Why is Lily Briscoe dissatisfied with her picture?
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 is Lily Briscoe dissatisfied with her picture? [NU: 2020]
Virginia Woolf’s (1882–1941) “To the Lighthouse” (1927) is full of art and memory. Lily Briscoe is a young painter. She paints in the Ramsays’ summer house in the Hebrides. She tries to capture Mrs. Ramsay and James. But she feels dissatisfied.
Influence of Charles Tansley: Charles Tansley is Mr. Ramsay’s student. He insults Lily. He says,
“Women can’t paint, women can’t write.”
These words echo in Lily’s mind. She doubts herself. She fears her painting is weak. Even when Mrs. Ramsay and little James sit as models, Lily thinks her picture may be a failure. The insult makes her dissatisfied with her work.
Difficulty of Artistic Vision: Lily wants to paint Mrs. Ramsay and James in the summer house garden. But she feels she cannot catch the truth. She sees Mrs. Ramsay’s beauty and kindness, but the brush cannot express it. She feels her lines are wrong. She thinks she was not satisfied with her picture. This gap between dream and result makes her unhappy.
Burden of Memory and Time: After Mrs. Ramsay dies, Lily tries again to paint near the summer house. She remembers Mrs. Ramsay, Mr. Ramsay, James, Cam, Prue, Andrew, Nancy, Roger, Jasper, Rose, Paul Rayley, Minta Doyle, William Bankes, and Augustus Carmichael. Memory comes, but the canvas seems empty. She feels dissatisfied because the painting cannot hold all this life. Only at the end, when the boat reaches the Lighthouse, she finishes and says,
“I have had my vision.”
Lily Briscoe feels dissatisfied because of Charles Tansley’s insult, her struggle with artistic vision, and the heavy burden of memory. Her dissatisfaction shows her humanity. At last, by painting in the garden of the summer house, she finds peace.