Sample essay

Question: with close reference to the text, discuss the significance of vision
and perception in Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse.

To the Lighthouse is a novel preoccupied with vision and perception. This is made clear by Virginia
Woolf’s use of free indirect discourse, as none of her characters are able to witness themselves.
Instead, they are characterised through the perception of others. This aspect is most striking in Lily
Briscoe, who is unable to complete her painting since she is blocked by what others think of her.
However, she finally realises her vision at the end of the text when she is alone. And so, in To the
Lighthouse vision comes to have a double significance: on the one hand it means seeing the world,
while on the other hand it also means perceiving the self. In this essay I will argue that this second
kind of perception is key to the novel, as Woolf urges women to know themselves and their
creativity, rather than merely seeing themselves through the eyes of others.

The reader’s understanding of Lily Briscoe is mainly filtered through the perceptions of Mrs Ramsay.
We are told Lily has “little Chinese eyes” (p. 19) and a “puckered-up face” (p. 23). These bodily
descriptions are negative, and contrasts with the description of Mrs Ramsay herself “beauty was
apparent” (p. 14). However, we are unsure if this description of Lily is accurate as it is conveyed to
the reader through the unreliable thoughts of Mrs Ramsay, who projects ‘traditional Victorian ideals
of womanhood’, as Mamsley (2003: 94) argues. But by emphasising her lack of beauty – or her
resistance to make herself beautiful – Woolf highlights Lily’s position as a modern woman: she does
not wish not to marry, because she does not want to be confined to the domestic sphere. Thus, Lily
provides a contrast to Mrs Ramsay, the Victorian “Angel of the House” figure and the epitome of
domesticity.

Although Woolf stresses the importance of social perception, she also emphasises the importance of
literal vision when it comes to Lily’s artistic work. This is evident as Mrs Ramsay urges that Mr
Ramsay stands “fifty feet away” (p. 150) from Lily’s painting. This suggested distance has a twofold
effect. On the one hand, it allows Mr Ramsay to take in the painting and the painter, thus coupling
the female artist and her work. Secondly, it urges a view that is respectful and nonintrusive. ‘By
maintaining such distance from the artwork,’ writes Mary Ventis (2012: 34), ‘the other characters
are able to see Lily in her role as female creator.’ Such perspective is significant, as it undercuts the
limiting notions of femininity we encounter at the start of the novel. The last section thus brings the
other characters perception of Lily in line with her own. She is seen – and sees herself – as strong,
independent, and creative.

Overall, To The Lighthouse uses vision and perception not only to explore physically looking at
others, but also to foreground the role of self-perception. Primarily, characters are characterised
through the perception of others due to Woolf’s use of narrative intrusion. This creates unreliable
narration, as evident with Mrs Ramsay and Lily Briscoe. However, the close of the novel Lily Briscoe
is finally able to witness herself, and therefore finish her creative work without the constraints or
perception of others. Hence, within the text vision takes on a dual meaning, to see others and the
surrounding world, but also to see the self, which is essential for complete self-perception.