To the Lighthouse is one of the many revealing commentary of Virginia Woolf’s work. The author uses a unique writing style that is a description of people’s actions, following their thoughts. Woolf presents a philosophy of devoid of religious belief and “middle-class” morality, where facing life obstacles and personal honesty become the bases of a happy reasonable life. Readers find the answer to Woolf’s Nietzsche’s ideas and Existentialism is recognized throughout Woolf’s novel. Virginia Woolf discusses the existential conditions between the Ramsay family and their summer home. The author projects the existential philosophy through using the stream of consciousness. Woolf’s To the Lighthouse gave the technique of psychological depth a new
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Her language, while recognized as similar to Nietzsche’s ideas and the existential theory, was seen as appropriate. Woolf’s characters that take place in the novel, To the Lighthouse holds familiar traits that can be compared to Nietzsche’s excerpts from The Gay Science. Nietzsche’s Aphorism #56 discusses “The craving for suffering”. He introduces self-sufficiency and one should suffer and live dangerously to make life worth living. One shouldn’t worry about others and worry if they’re suffering. This aphorism can be compared to many things in Woolf’s novel, such as, Mr. Ramsay’s parenting style. From the very beginning of the novel, readers recognize the dispute between James Ramsay and Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Ramsay goes against his wife’s forecast of the weather for the trip to the Lighthouse; Mr. Ramsay says, “It won’t be fine.” (pg.4) Giving James a rush of disappointment and suffering. Teaching James life is full of struggles and it’s not easy to get what you want. The characters personal struggles throughout the novel also depict from Nietzsche’s aphorism 338 “The will to suffer and those who feel pity”. Readers are introduced to Mrs. Ramsay’s “dark side”. She constantly has these negative thoughts and feelings towards life and she is found feeling pity for the poor and complains about life being hard for people. Mrs. Ramsay states “life terrible, hostile, and quick to pounce on you if you gave it a chance. There were the eternal problems: suffering, death; the poor, there was always a woman dying of cancer even here. And yet she had said to all these children, you shall go through it all.” (pg.60) Mrs. Ramsay is distracted by her pettiness and wastes energy waiting if someone will get by. Also, by keeping her dark thoughts to herself, she is letting her children and the people around her “live in ignorance about what seems most important to your age.”(Nietzsche,
Her language, while recognized as similar to Nietzsche’s ideas and the existential theory, was seen as appropriate. Woolf’s characters that take place in the novel, To the Lighthouse holds familiar traits that can be compared to Nietzsche’s excerpts from The Gay Science. Nietzsche’s Aphorism #56 discusses “The craving for suffering”. He introduces self-sufficiency and one should suffer and live dangerously to make life worth living. One shouldn’t worry about others and worry if they’re suffering. This aphorism can be compared to many things in Woolf’s novel, such as, Mr. Ramsay’s parenting style. From the very beginning of the novel, readers recognize the dispute between James Ramsay and Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Ramsay goes against his wife’s forecast of the weather for the trip to the Lighthouse; Mr. Ramsay says, “It won’t be fine.” (pg.4) Giving James a rush of disappointment and suffering. Teaching James life is full of struggles and it’s not easy to get what you want. The characters personal struggles throughout the novel also depict from Nietzsche’s aphorism 338 “The will to suffer and those who feel pity”. Readers are introduced to Mrs. Ramsay’s “dark side”. She constantly has these negative thoughts and feelings towards life and she is found feeling pity for the poor and complains about life being hard for people. Mrs. Ramsay states “life terrible, hostile, and quick to pounce on you if you gave it a chance. There were the eternal problems: suffering, death; the poor, there was always a woman dying of cancer even here. And yet she had said to all these children, you shall go through it all.” (pg.60) Mrs. Ramsay is distracted by her pettiness and wastes energy waiting if someone will get by. Also, by keeping her dark thoughts to herself, she is letting her children and the people around her “live in ignorance about what seems most important to your age.”(Nietzsche,