THE PAINFUL JOURNEY OF DEATH AND MOURNING IN VIRGINIA WOOLF’S TO THE LIGHT HOUSE

Abstract

The paper focuses on the theme of death as the main concern of Mrs. Virginia Woolf in her novel To the Light House. The main question is why should a human being strive for any goal when death is inevitable in life? Virginia Woolf explores the dilemma of man and her struggle with death in her novel To the Light House. Mr. Ramsay and Charles Tansley are tormented by the fear of death that they will not succeed in their strivings. The novel doesn’t resolve the conflict as Wood maintains an ambivalence. Woolf even rejects the existence of God: “How could any Lord have made this world? And Mrs. Ramsay asks herself, concluding that the world is too full of suffering to have been created by a divine savior” (To the Light House 64). Virginia Woolf’s novel To the Light House deals with the problem of death and mourning presenting the traumatic memories of her past and the haunting experiences of the characters. This novel has three significant characterizes; memories, dreams and obsession of death. In ancient literature death is a very popular theme than love.