neurotic symptoms"). So, we might not know exactly why we want something or why we like someone, but our unconscious knows why.

Freud's work is built on the idea of the unconscious, which is the part of our mind we are not aware of, but it still strongly affects what we do. Freud did not invent the idea of the unconscious, but he was unique in believing that it plays a major role in shaping our actions and thoughts. One important idea connected to this is repression. Repression is when we “forget” or try to ignore things like unresolved problems, hidden desires, or bad memories from our past. These things are pushed out of our conscious mind and into the unconscious, where we don't think about them, even though they can still influence our behaviour.

Sometimes most of us feel like that. However, we need to overcome this. To overcome repression, it is important to start by becoming aware of the suppressed emotions and thoughts that may be influencing you. This awareness can be achieved by reflecting on your feelings and behaviours. Facing these emotions, even if they are uncomfortable, is crucial to letting them go.

Id

In Freud’s structural theory, the Id represents the most primitive and selfish part of an individual. This innate structure works to fulfil instinctual desires and basic needs, independent of social norms and moral rules. The Id is often described as an animalistic part, and it is sometimes compared to a small child. Children have a strong desire to immediately satisfy their wishes and are impatient, which reflects the nature of the Id. For example, when a child says, "Let's play now!" it is an expression of their instinctual need for instant satisfaction.

Ego

The Ego works based on the reality principle, meaning it helps the individual act rationally and logically without pushing the limits of reality. The function of the Ego is to balance the innate Id with the moral values represented by the Superego.

• The Id represents instinctual desires.
• The Superego represents social and moral norms.
• The Ego acts as a mediator between these two structures, striving to realistically satisfy the individual’s desires. The Ego uses secondary processes to maintain this balance. Secondary processes involve the individual’s ability to think, delay gratification, and plan. These processes help the individual meet their needs in a timely and appropriate manner. The Ego also uses defence mechanisms when necessary. Defence mechanisms are psychological strategies that protect the individual from internal conflicts or sources of stress. If a defence mechanism is used, it is always carried out by the Ego.

Superego (The Super Ego)

The Superego develops during the phallic stage of psychosexual development, typically between the ages of 3 and 6. It becomes fully visible around the ages of 5 or 6. It represents the moral aspect of our personality.

• The Id works based on the pleasure principle.
• The Ego operates on the reality principle.
• The Superego works based on moral principles.

The Superego represents everything that pressures the individual, including laws, rules, customs, traditions, and societal expectations like "What will others think?" It embodies the pressure exerted by society. The Superego is seen as our perfectionist side. Phrases like "Mr. Gökalp is a perfect person" or "Ms. Leyla is a perfect person" are often used in this context. While striving for perfection might sound appealing, attempting to be perfect often leads to problematic behaviour patterns. If you live only to please others or live based on societal expectations, it prevents you from being yourself.

The Superego essentially tells you two things based on societal and moral values:

1.     What should you do?

2.     What should you not do?

If you fail to do what you should, you will feel shame. If you do something you shouldn’t, you will feel guilty.

For example, on a bus, if you find a seat and the bus fills up, and then an elderly woman gets on, your Superego (your moral side) asks, "What should you do?" You should stand up and give the seat to the elderly woman. If you don’t give up your seat after noticing her, Freud would say you would feel shame. This feeling of shame is part of the Superego.

According to Freud's model of personality, the human mind operates on three levels:

1.     Conscious Level: Thoughts and perceptions we are currently aware of.

2. Preconscious Level: Information and memories that are not immediately accessible but can be brought to consciousness.

3. Unconscious Level: Thoughts, feelings, and memories that are repressed or forgotten, and we are not aware of them.

Freud identified three components of personality:

***Superego: Represents moral values and ideals, learned from society and parents, shaping one's conscience.

***Ego: Acts as the mediator between the id's impulses and the superego's restrictions. It makes rational decisions based on reality and operates at both the conscious and preconscious levels.

***Id: Represents basic impulses (especially sex and aggression), seeking immediate gratification, and operates irrationally and impulsively. It functions entirely at the unconscious level.

Aspects of Sexuality in Freudian Psychoanalysis

Freud's theories place a significant focus on sexuality. He proposed that infantile sexuality begins early in life, not at puberty, particularly through the infant’s relationship with the mother. This is connected to the Oedipus complex, where a male infant desires to eliminate the father and become the mother's sexual partner. This conflict is believed to extend into various forms of rivalry, such as professional competition, which can be seen as reproducing sibling rivalry.

Freud also introduced the concept of libido, the sexual energy drive. In his classic model, the libido goes through three stages of focus: oral, anal, and phallic. Over time, Freud expanded the libido into Eros (life instinct) and Thanatos (death instinct), with the latter being controversial.

Defence Mechanism

A defence mechanism is an unconscious process aimed at protecting the individual from anxiety caused by internal conflicts and external stressors. Healthy individuals employ various defence mechanisms throughout their lives. However, if the use of a defence mechanism becomes persistent and leads to maladaptive behaviour, it can adversely affect mental or physical health.

Key Defence Mechanisms

1. Repression: Repression prevents unacceptable thoughts and memories from entering conscious awareness. Freud theorized that repression is a defence mechanism that forces distressing memories into the unconscious. This idea arose when Freud observed the difficulty patients had in recalling past events under hypnosis.

2. Sublimation: Repressed desires are redirected into more socially acceptable activities. For example, sexual desires might manifest as religious fervour or artistic creativity.

3.   Transference: This occurs when a patient redirects feelings from their past (such as resentment toward a parent) onto the therapist. It is often a tool for psychoanalysis as unresolved emotions from past relationships resurface.

4.    Condensation: In Freudian theory, condensation happens when multiple thoughts, memories, or ideas are merged into a single image or symbol in dreams. This process allows the unconscious to express itself through seemingly unrelated symbols in dreams or symptoms.

5.    Displacement: This is when a person redirects an impulse, often negative, toward a less threatening object or person. For example, a person frustrated at work might take out their anger on a family member instead.

6.  Screen Memories: These are seemingly trivial memories that serve to obscure more significant or painful ones. Screen memories help protect the individual from confronting distressing or unacceptable childhood experiences.

7.   Freudian Slip: Also known as "parapraxis," this is a mistake or error in speech, memory, or action that reflects an unconscious thought, desire, or wish. Common examples include slips of the tongue or miswritten words, which reveal repressed material.

Dream Work

Dreams are the unconscious mind’s way of processing and transforming desires and memories into dream images. Freud identified mechanisms like displacement (where one image represents another) and condensation (where multiple elements are combined into one image). This "dream work" translates abstract feelings or desires into concrete representations, much like how literature uses symbolism. Dreams often communicate indirectly, making use of symbolic representations instead of straightforward statements.

How Freudian Interpretation Works

Freudian interpretation is commonly associated with attributing sexual meanings to everyday objects, such as seeing towers or ladders as phallic symbols. However, Freud himself once said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." This illustrates that while Freudian interpretation can be playful, it is also more nuanced and sophisticated than simply labelling things as sexual symbols.

The mechanisms of displacement and condensation in Freudian theory serve two main purposes:

1.     They allow repressed material (fears, desires, memories) to bypass the censor that prevents them from entering conscious awareness.

2.     They transform repressed content into something symbolic that can be expressed in dreams—images, metaphors, and symbols. Dreams, like literature, don’t communicate directly but rather show repressed desires symbolically. This connection between dreams and literature has made Freudian interpretation highly appealing to literary critics.

Freud's The Psychopathology of Everyday Life

In his work, Freud explores everyday occurrences like forgetting, slips of the tongue, bungled actions, and superstitions. He argued that these seemingly trivial actions are not accidents, but manifestations of repressed material attempting to return to consciousness. For instance, a bungled action (such as putting the paper in your mouth instead of the candy) can be seen as a product of unconscious wishes or fears trying to resurface. Freud famously claimed, “There is always a return of the repressed.” Even when repressed material is forced out of conscious awareness, it finds ways to return.

Freud and Literary Criticism

Freudian analysis has been influential in literary criticism because both the unconscious mind and literature express themselves indirectly. Literature, like the unconscious, often uses symbols, metaphors, and imagery to convey meaning rather than making explicit statements. As a result, psychoanalytic interpretations of literature often seek to uncover these hidden meanings and have thus been central to literary studies. However, such interpretations can be controversial due to their subjective nature and the judgmental element involved in interpreting hidden desires and motivations within texts.

What Freudian Psychoanalytic Critics Do

1.     Conscious vs. Unconscious Mind

Freudian critics place central importance on the distinction between the conscious and the unconscious mind in literary analysis. They view the overt content of a literary work as related to the conscious mind, while the covert content—often the deeper, hidden meanings—is associated with the unconscious. These critics aim to uncover the unconscious aspects of the text, as they believe that these hidden elements reveal the true meaning of the work.

2.     Unconscious Motives

They focus on uncovering unconscious motives and feelings, both in the author and in the characters within the text. By analysing the hidden desires, fears, and psychological drives, critics seek to better understand the underlying motivations that shape the narrative and characters.

3.     Psychosexual Stages

Freudian critics often identify classic psychoanalytic symptoms, conditions, or phases, particularly the oral, anal, and phallic stages of infant emotional and sexual development. These stages are seen as influencing the characters' psychological development and are often traced in literary works to highlight deep-seated unconscious drives.

4.     Psychoanalytic Concepts in Literary History

They apply psychoanalytic theories broadly to literary history. For instance, Harold Bloom's The Anxiety of Influence (1973) uses the Oedipus complex to explain the struggle poets face in creating their own identity in the shadow of past masters. This struggle is seen as a psychoanalytic process where the artist's creation is influenced by both admiration and rivalry with previous generations.

5.     Psychic vs. Social Context

Freudian critics emphasize the psychic context of a work (i.e., the individual's psychological struggles) over the social or historical context (e.g., class conflict). They focus on internal conflicts, such as the Oedipal struggle between generations, sibling rivalries, or the tension between competing desires within the same individual. These internal dynamics are considered more significant than social or political issues, such as class struggles, in the Freudian approach to literary analysis.

Jacques Lacan and Literary Theory

Jacques Lacan (1901-1981), a French psychoanalyst, made significant contributions to literary theory, particularly through his development of the concept of the unconscious and its relationship to language. His work challenged traditional Freudian ideas and had a profound influence on literary studies, especially in the context of post-structuralism.

Lacan's Background

Lacan began his career with a medical degree and psychiatry training in the 1920s, focusing initially on paranoia and publishing a thesis about his patient Aimee. His theory of the 'mirror stage' was first presented in 1936 and later shaped his broader psychoanalytic framework. Lacan's ideas evolved under the influence of leading intellectual figures such as Claude Lévi-Strauss, Ferdinand de Saussure, and Roman Jakobson. In the 1950s, Lacan rejected the traditional focus on the conscious mind, emphasizing instead the role of the unconscious in shaping human experience.

The Unconscious and Language

Lacan famously declared, "the unconscious is structured like a language." This statement highlights his view that the unconscious mind operates in ways similar to language—through symbolic systems, structures, and signifiers. Lacan was particularly influenced by Saussure's theory of language, which posits that meaning is derived not from a direct relationship between words and things but from the differences between words. This structural view of language became a central element in Lacan's psychoanalytic theory.

For Lacan, language is not merely a tool for communication but the very structure through which human beings understand themselves and the world. The unconscious, then, is not a chaotic mass of repressed desires, as traditionally thought, but an ordered system of signs, much like the structure of language itself.

Freud and Linguistic Mechanisms

Lacan’s analysis of the unconscious draws from Freud's dream work mechanisms—condensation and displacement—which Lacan correlates with metaphor and metonymy in language:

1.     Metonymy: In language, one word can stand in for another (e.g., a part representing the whole). Lacan sees this in dreams where a characteristic (e.g., an object like a car) stands for something larger (e.g., a person or an idea).

2.     Condensation: Multiple ideas or images are fused into a single symbol, similar to how a metaphor works in language, where two separate images (e.g., a ship cutting through waves and a plough cutting through soil) combine into one.

This linguistic nature of the unconscious is further demonstrated in Freudian mechanisms like puns, wordplay, and other forms of verbal expression that reveal hidden meanings.

Reconceptualizing the Self

Lacan's work challenges the traditional view of the self as a unified, conscious entity. Drawing on Descartes’ "I think, therefore I am," Lacan reverses this by asserting that "I am where I think not," meaning that true selfhood lies in the unconscious. According to Lacan, the conscious self is merely a linguistic construct, not a stable, essential entity. The self is "deconstructed" and exists only in relation to language—a system that precedes the individual and structures their understanding of the world.

Implications for Literary Theory

1.     Characterization

Since Lacan deconstructs the notion of the self as a stable entity, traditional characterization in literature is called into question. Literary characters, then, can no longer be seen as fully realized, autonomous individuals but rather as assemblages of signifiers. Characters are understood as symbolic representations that function within a network of meaning, much like words in a sentence.

2.     Language and Reality

Lacan’s view of language as detached from the external world also rejects literary realism. In realist literature, the text is assumed to reflect the real world. However, from a Lacanian perspective, language doesn’t mirror reality; instead, it creates its own world. This view aligns with modernist and postmodernist literature, where texts often break from conventional narrative structures and engage in self-referential, fragmented forms. Literary works that play with language and reference other texts reflect Lacan’s belief in the self-referential nature of language.

Mirror Stage

The Mirror Stage happens when a child sees its reflection and begins to recognize itself as separate from the world. This marks the start of language acquisition and socialization, symbolizing the formation of the ego. In literature, this can reflect a character’s fragmented or evolving identity.

Imaginary

The Imaginary is the realm of idealized self-images and unity. It focuses on immediate, image-based understanding and is connected to the ego’s creation. In literary terms, the Imaginary represents illusions or the idealized self.

Symbolic

The Symbolic is the world of language, law, and social structure. It shapes the individual through signifiers, creating order. In literature, it aligns with realist narratives, rooted in logic and order.

Real

The Real refers to what cannot be symbolized—those aspects of experience that resist representation. In literature, the Real signifies the ineffable, often the unexpressed or unresolvable elements of a story.

Imaginary vs. Symbolic in Literature

Realist literature typically reflects the Symbolic, structured and logical. In contrast, anti-realist works like metafiction or magic realism tap into the Imaginary, disrupting structure and exploring irrationality and fragmentation.

What Lacanian Critics Do

 1.    Uncovering the Text's Subconscious

Lacanian critics, like Freudian critics, explore unconscious motives, but rather than focusing on the author or characters, they look at the unconscious of the text itself. This involves identifying contradictory meanings and hidden undercurrents within the text, much like a subconscious beneath the text's conscious surface. This approach is akin to deconstruction, which seeks to reveal these underlying contradictions.

2.    Identifying Lacanian Psychoanalytic Phases

They also analyse literary works through Lacanian phases or symptoms, such as the Mirror Stage or the influence of the unconscious. This could manifest in characters' development or the text’s structure, revealing aspects of identity formation, separation, and desire.

3.    Exploring Lacanian Concepts

Lacanian critics interpret the text through broader Lacanian concepts like lack and desire. They look for how these concepts manifest in the narrative, characters, and symbolism, emphasizing the deep psychological structures at play.

4.    Focusing on Language and the Unconscious

A primary concern for Lacanian critics is how language shapes the unconscious. They highlight how signs, symbols, and language often elude clear meaning, reflecting Lacan's idea that the signified (the concept behind a word) is always elusive. They argue that literary works are enactments of Lacanian ideas, especially the central role of the unconscious and how language shapes identity and meaning.

5.    Favouring Anti-Realist Texts

Lacanian critics tend to favour anti-realist texts that question or disrupt conventional literary representations. These works, such as metafiction or magic realism, reflect the instability of the self and the fluidity of reality, engaging with Lacanian notions of the fragmented self and the interplay between the Imaginary, Symbolic, and Real.

To the Lighthouse: A Modernist Masterpiece

To the Lighthouse: A Modernist Masterpiece

I have recently been studying literary theories and theories. Modernism was the last time I shared modernism and postmodernism. We compared and explained these two literary movements. In this blog, we will explore To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, one of the most important figures of modernist literature. Although the stream-of-consciousness technique used by Wool made it difficult for me while reading the book, I was able to understand the book after I concentrated more. I can easily say that it is really the most difficult book to understand among the books I read this year because you see the world from each character’s perspective and you can put yourself in the place of each character. With characters, allegories, images and dialogues, Woolf wrote a truly masterful novel To the Lighthouse. We will briefly glimpse at Woolf's life and start the article because I think the characters and their attitudes in the book are a part of Woolf's life.

Virginia Woolf, born in London to Julia Jackson Duckworth and Sir Leslie Stephen, grew up in an intellectually rich environment, educating herself in her father’s extensive library and interacting with prominent Victorians. Despite her privileged upbringing, her youth was marked by trauma, including sexual abuse by her half-brother, the deaths of her mother, half-sister, father, and brother, and subsequent mental breakdowns, shaping her future as a writer and intellectual. (Abrams, M. H., Greenblatt, S., David, A., & Lewalski, B. K. (1987). The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Major Authors (6th ed.). London: Norton & Company Ltd.)

After her father passed away, Virginia Woolf moved with her sister and two brothers to Bloomsbury, a district in London that became famous for the intellectual group she was part of. This “Bloomsbury Group” included figures like biographer Lytton Strachey, economist John Maynard Keynes, art critic Roger Fry, and novelist E. M. Forster. The Bloomsbury Group was at the heart of London's middle and upper-middle-class intellectual scene. They were known for their sharp minds and open discussions, especially on sexual topics, which influenced Woolf’s views on gender. Woolf grew increasingly concerned with the position of women, especially professional women, and the constrictions under which they suffered. She wrote several cogent essays on the subject, and women's social subjection also arose in her fiction.

In March 1941 she drowned herself in a river, an act influenced by her dread of World War II (she and Leonard would have been arrested by the Gestapo had the Nazis invaded England) and her fear that she was about to lose her mind and become a burden on her husband, who had supported her emotionally and intellectually.

A new term, a new style…

Our novel consists of three parts: the Window, Time Passes and the Lighthouse… To explain parts briefly:

1.  The Window: This section focuses on the Ramsay family during their summer vacation on the Isle of Skye, introducing their dynamics and relationships.

2.   Time Passes: This part depicts the passage of time, capturing changes in the house and the lives of the characters over a decade, including the impact of WWI.

3.  The Lighthouse: In the final section, the family and friends return to the Isle of Skye, and the long-anticipated trip to the lighthouse is fulfilled, bringing resolution and reflection.

One of the things that made it difficult for me to understand the novel was Woolf's use of the stream-of-consciousness technique, which is a writing technique used to show the natural, uninterrupted flow of a character's thoughts and feelings. It mirrors how people think in real life, often jumping between ideas, memories, and emotions in a random or connected way. As for Modernist literature, is characterized by its break from traditional storytelling methods. Woolf's use of techniques like stream of consciousness revolutionized how we understand human thought and experience. In particular, as you witness Lily's ideas and the changes in these ideas, you grasp this better it. Woolf uses humour to show how she doesn’t want to follow the usual way of telling stories. Instead of focusing on events happening one after another, she wants to focus on how people feel and think inside.

Politics

The period between 1901 and 1945, during which Woolf and Bell worked, was marked by political changes in Britain. These changes influenced their artistic and literary output, with modernist ideas often challenging traditional forms. European countries, including Britain, competed for control of African territories. This aggressive form of imperialism was a significant part of Britain's foreign policy during the late 19th century. By 1900, Britain controlled a significant portion of the world's land, people, and trade, which made it a dominant global power. However, this power was beginning to be questioned by the public.

·      The Boer War: The war in South Africa (also known as the Anglo-Boer War) was a key event that shook public confidence in Britain's imperial power. The British Empire, which had been seen as invincible, faced unexpected difficulties in this war, challenging the idea of its supremacy.

Historical context is important for understanding the themes in modernist literature and art.

World War II

In the first half of the 20th century, Britain experienced big changes. Even though the British Empire was at its largest, Britain started losing some of its political and economic power to other European countries. WWI (1914-1918) influenced Britain severely, with many casualties that made people lose confidence. Then, in 1939, Britain got involved in World War II after Nazi Germany invaded Poland. By 1940, German forces had taken over much of Europe and started bombing Britain in what was called “The Battle of Britain.” Like many others, Virginia Woolf heard the bombers and wrote about the experience in her diaries. She wrote in her diaries about the constant noise of German bombers overhead. She noted, “We are being a good deal bombed at the moment.” This time also saw big movements for freedom worldwide, like the fight for women's rights in Britain, the Russian Revolution, and India's push for independence. These global changes impacted Woolf’s writing, with themes of war, power, and change showing up in her work.

The Novel

In To the Lighthouse, Woolf suggests that for a character to truly experience and appreciate a deep moment of awareness, they need to be thoughtful and sensitive, like James Ramsay. Woolf shows these moments as rare but powerful times when the character is completely focused on the present. Other modernist writers also explored similar moments but in their own way.

·      For example, in Dubliners by James Joyce, the characters often have sudden realizations at the end of stories. These moments, called “epiphanies,” usually show the characters' flaws or arrogance, as seen in stories like “Araby” and “The Dead.”

The Novel and Meaning of Life

In To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf explores big questions about life. She wonders if human life and our personalities last forever or are just temporary. If life is short, what’s the point of everything we do? The novel looks at how we try to connect with others, create art, and even fight battles. These actions are part of life, but they might seem pointless when we think about the big picture. Through the story’s style, which shows what characters are thinking, and its use of images like waves and a lighthouse, Woolf shows that life is both long-lasting and very brief at the same time. It’s full of both stillness and change.

Opposite Binaries

In To the Lighthouse, the concept of opposite binaries appears in various forms, where two contrasting ideas or concepts are presented as opposites. For example, there are opposites like time versus timelessness or the traditional roles of men and women. These binaries help to explore the different perspectives of the characters and highlight the tensions between the changing and unchanging aspects of life. Woolf uses these contrasts to deepen the themes of identity, relationships, and the passage of time in the novel.

"Yes, of course, if it's fine tomorrow," said Mrs. Ramsay. "But you'll have to be up with the lark," she added.[...] "But," said his [James's] father, stopping in front of the drawing-room window, "it won't be fine."[...] "Perhaps you will wake up and find the sun shining and the birds singing," she said compassionately, soothing the little boy's hair, for her husband, with his caustic saying that it would not be fine, had dashed his spirits she could see. [...] "And even if it isn't fine tomorrow," said Mrs. Ramsay, [...] "it will be another day." [...] She stroked James's head; she transferred to him what she felt for her husband, and, as she watched him chalk yellow the white dress shirt of a gentleman in the Army and Navy Stores catalogue, thought what a delight it would be to her should he turn out a great artist; and why should he not? [...]

By contrast, Mrs Ramsay elevates the importance of people's feelings over other considerations. Her interactions are guided by a fine-tuned sense of individual human needs as well as the understanding that multiple truths coexist and communal harmony requires self-sacrifice. Thus, she finds abhorrent her husband's seemingly callous behaviour, just as he recoils from her apparent irrationality. She delights in imagining James as an artist; he, in his self-centeredness, assumes his son will become an academic like himself. (For an alternative interpretation of this scene, see Doyle, "These Emotions" 50-52; "Voyaging" 151, 160, 163-65.)

In this part of To the Lighthouse, we see two very different ways of thinking through the characters of Mrs. Ramsay and her husband. Mrs. Ramsay is positive and caring. When her son James is disappointed, she tries to cheer him up by saying that even if tomorrow doesn't go as planned, there will always be another day. She focuses on people’s feelings and wants to make others happy. She even imagines her son growing up to be a great artist.

Her husband, Mr. Ramsay, is the opposite. He's more serious and practical. He tells James that it probably won't be a nice day, which makes James feel worse. Mr. Ramsay cares more about facts and what’s realistic than about comforting others. The difference between how Mrs Ramsay and Mr Ramsay approach things shows two very different ways of thinking about life—one focused on emotions and the other on facts and reality. This theme of different perspectives is something Woolf explores throughout the novel.

Mr & Mrs Ramsay

In To the Lighthouse, Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay are quite different, but they still manage to balance each other out in their marriage. Mrs. Ramsay finds peace in the everyday routines of family life, like taking care of the children and keeping things calm. Mr. Ramsay, on the other hand, tries to deal with his frustrations by thinking about big, important things like duty and success. Mr. Ramsay instead looks to epic themes of battle, duty, and chivalry to transform his anger over women's "irrationality" (31) into striving for "success in love" (Karras 25).

Lily Briscoe

Lily Briscoe is a character in To the Lighthouse who changes a lot as she thinks about her dreams, her art, and her life. At first, she doesn’t understand herself fully, but as time goes on, she learns more about who she is and what she wants. The lighthouse in the story represents her changing ideas about life and who she is. As she grows and thinks about her art, Lily’s views change, and she starts to understand life and death more deeply. She sees things differently from others, and that helps her understand the world in her special way.

The Ramsay Family

The Ramsay family and Lily Briscoe’s journeys are deeply connected to the lighthouse. By the end of the novel, Mr. Ramsay finally reaches the lighthouse, and Lily has her artistic breakthrough. This represents their personal growth and understanding. For Lily, this is a moment of freedom, as she lets go of the idea that women must marry, a belief Mrs. Ramsay held. Through this, Lily matures as an artist and finds a way to break free from societal expectations that limit women, especially as artists, a struggle Virginia Woolf herself faced.

The Image of the Lighthouse

In To the Lighthouse, the lighthouse is an important symbol for Lily Briscoe and her journey as an artist. It represents her changing thoughts and dreams, especially about her art. As Lily’s views on life, people, and herself change, so does how she sees the lighthouse This reflects her growth and how she’s developing both as a person and as an artist. For Lily, art is a way to understand the world and the different ways people see life. It helps her explore her own feelings and the realities of life, like death, and how others view these things. A big influence on Lily is Mrs. Ramsay, who encourages her to keep following her artistic dreams. Lily feels a strong bond with Mrs. Ramsay, and this relationship helps Lily understand life more deeply, influencing how she views the world around her.

Lily’s feelings about the lighthouse: Lily Briscoe experiences inner conflict. On one hand, she's drawn to the lighthouse in the distance like it's a goal or dream she wants to reach. On the other hand, she’s stuck in the present moment, sitting on the lawn and focused on her painting. ???Her canvas seems to challenge her. It feels cold, almost as if it's judging her for being too caught up in her emotions and distractions. The canvas seems to demand a clear, decisive focus, free from the chaos of her inner turmoil. This moment reflects Lily's struggle between her emotional impulses and the discipline needed to pursue her art.

The depth of feelings that Lily has towards Mrs. Ramsay: Lily Briscoe feels a deep connection to Mrs. Ramsay, but she’s also confused about what exactly she’s feeling. She wonders if Mrs. Ramsay has some special wisdom or understanding that she doesn't know about. Lily thinks maybe there’s something hidden inside Mrs. Ramsay, something important that everyone must have in order to make sense of life.

She imagines that inside Mrs. Ramsay’s mind and heart, there are secrets, like treasures in a tomb, that would explain everything if only she could figure them out. But she knows these secrets are locked away, never shared with anyone. Lily feels a strong desire to understand and to find a way to reach those hidden parts of Mrs. Ramsay. She believes there must be some way to access this knowledge, but she doesn’t know how.

 

 Women can/can’t do

Woolf shows the idea that women are often told they can’t create great art, whether it’s painting or writing. Lily Briscoe, a key character, starts to see that Mr. Ramsay, who seems sure of himself, also has doubts about the value of his work. When Lily realizes this, she starts to appreciate both her work and his more. She understands that, like him, she sometimes doubts herself, but she can also see the value in what she does. As she paints, her progress matches Mr. Ramsay’s journey to the lighthouse, showing how both of them are growing and finding some kind of closure.

Throughout the story, Lily becomes more mature and aware of the people around her. She learns to value not just her art, but the art of others too. This shows she’s starting to understand the bigger picture of human experience and the importance of expressing oneself through art. As Lily becomes more aware of herself and her surroundings, she feels more fulfilled. The lighthouse in the story represents how our understanding of who we are changes with time and experience. Lily’s journey with her art shows how her view of herself and the world evolves as she grows and learns from the people and experiences around her.

Lily on Mr. Ramsay’s criticism of women: Lily Briscoe thinks about Mr. Ramsay’s harsh opinion that women can’t write or paint. She realizes that even though his words hurt her, they don't actually mean much. It's more about him trying to feel better about himself, not about her or her abilities. Lily wonders why his comments affect her so deeply if they aren't true. She feels knocked down for a moment but quickly decides to focus on her art instead of getting upset. She tells herself that what matters is her painting, not his criticism. She even thinks about laughing at him as a way to get back at him, showing that she’s determined not to let his views get to her. This is a key moment where Lily finds her strength again and reminds herself that she doesn’t need to prove anything to him. She just needs to keep going with her work.

Up to now, we have talked about the general outline of the book; now I would like to talk about the more detailed parts. Like what? What does the title of the book, Lighthouse, actually symbolise? Lily's artistic adventure, her harassment from Mr. Ramsay, and her admiration for Mrs. Ramsay. Indeed, I want to talk more about the character of Lily because she may be a part of Woolf's life or she may reflect her directly. I will continue this blog by utilising various academic studies in this context.

The image of the lighthouse is one of the mysteries that make us think about its significance, dominance, richness, and more importantly the development of this image which goes in line with the development of the artistic dreams for Lily. Lily’s change of psychological, ontological, personal and social perspectives about herself seems to correlate and synchronize with the constantly changing images of the lighthouse and her perception of the surroundings. Bani-Khair, B. M. (2016). Throughout the novel, the image of the lighthouse occupies the central focus of our attention as the novel begins and ends with it.

Daniela asserts that “To the Lighthouse” culminates with Mr. Ramsay reaching the Lighthouse and Lily Briscoe having her vision. The Ramsay family is reunited and Lily Briscoe realizes that she is not haunted by Mrs. Ramsay’s statement ‘women must marry’. As she matures as a painter Virginia Woolf is overcoming her anger and frustration caused by the fact that she did not fit into the generally accepted pattern of the woman’s role in society and in family life, and especially of the status of women as artists” (288).

Lily sees art much as a personal and philosophical view of life towards people, things, and existing realities, such as the reality of death and life. Through art only, she could understand the very facts of life, views of people around her, dreams, realities, and existence besides her own contemplations of the surroundings and nature. For example, Lily has been greatly influenced by Mrs. Ramsay who gives her more encouragement to pursue her artistic wishes.

• For example, Lily has been greatly influenced by Mrs. Ramsay, who encourages her to pursue her artistic wishes.

Lily feels that there is something special about Mrs. Ramsay because she can see in her the love of wisdom, secrets, and most importantly the appreciation of art. Lily sees in Mrs. Ramsay the dreams of art and the aspirations that women look for. She feels sympathy towards her for she has dreams that have never been real, but they all remain suppressed secrets. She sees in her the very dream of a woman that she herself dreams to achieve. On many occasions in the novel, Mr. Ramsay is described as a hypocrite, but she also keeps changing her views about him as much as she continues to consider her art and change her views and attitudes towards it. Lily could see in Mr. Ramsay the opposite representation of his wife. Although she is reluctant and unable to decide how to judge him, she can see in him the ugliness of tyranny and selfishness of the soul.

Lily’s character in To the Lighthouse undergoes significant psychological changes as she navigates her inner struggles and self-doubt. Her dream of becoming an artist is overshadowed by fears of failure and uncertainty about her potential, reflected in her perception of the lighthouse as both distant and unattainable, mirroring her artistic aspirations. Despite criticism, such as from Mr. Ramsay, Lily learns to trust her abilities, using her painting as a means to express her emotions and confront her fears. By the end, finishing her painting symbolizes her liberation from self-doubt and her connection to her dreams, with the lighthouse representing both the challenges and the hope driving her forward.

The lighthouse in To the Lighthouse represents a symbol reflecting the dreams, aspirations, and personal philosophies of the novel's characters. For Lily, it embodies her artistic desires and her struggles with self-realization. It is tied to her most intense moments of psychological clarity, representing both inspiration and the challenges of pursuing her ambitions. The lighthouse also reflects Lily’s existential thoughts, connecting her painting to the temporary nature of life and the enduring nature of art, despite her doubts about her work's permanence.

For other characters, such as Ramsay’s sons, the lighthouse has different meanings. It symbolizes childhood dreams, the passage of time, and their relationship with their parents, particularly Mrs. Ramsay. For Paul, it represents the fulfilment of aspirations, as seen in his emotional response upon reaching the lighthouse, where he feels gratitude toward Mrs. Ramsay for guiding him.

The lighthouse’s meaning expands with the characters, embodying hope, despair, achievement, and the inevitability of change. The chapter “Time Passes” underscores the transformation of the self-alongside the changing realities of time and place. For Lily, the lighthouse becomes a metaphor for life itself—a reflection of her philosophy on being and existence. In the novel’s structure, the lighthouse acts as a unifying image, shaping the narrative and giving meaning to the characters’ lives. It ties together their psychological, social, and familial experiences, fulfilling as a personal symbol.

In the last part, I would like to point out that it is really a difficult book to read and understand, and it contains many themes that we have not yet talked about. The book has many themes, such as men and women, the meaning of life, the destructiveness or constructiveness of time, and the separation of people's outer and inner worlds. Moreover, it contains quite a lot of symbols. In this context, it is a book open to the reader's interpretation. I started to experience modernist literature with this book; in fact, maybe this was what made it difficult for me to read and understand. But my first experience with Woolf was still not bad. After this blog, we will talk about A Passage To India.

Best Regards!