Introductory
Woolf's To the Lighthouse is about the psychological and intellectual gap between the Ramsay family. First appeared in 1927, it marked Woolf's shift from showcasing the historical account of a person's life to his internal and psychological side of it. To the Lighthouse is a story of rebuked desires, unsatisfying accomplishments and last but not the least, psychological victory. The story is vividly presented through the themes of love, identity and reality. Let's crack them one by one.
Love
Love is presented in variety of different characters. The love between Mrs. Ramsay and James is familial; based on lust between Paul and Minta and between Mr. Ramsay and Mrs. Ramsay in accordance to the martial needs. Almost every character deals with love and loss differently. Most of them miss the opportunity to express their love for each other. But it remains present in the conscious stream of a character.
A prime example can be cited from Chapter 19 of The Window in which Mr. Ramsay desires from his wife to say "I love you. " direct and straight. But Mrs. Ramsay lacks the courage to express her love bluntly and directly, instead, she impresses her love for her husband by agreeing to his statement that the weather won't be fine that day. That is not what Mr. Ramsay demands at that time but her 'love' remains present in her conscious mind.
Identity and Internal Life
The theme of identity and internal life go hand in hand in this novel. But since this novel is also based on the stream of consciousness technique, the plot shapes itself in the minds of the characters, not through external actions. External actions have hardly occurred. This phenomenon can be easily traced in the character of Mrs. Ramsay whose internal and external life. Not only she is conscious of her identity, she is seen musing about her inner character. When people are around her, she becomes a different one. And that external difference is mostly known as a devoted mother, caring neighbour and sympathetic wife. But when she is alone, her true internal identity is revealed that is brim-full with complications and psychological battles. For instance, when she is preparing for the famous dinner party scene, she feels internally disconnected from it. She questions herself about what she has done with her life.
Another character that appears in this list is Mr. Ramsay. He is internally insecure about his accomplishments and he consistently wants surety from the people around him. He is internally dissatisfied. He fears that his limited intellect will make him and his contribution mortal. That is why, his outward identity is stiff and coarse.
Victory
Victory or more specifically, psychological victory is scattered in different segments of the novel. Initially, it is depicted over life but after some careful tracing, we can easily notice victory over people. The first prime example of this victory is claimed by Mrs. Ramsay, who says "I love you" without saying "I love you". In simple terms, she shows her love in a victorious manner by not actually proclaiming it. But by agreeing with her husband.
Lily and James are both seen struggling hard for their goal of completing the painting and visiting the lighthouse respectively. The former is not satisfied by her art while the latter is psychologically prohibited by his father. Both of them score a victory in the end when James has not only reached the lighthouse but also by psychologically connecting with his father. While Lily stands victorious by drawing a line in the centre to create a balanced painting.
Conclusion
To conclude, To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf is a beautiful blend of external unfulfillments and internal conflicts, beautifully marked with the themes of love, internal life and victory over some conflicts of life.
Sources and Suggested Readings
https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/to-the-lighthouse/themes
