The Loss Of Self And The Distortion Of Soul

Virginia Woolf has been regarded as one of the most influential literary figures of the 20th century. She dedicates her life to the pursuit of an ideal relationship between the two sexes and puts forward the theory of androgyny in A Room of One's Own; meanwhile, To the Lighthouse has been unanimously regarded as one of her best novels of androgyny. For many years, Mrs. Ramsay has been regarded as a woman of virtues; however, on the basis of Woolf's androgynous theory, my thesis aims to provide a new perspective of Mrs. Ramsay by treating her as an example of the failure of self-realization. Because of the complete repression of her masculinity, Mrs. Ramsay, the symbol of Angel in the House, can't release her masculinity and engenders the psychological imbalance and spiritual distortion. As a result, she develops an abnormal desire of controlling others and actually becomes the negative force that not only prevents the harmonious development of relationships within family members but also delays others'fulfillments of the journey to the lighthouse, namely, the harmonious unity of masculinity and femininity.The thesis is composed of six parts. Part 1 presents an introduction of Woolf's literary career, her achievements, and the critical responses to the novel at home and abroad, and it also reiterates the purpose and significance of choosing the subject as well as the thesis statement. Part 2 outlines the development of the androgynous theory. Part 3 is the study of Mrs. Ramsay with Woolf's androgynous theory. It is analyzed from three aspects. The first is Woolf's negative attitude towards the Angel in the House; the second is the analysis of Mrs. Ramsay as an example of failure of self-realization; the third part is about the distortion of soul, that is, because of the complete repression of her masculinity, Mrs. Ramsay develops an abnormal desire of controlling others, which is best shown in her control of Mr. Ramsay, James and Lily respectively. Part 4 explores the major characters'development of the androgynous personality. Part 5 is the evaluation of Woolf's androgyny on its profound theoretical significance and its current feasibility in solving the practical problems of cultural, ethnic or religious conflicts. Part 6 is the conclusion.