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Woolf's 'To the Lighthouse.' (Virginia Woolf)

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From: The Explicator
Date: 19940322
Author:Wareham, John

Virginia Woolf's 'To the Lighthouse' contains many symbols for masculine and feminine qualities, the least explored of which are the red-hot pokers or flame flowers. The novel refers to red-hot pokers seven times, each time symbolizing either the masculine, metallic upright tools or feminine, red flowers that frame the lighthouse. The red-hot pokers embody the ideal marriage of the Ramsays and are removed when the marriage ends with Mrs. Ramsay's death. The flowers are an ephemeral symbol reinforced by the image of the lighthouse, which symbolizes unity through time.

Many readers of Virginia ...

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