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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 5 page paper looks at themes as well as symbolism in Virginia Woolf's novel To the Lighthouse along with two short stories also written by Woolf. The works are discussed in depth and some quotes are included. Several themes pertinent to gender are the focus of this paper. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: RT13_SA228lit.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
However, the authors view considers a woman who is stifled emotionally. The problem in To the Lighthouse is the domination of a marriage by Mr. Ramsay. The theme of
gender in this work is quite dramatic. Mr. Ramsay is the quintessential tough male and Mrs. Ramsay is the demure, frail woman. It is interesting that the roles here are
gender based. This aspect might have to do with her cultural background. The English are very proper and perhaps could not tolerate dissension by a woman as one might see
in an American situation. By contrast, Mrs. Ramsay is quite proper, and it is this perfect exemplification of society-women being proper and men pulling the strings-that is shown here.
There are many examples of this within the context of the plot and through descriptions of the characters. For instance, Mrs. Ramsay is described as having good instincts as
she acts "like the swallows for the south" (Woolf To the Lighthouse 196). And when she entertains guests, she is rather doting. She is well trained. One could almost say
that she is the opposite of the modern woman. Still, she is a victim of her husbands cruelty. In To the Lighthouse, there is a subtle form of cruelty
that thrusts the female protagonist into society as the woman is expected to act like a slave or robot. That is socially acceptable, but Woolf certainly makes it clear that
the woman is unfulfilled. In many ways there is definite cruelty despite the social roles. While stories of men beating women and being outwardly cruel are plentiful, Woolf exemplifies
the cruelty that is expressed in traditional life. Before women would fight for their rights, they had to endure a subtle type of bondage. At the same time, there is
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