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Updated August 14, 1997
Created August 14, 1997
Chapter 1
James wants to go to the Lighthouse, and Mrs. Ramsay says he may go if the weather is fine. His father says the weather will not be fine, and upsets James. Mr. Ramsay’s character reveals him to be stern, sarcastic, always having to be right. He "never altered a disagreeable word to suit the pleasure of convenience of any mortal being, least of all his own children" (4). Mrs. Ramsay knits her stocking. She is mother to all of her children, but she is closest to James. Charles Tansley is introduced and makes Mrs. Ramsay more angry by emphasizing to James that the weather will be too bad to go to the Lighthouse. He admires Mr. Ramsay, but the children make fun of him, calling him "the little atheist." Mrs. Ramsay is angry with Tansley for further upsetting James, but takes pity on him and invites him to join her as she visits some of the sick people in town.
Chapter 2
Tansley again states that the weather will not permit them to go to the Lighthouse.
Chapter 3
Mrs. Ramsay tries to find another picture for James to cut out, so he will not be so upset about the Lighthouse. She stops when she realizes that the men have stopped talking, and she only hears the waves on the beach. When she hears Mr. Ramsay again walk up and down the terrace, she resumes her attempt to find a picture for James. She then looks out and sees Lily painting and remembers that she is to keep her head down.
Chapter 4
Lily talks with William Bankes, a botanist and a widower, about the Ramsays. Mr. Ramsay is angry with one of the children. Lily wonders about Mr. Ramsay’s work. He is a philosopher. Lily admires Mr. Bankes much more than Mr. Ramsay. She does not like the way he treats Mrs. Ramsay. Jasper shoots at the birds.
Chapter 5
Mrs. Ramsay knits the brown stocking for the Lighthouse keeper’s son. When she measures it against James she becomes angry with him for fidgeting. As she measures, she takes in the furniture of the room and considers how it could be better. However, with the children running in and out it suits them fine. When she spies William and Lily she determines that they should marry (26). She looks very sad when she sees the stocking is too short (28). She kisses James’s forehead and tells him to find another picture to cut out.
Chapter 6
When Mr. Ramsay stops at the window to tickle James’s leg, Mrs. Ramsay says again that it may be possible to go to the Lighthouse. Mr. Ramsay becomes enraged and says, "Damn you" (32). He walks away feeling very ashamed. As he walks, his thoughts quickly turn to himself as he imagines himself famous.
Chapter 7
James’s thoughts about his father are firmly revealed. He hates him for demanding sympathy of his mother and taking her time away from him. But Mrs. Ramsay always takes care of her husband and tells him how successful he is. When he begins to feel better about himself, he goes to watch the children play cricket, and Mrs. Ramsay continues to read a story to James. As she reads, she worries that people may believe her husband depends on her.
Chapter 8
Mrs. Ramsay is upset that Mr. Carmichael does not trust her, but seems to understand why he does not after his wife was so mean to him. As she continues to read, Mr. Ramsay comes up to her, though she wishes he had gone on to watch the children playing as he said. He questions the motivation of her kindness to others. Lily feels Mrs. Ramsay gives him what he asks too easily, yet believes that it must be difficult for him, after contemplating his deep thoughts on life, to come into the house where the family is playing games and talking about nothing of importance. He looks out at the bay, watched by Mrs. Ramsay and Lily.
Chapter 9
Mr. Bankes and Lily discuss Mr. Ramsay and try to decide if he is a hypocrite. She does not think so, but sees him as tyrannical and unjust (46). As Lily is about to say something negative about Mrs. Ramsay, she sees Mr. Bankes gazing at her as though he loves her. Lily thinks more about Mrs. Ramsay and how she said that "an unmarried woman has missed the best of life" (49). However, Lily considers how she tried to convince herself and Mrs. Ramsay that she is not meant for marriage. She has so many other things to concern her such as her father and her painting. She feels her painting is infinitely bad and can hear Charles Tansley telling her, "Women can’t paint, women can’t write…" Mr. Bankes, actually looks at her picture and asks her to explain it which she tries to do.
Chapter 10
Mrs. Ramsay wonders where Minta, Paul, and Andrew are. She believes that Minta and Paul have become engaged. In between her thoughts, she continues reading to James. She wonders if her motives in involving herself in other people’s lives are honorable. She decides that they are She thinks of how she wished James and Cam would not grow any older, as well of the gifts of all her children. As she finishes reading the story, she sees James look across the water at the Lighthouse which has been lit and knows that he will never forget not being able to go and see it.
Chapter 11
Mrs. Ramsay is knitting alone and enjoying it. She is thinking about how she has lost some of herself by trying to be everything to everyone. She is compared to the stroke from the Lighthouse. She becomes upset with herself for thinking that "We are in the hands of the Lord," (63) questioning how God could have made such a world where there is suffering, death, and poor. As she thinks, Mr. Ramsay sees her beautiful but sad and decides not to disturb her. However, she takes her green shawl and goes to him because she knows that he wants to protect her.
Chapter 12
Mr. And Mrs. Ramsay walk and talk, about Jason shooting birds, about Mr. Tansley, and about Andrew. She wonders where Minta, Paul, and Andrew are. He does not apologize for saying "’Damn you,’" but tells her that he does not like to see her so sad (68). Mr. Ramsay thinks to himself that he might like to live in a house "out there, alone—" (69), but realizes that a father of eight children has no right to think such a thing. Mrs. Ramsay knows that he is thinking "he would have written better books if he had not married" (69). He kisses her hand. She thinks of how he can understand extraordinary things, but not simple things like flowers or his own daughter's beauty. (70). They see Lily and William again and she decides that they must marry.
Chapter 13
Lily and Mr. Bankes stroll along and talk of their travels. Lily will always paint because it interests her. They then see the Ramsay’s watching Prue and Jasper throwing catches. When Prue runs into them, Mrs. Ramsay asks her if Nancy went walking with Minta, Paul, and Andrew.
Chapter 14
Nancy, Minta, Paul, and Andrew are at the beach. Nancy wades out to her own rocks and searches her own pools, Andrew goes out to Pope’s Nose to wade, and Paul and Minta are left to themselves. Paul asks Minta to marry him and they kiss. When they had all climbed to the top of the cliff again, Minta cries that she has lost her grandmother’s brooch. They look for it among the rocks where she sat but cannot find it. Paul promises himself he will find the brooch for her or buy her another one. They all go back to the house, realizing they are late for dinner.
Chapter 15
Prue says that Nancy did go with Minta, Paul, and Andrew.
Chapter 16
Mrs. Ramsay feels that life is her antagonist as she is waiting for the children and trying to prepare for dinner. Mr. Bankes consents to dine with them. In preparation, she lets Rose and Jasper help her pick out her jewelry for the evening (81). She points out the rooks arguing as they try to settle in for the night. After the jewelry is chosen, she asks Rose to pick out a shawl for her. Finally, Nancy, Andrew, Paul, and Minta arrive home and the gong announces that dinner is ready.
Chapter 17
Everyone sits down to dinner, and Mrs. Ramsay suddenly feels weary of the effort to bring everyone together. Again she notices the room and feels that it is shabby. There was no beauty anywhere. Her husband is scowling at the other end of the table, though she does not know why. She cannot figure out how she ever felt any emotion for him. She talks to Mr. Bankes (whom she pities) about his correspondence with a mutual friend. Lily studies Mrs. Ramsay and thinks of how she always pities men (85). Mr. Tansley feels irritated by the superficiality of the conversation. He also feels self-conscious because he has no good clothes to change into for dinner. Lily decides to move the tree in her painting further into the middle and moves the salt cellar to a flower in the pattern of the tablecloth to remind her. Lily feels it is socially her place to soothe Tansley’s feelings. However, she speaks insincerely to him. Mr. Bankes and Tansley discuss the fishing industry. Mr. Ramsay scowls at Augustus Carmichael who takes a second bowl of soup. When the candles are lit and fruit is on the table, "Some change at once went through them all" (97). Mrs. Ramsay can see the glow in Minta’s face and becomes a bit jealous of her. It makes her feel old. Lily reminds herself she has her painting and does not need to marry. Mrs. Ramsay begins to talk of dairy reform, and Mr. Ramsay and the children laugh at her. Minta then begins to talk with Mr. Ramsay. As he laughs with her, he is a man unburdened or weighed down with labours or sorrows (99). He is like a young man again, a man very attractive to women. The conversations continue. Mr. Ramsay and Mr. Carmichael recite poetry. Mrs. Ramsay gets up to go to the nursery and looks back on the party thinking that it was already the past (111).
Chapter 18
Mrs. Ramsay goes to the nursery where the children are all still up. They cannot sleep because of the pig skull in the room. Cam is afraid of it, James wants it there. So Mrs. Ramsay places her shawl around it to cover it up and tells Cam to think of pleasant things like fairies, and flowers, and birds singing. She talks until Cam goes to sleep. James asks again about going to the Lighthouse. She tells him no, but they will on the next fine day. She returns to the party. Prue says they want to go and watch the waves. Mrs. Ramsay becomes very excited and wishes she could go too, but she goes on to the other room where Mr. Ramsay is reading.
Chapter 19
Mrs. Ramsay takes up her stocking and begins to knit, seeing that her husband does not want to be interrupted. She wishes he would speak. She begins reading a book of poetry lying close to her. As Mr. Ramsay continues reading "his feeling for straightforward simple things…made him feel so vigorous, so relieved of something that he felt roused and triumphant and could not choke back his tears" (120). He holds the book up to his face, so his wife will not see him. When he looks at her again, she looks very peaceful as she reads. He wonders what she is reading. She tells him that Paul and Minta are engaged, but he does not give much of a reply. She wants him to say something. He wants her to tell him that she loves him.