To round out this novel and the semester, I wanted to leave some quick thoughts on the ghosts of World War I that still follow us today. Much of the last two sections To the Lighthouse are written from the perspective of Lily Briscoe, and although Mrs. Ramsey is rarely mentioned in “Time Passes” (with the exception of “Mrs. Ramsey having died rather suddenly” (128)), Lily is reminded of her quite often in “The Lighthouse” section. Mrs. Ramsey’s death is never explained, but I think it could be interpreted as a casualty of the war. As we begin “Time Passes” and are introduced to the “profusion of darkness” (126) left behind in the empty house, we are reminded of broken families who faced the same situation after the war. Before the conflict, families sought comfort and saw a promise for the future in these young men — sons, grandsons, fathers, cousins and nephews — men they admired and viewed as the glue that held a family together. I think it’s safe to say Mrs. Ramsey played this role among the group of characters we find in the first section of To the Lighthouse. Mrs. Ramsey is the inspiration and persona that joins everyone together and helps them thrive or at least survive life. Once the war begins and we begin to learn the aftermath in the second section, readers are shut out of the details from Mrs. Ramsey’s death. All we know is that she died, and for families who lost men in World War I, they were probably left with the same burning questions — how, why and was the death worth the price she (Mrs. Ramsey) and those soldiers paid?

By section three, Lily is trying to experience a breakthrough with her painting, but she returns again and again to thoughts and memories of Mrs. Ramsey. She cries out for her and wonders what the dead woman would think of their situation and how they are trying to move on after the war. In a scene where Lily is reminded of Mrs. Ramsey’s matter-of-fact and direct personality, she is lost in thought about the woman when “(A noise drew her attention to the drawing room window — the squeak of a hinge. The light breeze was toying with the window)” (195). When I read this, it seemed very clear to me that Mrs. Ramsey’s presence not only existed in the minds and memories of those who knew her but also as a ghost who continued to linger in the home. The slight noise and breeze that blew against the window symbolizes that though she is gone, her memory is strong and affects Lily in a very personal way. Mrs. Ramsey becomes a ghost to Lily that sometimes she appreciates and other times she wants to forget. I’m sure this struggle was common among families who wanted desperately to reunite with their soldier but at the same time wished to leave him in the past with the remnants of a terrible war.