The Lighthouse holds a special place in the novel so far, as the place everyone looks toward with longing but can't get to. The lighthouse seems to mean something different to each of the three main characters in the Ramsay family (Mr Ramsay, Mrs Ramsay, and James) but surely there is some common attraction to the lighthouse that motivates all the characters. It is from Mrs. Ramsay's perspective that we first get a concrete description of the lighthouse. "The hoary lighthouse, distant, austere, in the midst [of the great plateful of blue water]," is how Mrs. Ramsay first describes the lighthouse. This reflects what Mrs. Ramsay sees in the lighthouse: isolation. Even though her nature and position leads her to surround herself with people, among them her husband, 8 children, and all the poor house-guests she invites in (it seems that all of them are people with nowhere to go). Mrs. Ramsay, as expressed on page 52 needs alone time to just think, and for her the lighthouse promises the quiet, austere, cerebral atmosphere she desires. That she thinks this is evident in the image of her sitting and knitting, thinking all the while, and noticing the beam of the lighthouse through the window. This image of the lighthouse as litterally a light in the dark is very powerful in the way it reveals what Mrs Ramsay truly thinks and feels about the lighthouse.
Mr Ramsey too looks out to the lighthouse with longing. We learn from Mrs. Ramsay that his favorite view from their summer home is that of the lighthouse from the terrace where he takes his evening walks. Mr Ramsay seems to wish to go to the lighthouse for the same reasons as Mrs Ramsay, except that for him the lighthouse seems to represent some greater truth, something which can only be attained by going there. Mr Ramsay often in his musings mixes together the idea of the lighthouse and the idea of his progression from Q to R and then beyond. It is interesting to note that Mr Ramsay seems to temper his desire to go to the lighthouse with his rational understanding that tomorrow the weather will prevent him from traveling there. This is very unlike Mrs Ramsay and James, who still hope for good weather even when they know it will not be.
James, a 7-8 year old boy, sees the simple mystique of adventure in the lighthouse. It's described as a place of legend, as though it were right out of a story...
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I like how you look into what the lightouse means to each character. That it can be a place of isolation, a new level to be reached, or even the source of a great journey. The descriptions of each character and their connection to the lightouse suggest new ideas like how the lighthouse can symbolize a contrast in light and dark or how it more than a favorite view but is a source of deep meaning. In its own light I gather from this piece that the lighthouse is a monument of hope--a place to be visited even when the weather is bad and a place where each character can find solace in its towering white isolation.
We've talked in class about similarities between each character. Is it possible that these characteristics express themselves through the similar feelings each character has towards the Lighthouse? They all long for the same object (though for different reasons). I think that by following the different meanings of the Lighthouse we'll understand what different characters think it's important to have in their lives.
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