To the Lighthouse
Virginia Woolf
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
The trip deferred
Why does the promised trip to the lighthouse matter so much to James?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of Mr Ramsay's insistence that the weather won't be fine?
- Why does it take ten years to finally go?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
Why does the promised trip to the lighthouse matter so much to James?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of Mr Ramsay's insistence that the weather won't be fine?
- Why does it take ten years to finally go?
What makes Mrs Ramsay the centre of everyone's world?
Keep the conversation going
- Is her matchmaking a gift or an imposition?
- What does the dinner party show about her power?
How did you see Mr Ramsay, and his need for sympathy?
Keep the conversation going
- What does his fear about reaching only 'Q' reveal?
- How do his children feel about him?
What does Lily's painting mean to her, and why is it so hard to finish?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does Charles Tansley's 'women can't paint, women can't write' stay with her?
- Why does she choose not to marry?
How did the 'Time Passes' section, with its deaths in brackets, affect you?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does Woolf report such large events so briefly?
- What does the empty house, and Mrs McNab, add to the novel?
How does Woolf's way of moving between characters' minds change what a novel can be?
Keep the conversation going
- Whose thoughts did you most enjoy following?
- What do the characters fail to say to each other?
What changes for James and Cam on the boat with their father?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does Mr Ramsay's praise of James matter so much?
- Do they forgive him?
What does Lily mean when she finishes the painting and says 'I have had my vision'?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does the line she draws come at the same moment the boat reaches the lighthouse?
- What does the novel say about memory and loss?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.