Reader Response to Woolf's To The LighthouseThere is a saying that the value of a man's life is best measured by the degree to which he has touched life of others and not by the quantity of material goods he has acquired. This is important to keep in mind when studying Virginia Woolf's novel, To The Lighthouse. Throughout the novel, it seems that the characters, mainly Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay, are trying to find value in their lives. As a first-time reader of the novel, it immediately became clear to me that the eight children Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay bore and raised provide significant value to their lives; however, they feel they need more. They both seem like good, honest people, and yet there is an inner struggle that is apparent in both characters, as well as others, to find a way to leave a lasting mark on this earth after their deaths . For Mrs. Ramsay, the quest appears in her charity toward others. His character is attentive and generous. She is very concerned about social inequalities and is charitable towards those who are less fortunate than herself. She has a certain aura that attracts people to her. She is able to talk to most people and get them to talk to her. She is aware of this quality and secretly boasts of it. In fact, she needs it, and when it doesn't come to her, she tries to find fault or reason in it. Mrs. Ramsay becomes irritated when Carmichael moves away from her and at one point she admits to being aware of this, and we see her looking for a way to make Carmichael feel closer to her. He never said anything to her. But what more could she have done? A sunny room was reserved for him. The children were good to him. Never...... middle of paper ......; intellectually, through writing and literature, and compassionately through her attention to human beings, their relationships and their need to be needed. Throughout the novel, the different characters help each other, as insignificant as it may seem, and we see that each life has its place. So, did Virginia Woolf succeed in her quest to leave a lasting mark on humanity after her death? The answer seems simple. Yes. His readers and followers are living proof. Works cited and consulted Burt, John. “Irreconcilable Thought Habits in a Room of One’s Own and at the Lighthouse.” ELH 49.4 (1982): 889-907. Fokkema, Douwe W. An interpretation of At the Lighthouse. Tel Aviv, Israel, 1979. Ruddick, Lisa. The Seen and the Unseen: To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. Cambridge: Harvard, 1977. Woolf, Virginia. At the Lighthouse. New York: Oxford, 1999.