Issues of gender and family in Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse

This study involves a discussion of Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse with a view to highlighting the importance of art for women to achieve autonomy and identity. Most critics believe that the novel reflects Virginia Woolf's own life and her experiment as a female artist living in Victorian society. According to Woolf, whether married or single, women can find a way to use their creativity and realize their potential either in art, like Lily, or in domestic life, like Mrs. Ramsay. Viewed from this perspective, art can be regarded as an effective means by which women can understand and cope with the challenges of life. However, one can hardly lose sight of the fact that, given the gender biases against women in a society dominated by male values, not many women have the power or opportunity to use their creativity to achieve identity. Within this context, the novel reflects the artistic achievements of a creative female painter Lily Briscoe, who, as a guest, witnesses the clash between Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay. Though she seems to be a submissive wife who has accepted her condition in the family, Mrs. Ramsay is able to exhibit her creativity in the way she arranges domestic affairs. While she is realistic enough to know that she has got responsibilities toward her husband and children, she does not fail to show her creativity in domestic life, which enables her to achieve self worth. Keywords: Women, Gender Discrimination, Art, Identity, Negative Effects of Men on Women, Family & Marriage.