Mr. Ramsay's Character in To The Lighthouse When reading novels, it is important to understand the aspects of each character to fully understand the message that the author is trying to send to the reader. In the novel To The Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf illustrates the character of Mr. Ramsay as a husband and father of eight children. As a husband, he mentally abuses his wife, Mrs. Ramsay, and as a father, Mr. Ramsay discourages and psychologically abuses his children to the point where they hate him. Mr. Ramsay has another side of compassion and love for his family. Woolf describes Mr. Ramsay as callous, malicious, and brutal toward his family, but he also desires happiness and wants the best for his family. Although Mr. Ramsay often scolds and mentally abuses Mrs. Ramsay, all he wants is love and affection from Mrs. Ramsay. his wife. For example, when Mrs. Ramsay lies to James about the next day's weather: "There was no way we could go to the lighthouse tomorrow" (31). This comment shows that if Mr. Ramsay doesn't want to do something, they won't do it. During the same conversation, Mr. Ramsay said something that he would later realize he should not have said. Mr. Ramsay regrets getting angry at his wife for no reason and is ashamed of his actions. Because of the hurt he has caused his wife, Mr. Ramsay wants to make her happy again. Next, the novel shows Mr. Ramsay's insensitivity towards Mrs. Ramsay when his comments cause her to "bend her head as if to let the hail skin shred, to douse it with dirty water, to splash it without reprimand" (32) . This illustrates Mr. Ramsay as being heartless towards the feelings of others, it seems that he enjoys torments...... middle of paper ... are abusive, but he also has positive traits of sincerity and. of sensitivity towards his family. Woolf illustrated Mr. Ramsay as being both mentally abusive, but also loving and caring towards his wife, Mr. Ramsay is very harsh and critical towards his children because he wants the best. for them and they become self-reliant, but her children don't realize this and make them hate being with their father Woolf doesn't describe Mr. Ramsay as only bad or good, but she describes him as a real person. with personality flaws She does this because it makes it easier for the reader to understand the individual as a whole, rather than just a fictional character. By using this writing technique, Woolf allows readers to fully grasp the concept of the character. Works CitedWoolf, Virginia. At the lighthouse. New York: harvest, 1955.