Characters
Mrs. Ramsey: Mrs. Ramsey is the main character in the beginning of the novel that all the other characters revolve around. She is essential in keeping life together and stable; taking on the role of God in the absence of any spiritual being in To the Lighthouse- the unifying force for all the characters in the book. She is the one that questions faith and the meaning of life. Her beauty and strength act as her charm in drawing people near her. Mr. Ramsey is her husband and she has eight children. Mrs. Ramsey is a feminist at heart and is kind natured, always putting other’s needs before her own; causing her to be run down by everyone else. She runs their summer house and often pities the guest staying there; especially those that are unmarried by trying to find matches for them.
Mr. Ramsey- He is egotistical, petty, and selfish. He is constantly wearing down his wife with his fears and pessimistic attitude. He is an author, who fears his work will not be remembered which shows his insecurity. He thinks of himself as a failure from time to time, and turns to his wife for reassurance, in order to continue on.
James “the Ruthless” Ramsey- He is the character most intrigued by and interested in the lighthouse. He shows signs of the Oedipal complex by loving his mother and resenting his father because he is jealous and angry of the attention his mother gives to his father instead of him. He watched his parents argue about the weather for the following day and if traveling to the lighthouse was plausible; and his father, being pessimistic, put down all hopes of ever going. This began James hatred and desires to kill his father, at a very young age; even older he always remembered what his father said.
Prue “the Fair” Ramsey- She is said to be as beautiful, if not more beautiful, than her mother. She often blamed herself if anything ever went wrong. She gets married, when she is older, and ends up dying during childbirth.
Rose Ramsey- Another child of the Ramsey’s. Very little is said about her, other than her craftiness, and that she collected seashore items to make gifts. She also had a ritual of choosing the jewelry her mother wore every night for dinner.
Andrew “the Just” Ramsey- The brilliant one of the family; the scholar. He read a lot of his father’s books. At one point he seems to have sexists views, in feeling that women do not know how to control their emotions, and men must step up to help them. He died a quick death, in France, after a bomb went off, during the war.
Jasper Ramsey- He was the trouble maker in the family. Not too much was mentioned about him and he plays no significant role.
Roger Ramsey- Another child of the Ramseys that also was not discussed much. The times when he is mentioned, it is implied that he is a free-spirit.
Nancy Ramsey- She took on some qualities of her mother, like playing God to the small sea creatures in a make-shift ocean she comes upon. The waves of the ocean mesmerize her, and she loses herself in them.
Cam “The Wicked” Ramsey-She was comforted by her mother’s words, and at the same time brainwashed by it. She was a loyal to her brother James, and has come to share his understanding that she must not allow her father to control her as he had their mother. But, in actuality, Cam did not hate her father.
Lily Briscoe- The artist of the novel, who becomes the novel’s central character. She connected spiritually best with Mr. Carmichael, both being artists in a sense. Lily loved Mrs. Ramsey; she admired her and her husband. She did not like Mr. Tansley because of his anti-feminism and his discouraging words which hurt her so deeply she remembered them even a decade after they were spoken. Lily had trouble pitying people, and giving to them what she knew they wanted or needed. She never got married, as Mrs. Ramsey had often told her she should because she believed in the power of a woman’s independence. Her painting was her only way of escaping, finding her inner thoughts and touching upon the meaning of life from time to time. Her paintings where always of what she saw. She is in love with William Bankes, but not in a romantic way. His companionship is what she treasures best, and she admires him more than she did Mr. Ramsey.
William Bankes - A strong, self confident man. He iis good friends with Lily and is also a scholar. He is well off on his own, and does not always desire the company of others. He is seen as an ideal husband for Lily, from Mrs. Ramsey’s point of view despite the high number of years he is her senior.
Charles Tansley- “the Little Aethist” He appears to be against women, in his constant criticism to Lily that women cannot write, or paint. He, like most of the men in the story, is in love with Mrs. Ramsey, but she finds him boring. In every conversation he has, he turns it around to be all about him. Not many people like him. He is insecure and ambiguous. His mentor is Mr. Ramsey, and he is constantly trying to impress others.
Minta Doyle- She is in love with Paul Rayley, and ends up marrying him. (see Paul Rayley)
Paul Rayley- He is in love with Minta, and asks her to marry him. He relies on Mrs. Ramsey for confidence and needs her motivation to push him to accomplish things in life. In the end though, they eventually break up because of Paul’s wandering eye.
Mrs. McNab- She is the housekeeper for the house on the Isle of Skye, even after it has been abandoned for so long, and Mrs. Ramsey is dead. She saves the house from deteriorating entirely. But eventually the house deteriorates to a point where she cannot keep it up by herself. Just as she is about to give up entirely, she receives a message that the Ramsey’s are scheduled to return. She restores order back to the house after years of disorder, and decay.
Mr. Carmichael- A famous poet who lived in the summer house with the Ramsey’s. He was always very quiet and secluded. Because of his poetry, he finds a connection with Lily, because of her art.
Landscape- The landscape was an important character in To the Lighthouse, that most of the characters are bedazzled by and effected by it. The characters react in part to the ocean, or the lighthouse beam shining on them.
Introduction Author Background Setting Plot Characters
Figurative Language Diction/ Syntax Tone Themes/ Motifs
Memorable Quotes Meet the Designers
