Equilibrium

I read 'To the Lighthouse' by Virginia Woolf last semester and I'm trying to re-read it again this semester. What a snooze (and I hate saying that because I absolutely adore Virginia Woolf and usually read everything she has with enthusiasm). I have been thinking a lot about the notion of identity and the equilibrium that exists between all human beings, one of the defining characteristics of 'To the Lighthouse'. Let me explain...
Equilibrium, by definition, is the condition of equal balance between opposing forces; that state of a material system in which the forces acting upon the system, or those of them which are taken into consideration, are so arranged that their resultant at every point is zero. (oed)
In every physical phenomenon exists an example of equilibrium, some more prominent than others. Equilibrium often defines the relationship between two entities, and the effects of that relationship on the surrounding world become the subject of analysis. Woolf represents the system between a married man and woman, their children, and the weight a married couples places on one another.
Virginia Woolf gives equilibrium definition by examining a relationship between a husband and wife and their eight children. While living under a slightly faulty system, the characters portrayed in the novel are decidedly happy. Hosting a number of guests at any given occasion, adhering to a strict familial guideline, and trying to satisfy the whims of their children, Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay are together an entity holding the rest of their constructed world in place. Mrs. Ramsay is represented as a woman of incredible kindness and strength, seemingly the stronger half of an equal entity. Primarily, Mrs. Ramsay keeps the household livable, her husband tolerable, and her children at bay. Mr. Ramsay comes across as almost Mrs. Ramsay's ideal opposite, always ill tempered, selfish, and engrossed in life outside of his family.
As the definition of 'equilibrium' describes, the two opposing forces of this material system have to merge to ensure a positive level in the household. Curiously, Mrs. Ramsay seems to be the driving force behind the neutrality, a force Mr. Ramsay depends on for his own peace of mind, represented in the following passage:
'It was sympathy he wanted, to be assured of his genius, first of all, and then to be taken within the circle of life, warmed and soothed, to have his senses restored to him, his barrenness made fertile, and all the rooms of the house made full of life' (87).
Mr. Ramsay's insecurities are brought to life in this passage and his female counterpart has to bear the weight of his ongoing neurosis. Without Mrs. Ramsay to make him feel level, Mr. Ramsay would withdraw far within himself and possibly never re-emerge. The woman in the system of 'husband and wife' acts as the catalyst for everything to keep the natural level of the household at a relative zero.
The men in To the Lighthouse are all given an incredibly strong voice, their problems and issues some of the most speculated in the novel, especially those of Mr. Ramsay. His issues are always a catalyst in the novel, and Mrs. Ramsay is always the form of resolution. While the men in this novel are given a more prominent direct voice, the women in the novel emerge as the stronger characters, especially the character of Mrs. Ramsay. She acts almost as if she believes she has to protect the opposite sex. She believes men have to carry the burden of the outside world and their work is of great importance, leaving them in an extremely vulnerable position amongst their families. Mrs. Ramsay finds strength and resolve in the fact that she can carry the burden for her husband and she can manipulate the system however she desires. The characters abrupt death in the novel is the defining, disturbing force that interrupts the equilibrium and makes the lives of all the characters unstable.
I suppose this is more analytical than any blog I have ever written, but I do have a point in all of this. Perhaps some of the most important moments of 'epiphany' in life are those realized in relation to other human beings. 'To the Lighthouse' plays on the forces existing between men and women, husbands and wives, parents and children. Perhaps the epiphany does not come until death interrupts or halts life. I know I talk a lot about the notion of 'death' in my blogs, but it seems there is nothing in this world that compares to the closeness that exists between human beings and what happens to the mind when death intervenes. It is a sudden and often brutal form of epiphany, because men and women the world over exist on the pendulum I base this blog around.