Q3: Characterization in To the Lighthouse is presented in terms of multiple perspectives. Elaborate on this statement demonstrating the influence of this method of presenting on characterization in the novel and significance of the modernist style of writing which emphasizes the alternation between consciousnesses of character.

To the Lighthouse is considered as one of Virginia Woolf most famous novels. The story deals with the Ramsay family experiences while staying at their home in Cornwall. In To the Lighthouse novel, the main concern is within Mrs. Ramsay’s thoughts and emotions. The narrator in the novel introduces to us a very different world than the one we’re living in: the world inside somebody else’s head. Woolf chose to write this novel in a very strange and complex way using unfamiliar techniques. This unique technique of writing was achieved with the use of the multiple perspective and the stream of consciousness techniques.

Each character in the novel is presented through multiple perspectives. Thus, the readers cannot decide on a single interpretation or agree on the same analysis for each character. Mrs. Ramsay. For example, is a charmingly good woman with good personality, yet she is concerned with the other characters’ lives and ends up interfering in them a lot. She also cares for everybody, considering her own thoughts and ignoring others’, and this is clear when she advises Lily to marry William Banke, an old friend of the Ramsay family. This shows the Victorian style of thinking; Lily, on the other hand, has been presented as independent character who thinks the opposite of Mrs. Ramsay. Each character is presented as a complex figure. The readers cannot judge with seeing only one quality and act like they understand the character fully. An example of this is Mr. Ramsay, who is evaluated and seen differently among the characters. His young son, James, viewed him as selfish and harsh, even using the words “lean as knife, narrow as blade of one,” to describe how he sees his father. Yet, he’s optimistic and fearful for his reputation. So, these differences in his complex personality are what is called multiple perspectives. Moreover, the use of the multiple perspectives in characterization is to reach a certain aim that the writer wants the reader to obtain. In modernist characterization, the reader must have a feeling of doubt and uncertainty about the meaning and the true self and the real personality behind each individual character.

When talking about Woolf’s To the Lighthouse, it’s very natural to talk about the unique use of the stream of consciousness technique. The author’s characters seem to be referring to the past through their present experiences and compare between what they had with what it’s happing to them in the present. The stream of consciousness in the novel is a way to explore the characters’ minds and thoughts. An anonymous critic in 1927 writes about Woolf’s unique style of writing, said that “she enters completely into her character, one by one, and traces their thoughts and action” through her usage of the stream of consciousness technique. Woolf’s technique allows us, as readers, to enter the characters mind and hear their thoughts and feelings, while also allowing us in the same time to have a chance to reflect upon them. For example, Lily Briscoe thinks about Mr. Ramsay as selfish and vain, yet, towards the end of the novel, she finally understands him and unites herself with him in a sphere of achievement that both of them have almost reached. In The following quote, an example of the use of the stream of consciousness in the novel: "Raising her eyebrows at the discrepancy -- that was what she was thinking, this was what she was doing -- ladling out soup -- she felt, more and more strongly, outside that eddy; or as if a shade had fallen, and, robbed of color, she saw things truly." The focus here is on the inner world of Mrs. Ramsay. Some of the mental processes such as thinking and feeling are emphasized. This shows the strict difference between her actions and her thoughts. The quote begins with Mrs. Ramsay questioning herself on what she has done with her life, while she shows her guests to their seats and serves the soup. She sees her husband sitting at the end of the table, upset about her. “What at? She did not know. She did not mind. She could not understand how she had ever felt any emotion or affection for him.” As she thinks about her dissatisfaction and disconnection with Mr. Ramsay, Mrs. Ramsay notes that she could not speak out loud her inner feelings.

Through this shifting in the points of view from one character to another, the author Virginia Woolf is introducing the reader to go inside each character’s mind and see and explore their thoughts , emotions, feelings, opinions and reactions to one another. The relationships between the characters are presented more clearly with their thoughts and action rather than their words. The simple dialogue between the characters is a tool to break up the switches of the multiple perspectives technique in the novel. Woolf’s technique allows her to develop her characters in an unique and interesting way by keeping the focus on the characters’ inner feelings and not giving too much focus on the dialogue between them.

Therefore, through these examples, we can see that the characterization in To The Lighthouse is based on multiple perspectives and through the stream of consciousness technique which lets us see the real thoughts of the characters. Thus, this novel makes use of the modernist style, depicting the plot and characterization in a way that makes it difficult for the readers to agree on a single analysis. It also leads the readers to feel the doubt that every modern work put as its aim, an aim which is made clear by many modernist authors who Virginia Woolf is a lead figure of.