handy would have gashed a hole in his father's breast and killed him This shows his inner violence It is never spoken aloud Mrs Ramsay s Inner Thoughts Mrs Ramsay is the heart of the house Through stream of consciousness we see her mind Mrs Ramsay sits in a room She thinks about her children James Cam Prue Andrew Nancy Roger Jasper and Rose She feels their joy and worry She thinks about the weather She thinks about Paul Rayley and Minta Doyle She helps arrange their marriage She also cares for William Bankes and Lily Briscoe At the dinner party she connects everyone silently She also feels her husband s need Her mind moves from one idea to another She does not finish one thought before starting another Woolf says about her She had the whole of the other sex under her protection Mr Ramsay s Inner Thoughts Mr Ramsay is a philosopher but he feels insecure His thoughts are shown again and again He believes he cannot reach greatness He thinks about fame and failure He always needs sympathy He asks it of Mrs Ramsay Later after her death on the morning of the Lighthouse trip he asks it of Lily Briscoe But she could not respond Lily feels pity but stays silent His mind is restless Stream of consciousness makes us hear his inner emptiness Lily Briscoe's Inner Thoughts Lily Briscoe is the artist in the novel Her mind is full of doubts and hopes Charles Tansley insults her saying Women can t paint women can t write His words echo in her head She feels weak but she continues to paint She thinks of Mrs Ramsay often She tries to bring her back on canvas She also observes Mr Ramsay s need Cam s fear and James s anger In the last part she paints while Mr Ramsay James and Cam sail to the Lighthouse At last she finishes her picture and says I have had my vision This is her final thought her victory Time Passes and Silent Thoughts In the section Time Passes Woolf uses pure stream of consciousness The house becomes empty Mrs Ramsay dies Andrew was killed in the war Prue dies in childbirth These events are not told directly They are whispered in short sentences The housekeeper Mrs McNab also thinks about the past while cleaning The whole flow of time is shown through impressions not action Virginia Woolf uses stream of consciousness in every part of To the Lighthouse James s anger Mrs Ramsay s care Mr Ramsay s insecurity Lily Briscoe s painting Cam s fear Paul and Minta s romance William Bankes s thoughts Charles Tansley s pride Augustus Carmichael s quietness all are revealed through their minds The summer house the dinner party the war and the final journey all come alive in inner voices Woolf shows that life is not only about events Life is also thoughts memories and feelings