Question

1. To the Lighthouse opens with a portrayal of the Oedipal struggle between James and Mr. Ramsay. This conflict resounds throughout the book. How does the family drama shape the book as a whole?

Answer 1

The Oedipus complex explains a young child's sexual attraction to the parent of the opposite sex and the desire to remove the same-sex parent who blocks the child's fulfillment. The child's repression of sexual desire leads to the development of the superego, the part of the brain that acts as the conscience based on learned social standards.

At the novel's beginning, the Ramsays' son James feels murderous toward his father for demanding his mother's attention and for thwarting a trip to the lighthouse.

Mrs. Ramsay's death and its unresolved issues inflict trauma on her family and friends. The novel's structure suggests James's development is complicated. His love for his mother is frozen in time, and his conflict with his father continues. When his father finally compliments James's sailing as they reach the previously inaccessible lighthouse, his sister Cam thinks he has finally received what he has desired—his father's approval—suggesting resolution, growth, and development.