1.) The Lighthouse and The Sea are two major symbols in this novel.

Using some type of graphic

organizer, trace the use of these symbols within the text. After a careful analysis of where and
when these symbols appear, write a paragraph for each symbol that analyzes its meaning in the
work as a whole. Tie the symbol itself to one (or more) of the themes you traced in Part 1.

The Sea
The Lighthouse -Deals with -natural world
-symbolizes human Human Life
-unaffected by human life
desire
-deals with time
-stands out but is
unattainable (hard -“ made one think of the
to access) destruction of the island and its
engulfment in the sea, and
-“’There'll be no warned her whose day had
landing at the slipped past in one quick doing
Lighthouse after another that it was all
tomorrow,’” (Woolf, ephemeral as a rainbow…”
7). (Woolf, 3).

The Lighthouse: Throughout the novel, Woolf uses the lighthouse as a symbol for the desires of
humans. A lighthouse shines a light to direct sailors to a specific destination, reeling them in. To
have a desire for something means that you are being reeled into it, which makes the lighthouse
the perfect symbol. Like most desires, the lighthouse is unattainable and constantly reeling
people in. In the novel, James desperately wants to visit the lighthouse but is can’t because
“’There'll be no landing at the Lighthouse tomorrow,’” (Woolf, 7). His desire is being denied,
leading to it becoming all the more consuming. When he finally gets the chance to visit the
lighthouse, he sees that it is nothing like it seemed from further away. So even though he reached
his destination, he still was unable to attain the image that he envisioned the lighthouse to be.
This ties into the novel’s theme of art and beauty because even though it something that is
desired, it’s not always what it seems and can provide a negative outcome. This also ties into the
theme of the meaning of life because it shows that life is a series of moving towards your desires
but never quite reaching them.

The Sea: The sea is another important symbol that Woolf uses throughout the novel. It represents
the natural world and how it is unaffected by human life. The natural world heavily deals with
the theme of time because it continues as it usually does despite what is happening in the human
world. While humans may be facing happiness, grief, or confusion, the natural world remains the
same and is unaffected “made one think of the destruction of the island and its engulfment in the
sea, and warned her whose day had slipped past in one quick doing after another that it was all
ephemeral as a rainbow…” (Woolf, 3). The sea, like time, remains constant despite these

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 problems and continues in ways that far exceed human life. While the sea cannot be changed,
people will view it from their own perception, with also deals with the nature of interior life
theme. For example, the waves in the ocean seem harsh and violent during World War I, but
peaceful and calming in times without war. While the ocean hasn’t actually changed, people’s
perception of it did depending on their own circumstances.

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