Why does William Bankes think the Dinner-Party to be a sheer waste of time?
To the Lighthouse is a notable literary work by Virginia Woolf. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of To the Lighthouse.
Answer
Why does William Bankes think the Dinner-Party to be a sheer waste of time?
Virginia Woolf’s (1882–1941) “To the Lighthouse” (1927) shows daily life in the Ramsays’ summer house in the Hebrides. One important event is Mrs. Ramsay’s dinner party. For William Bankes, this dinner seems a waste of time. He prefers reason, not social talk.
William Bankes’s Rational Mind: William Bankes is an old friend of Mr. Ramsay. He respects intelligence and clear thinking. At the dinner party, he feels the talk is useless. People like Charles Tansley, Augustus Carmichael, Paul Rayley, and Minta Doyle speak of small things. Bankes thinks this is not serious. His rational mind does not enjoy empty talk.
Contrast with Mrs. Ramsay’s Vision: Mrs. Ramsay sees the dinner party as a unity. She brings together Mr. Ramsay, James, Cam, Prue, Andrew, Nancy, Roger, Jasper, Rose, Lily Briscoe, William Bankes, Charles Tansley, Augustus Carmichael, Paul Rayley, and Minta Doyle. Woolf writes about her that she brings them together. But Bankes does not feel this beauty. He only sees wasted hours. He fails to see the deeper harmony Mrs. Ramsay creates.
Bankes’s Lonely Perspective: Bankes is alone. He never married. He lives by reason, not by emotion. At the dinner table in the summer house, he feels separate. He cannot share Mrs. Ramsay’s warmth. He cannot enjoy the laughter of James, Cam, or Lily Briscoe. His lonely view makes him judge harshly. For him, the dinner is only noise and food, not meaning. So, Woolf says about his loneliness that,
“William Bankes–poor man! who had no wife, and no children and dined alone.”
William Bankes calls the dinner party a waste of time because of his rational mind, his contrast with Mrs. Ramsay’s vision, and his lonely perspective. Yet for others, the same dinner becomes a moment of unity and beauty.