Focus and the use of indirect internal monologue are used in the novel To the Lighthouse to explain the overall theme that humans are complex individuals and often have more respect to their desires and motivations, than what might appear at first glance. Through the use of internal focus, Woolf provides a way in which readers are able to understand this theme, because it allows the story to be told through many different lenses and perspectives. In the novel To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf uses internal focus and indirect internal monologue to express each character's innate desires, and in doing so clarifies the theme that human beings and their relationships with each other are more complex than what is in the foreground . superficial level. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay On the surface, many characters have relationships whose dynamics are commonly known. For example, Mrs. Ramsay serves as a mother figure throughout the novel, and the common assumption about mother figures is that they keep a family together. This is evident on various occasions in the novel, such as all the times Mrs. Ramsay expressed anger towards her husband for destroying James' dream of going to the lighthouse (5). Or all the times Mrs. Ramsay insisted that “people must get married; people have to have children” (50). On the surface level, Mrs. Ramsay appears to be very family oriented. However, what is unique about To The Lighthouse is that readers are able to perceive why Mrs. Ramsay is the way she is, and because of this, they understand that there is more to Mrs. Ramsay than meets the eye. When the main focus becomes that of Mrs. Ramsay, a window opens for the reader to see her role more deeply and understand her emotions and desires. One such emotion that Mrs. Ramsay harbors is fear. Mrs. Ramsay's fear is the "destruction of the island and its swallowing up in the sea" (14) and how life was "as ephemeral as a rainbow." This speech is an indirect internal monologue by Mrs. Ramsay, in which she thinks deeply about life and death and what constitutes a fulfilled life. Through this, the reader can see that Mrs. Ramsay's obsession with marriage stems from the fact that she believes that life is short and that to have a fulfilling life in such a short time, one must get married and have children. The reader recognizes that Mrs. Ramsay is nothing more than a simple woman fixated on marrying off her children, but rather Mrs. Ramsay believed that “marriage…was essential” (50). In other novels like Pride and Prejudice, the focus never really changes, so readers don't have the opportunity to understand the purpose behind the characters' actions, for example Mrs. Bennet, who like Mrs. Ramsay is fixated on the idea of marriage. Because of this failure to discuss motivations, those like Mrs. Bennet are only what meets the eye, while Mrs. Ramsay is believed to have more to her desires and intentions than what exists in direct dialogue. This allows Woolf to explain her theme that there is more to humans than meets the eye. Additionally, Mrs. Ramsay's role as a mother is also explained through her thoughts. Several times throughout the novel, she expresses a protective nature towards James in particular, but all of her children in general. On the outside, Mrs. Ramsay appears to be just a mother, but in her thoughts she repeats "I protect you, your support" (14). As the reader is made to read into Mrs. Ramsay's thoughts,can capture the kind of relationship Mrs. Ramsay shares with her children. A relationship where she is their guardian. This helps recognize that Mrs. Ramsay is more than just a mother, but rather sees herself as someone who must protect her children. This helps to develop the character of Mrs. Ramsay and explain the kinds of desires she has and why she has them. The focus not only allows you to grasp the goals of each character, but also helps to recognize the complexity of human relationships. For example, without having the change of point of view between the characters, one might simply believe that the relationship shared between James and Mr. Ramsay is like any other tense relationship between father and son. However, because Woolf uses focalization to explain the thoughts of James and Mr.Ramsay, the reader is fully able to perceive the extent of the hatred that exists between them, and the reasons why. The novel goes from being less superficial to something deeper and more advanced. For example, at the beginning of the novel, James expresses hatred towards his father and also states that he believes that his mother was far better than his father (4). However, in an unwritten novel like To The Lighthouse, unless the book was told from James' point of view, you wouldn't be able to get a full picture of how angry James is. Because Virginia Woolf allows entry into James' mind, readers are able to feel "the extreme emotions which Mr. Ramsay stirred in the breasts of his children" (4). Furthermore, through a shift in focus, Mr. Ramsey's motivations become clearer. When Mr. Ramsay tells James that he cannot go to the lighthouse and the focus switches to Mr. Ramsay, he says that he has had “not only…the pleasure of disillusioning his son and ridiculing his wife…but also . ..some secret presumption regarding one's own accuracy of judgment,” (5). From this passage, Mr.Ramsay's personality is highlighted more. Mr. Ramsay now goes from being simply "the father who always says no", to the father who sought to maintain some sort of power over the family and "enjoyed" having this power. Through this, readers are able to gain complete insight into the deep conflict involved between Mr. Ramsay and James arising from James' need to go to the lighthouse and Mr. Ramsay's need to be in control. Because of the internal focus, the reader can now see that James absolutely detests Mr. Ramsay because of Mr. Ramsay's need to exert control over others. The perspective then switches to Mrs. Ramsay who, as a protective mother, despises Mr. Ramsay for having this kind of power, but is content with the fact that Mr. Ramsay was always right, and when he believed he couldn't go to the lighthouse, then this that would be the fact. Without Virginia Woolf's use of internal focus to express the thoughts of individual characters, readers would not be able to understand that there is more to the relationship between James and Mr. Ramsay or between Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay than it seems. Focus also helps provide a perspective of different characters based on the opinions of other characters. For example, at the end of the novel, for a brief moment, Cam becomes the main lens through which the story is told, and through this readers can better see the relationship between James and Mr. Ramsay. Cam says “That's it!...You finally did it. Because he knew that this was what James wanted... he had gotten it and he was so happy that he wouldn't look at her or his father or anyone else,” (202), when Mr. Ramsay praises James for his work with the sail James reacts coldly, but with a hint of surprise..