A lighthouse is a structure that warns and guides ships at night as they approach land, creating specific signals for orientation. In To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, the Lighthouse is a monument to motivation for achieving long-term goals. Each character's goals guide them through life, and how each person sees the world depends on the goals they set. Some characters' goals relate directly to the Lighthouse, others indirectly. Some objectives refer abstractly to the Lighthouse. The omnipresent structure sheds its guiding light on every character and every action. Mr and Mrs Ramsey have roles similar to Shiva and Parvati in life, and their goals correspond to these roles. Mr. Ramsey differs in that he separates unconscious from conscious goals. Subconsciously, Mr. Ramsey manifests the character of destruction. His role is necessary for the well-being of the family; although he sometimes seems to suck the life out of others with his bitter pessimism, his role is as important as that of his wife, the giver and nurturer. Mr. Ramsey exists to balance his wife's personality. His anger is complementary to her love. Consciously, Mr. Ramsey aspires to intellectual enlightenment through his philosophizing. His attitude in traveling to the Lighthouse mirrors his attitude towards achieving this goal. Mr. Ramsey has no hope of reaching either of them, and almost gives up on both before trying, shifting the blame from him to outside forces. The trip to the lighthouse was unattainable due to conditions that had nothing to do with him or with the destination: the weather conditions were not easily navigable. Intellectual enlightenment will be unattainable due to conditions that have nothing to do with either him or the goal. “He would have written better books if he hadn't married (Woolf 69).” His marriage and children become the scapegoat for his failure to achieve this goal. Mr. Ramsey makes excuses for not becoming intellectually enlightened in the same vein that he makes excuses for not sailing to the Lighthouse. Ramsey is the ideal wife and mother. He uses his love to create and build, not in the physical sense, but more in the sense of relationship, community and building hope. She is perhaps the most successful character, as her goals are that she feels she has become her goal: someone who helps people, unites them... middle of paper... Just when she thinks she can't achieve a painting worth painting, learns of Mr. Ramsey, Cam and James' landing at the lighthouse. “It has landed,” he said aloud. "It's finished (208)."" Thoughts of the Lighthouse and the Ramseys suddenly inspire her, and she completes the picture, connecting everything together and complimenting each piece at the same time, as Mrs. Ramsey had done when she was still alive "Yes, he thought, putting down the brush in extreme weariness, I had my vision (209)." The completion of this painting led Lily to gain self-confidence and the successful portrait of Mrs. Ramsey lighthouse seems gigantic: an imposing structure whose task is noble and awe-inspiring. Likewise daunting are the goals set ten years before they can be completed, such as the painting of Lily Briscoe and the repair of James's relationship with her. father The Lighthouse represents the struggle to achieve a goal and the light that illuminates the path to be taken. The goals achieved and the Lighthouse up close are both friendlier, beautiful and manageable, as demonstrated by the characters in To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf..