The Power of Manipulation
In Virginia Woolf’s, To the Lighthouse, there a many constructional themes at work; through a constructional lens I will be looking at the theme of manipulation. Manipulation plays a big role in To the Lighthouse. Not only is manipulation a big part of Mrs. Ramsey’s character but Virginia Woolf manipulates time throughout the novel.
“Naturally, one had asked her to lunch, tea, dinner, finally to stay with them up at Finlay, which had resulted in some friction with the Owl, her mother, and more calling, and more conversation, and more sand, and really at the end of it, she had told enough lies about parrots to last her a lifetime (so she had said to her husband that night, coming back from the party). However, Minta came...Yes, she came, Mrs. Ramsay thought, suspecting some thorn in the tangle of this thought; and disengaging it found it to be this: a woman had once accused her of "robbing her of her daughter’s affections"; something Mrs. Doyle had said made her remember that charge again. Wishing to dominate, wishing to interfere, making people do what she wished—that was the charge against her, and she thought it most unjust. How could she help being "like that" to look at? No one could accuse her of taking pains to impress. She was often ashamed of her own shabbiness. Nor was she domineering, nor was she tyrannical.” (67) This quote shows Mrs. Ramsey’s manipulation and the way people see her. While some people love Mrs. Ramsey because they cannot see through her manipulation, there are the others that see the manipulation and hate her for it. They see her as someone that interferes and dominates the situation. Mrs. Ramsey also knows that she manipulates people and doesn’t know if she uses it for good or evil. She asks herself if she pushed too hard for Minta to make up her mind on the marriage. “Was she wrong in this, she asked herself, reviewing her conduct for the past week or two, and wondering if she had indeed put any pressure upon Minta, who was only twenty-four, to make up her mind. She was uneasy. Had she not laughed about it? Was she not forgetting again how strongly she influenced people? Marriage needed—oh, all sorts of qualities (the bill for the greenhouse would be fifty pounds); one—she need not name it—that was essential; the thing she had with her husband. Had they that?” (71) There was however one person that was not influenced by Mrs. Ramsey’s manipulations, Lily Briscoe. Mrs. Ramsey had talked to Lily often about marriage and even a marriage to William Banks but even though Lily had been compelled by the idea here and there she never did marry. “Mrs. Ramsay had planned it. Perhaps, had she lived, she would have compelled it. Already that summer he was "the kindest of men." He was "the first scientist of his age, my husband says." He was also "poor William—it makes me so unhappy, when I go to see him, to find nothing nice in his house—no one to arrange the flowers." So they were sent for walks together, and she was told, with that faint touch of irony that made Mrs. Ramsay slip through one’s fingers, that she had a scientific mind; she liked flowers; she was so exact. What was this mania of hers for marriage? Lily wondered, stepping to and fro from her easel.” (200)
In To the Lighthouse Woolf plays time by changing the pace. Woolf uses the first and third section to slow time down, to describe specific moments in time. She uses this slowing down of time so we may be able to look into the characters minds, to understand their thoughts and feelings. We see this mostly through Lily Briscoe as she paints and reflects on the life of Mrs. Ramsey, “Life stand still here.”(184). Lily recalls how Mrs. Ramsey use to bring all the people together and almost make time stand still, “Mrs. Ramsey making of the moment something permanent.” (184) Part two is a long stretch of time with the passing of Mrs. Ramsey, Andrew and Prue. In part two Woolf describes the seasons and the scene at the cabin, she makes it seem like time is standing still but she is also going over a ten year time period in very few pages. By fast forwarding the time Woolf is showing us how precious time is and how we should not pounder on moment to long. Woolf illustrates how Mrs. Ramsey never saw the light house again, “they had been coming, but had put off coming, what with the war and travel being difficult these days” (156)
Through a constructionist lens we have examined how manipulation played a key role in To the Lighthouse. Manipulation was used by Mrs. Ramsey to make things happen, things that she believed to be best. Mrs. Ramsey even know of here manipulations and wondered if she was doing it for good or evil. Manipulation was also used by Woolf to play with time. By playing with time Woolf is able to allow the reader to look into each character’s thoughts, but also cover a massive time period in a short number of pages.