Symbols are a beautiful gift to writing because they give writers the ability to create objects as they want them to be and also give readers the freedom to explore the possibilities of what the symbols could represent. . In Woolf's To The Lighthouse, the symbolic use of the lighthouse, the sea and the painting has a significant meaning of how a strong family structure built by very diverse individuals relate to each other through a perspective modernist. They all relate differently to the characters, however, they all come together, undergo change and have a new realization of themselves. To the naked eye and literal mind, all symbols have a generic meaning. Looking at a lighthouse, without literary significance, a tall tower built in the middle of the sea or sitting on the shore which, without light by day and flashing at night, guides fishermen and others out to sea to safety. . The sea is just a vast space filled with water and fish whose waves sparkle like diamonds in the sun and crash passionately against the shore, carrying away small pieces each time they move away. During storms, he is seen as an angry demon that engulfs everything while wishing and washing away any ships and boats stuck in his belly. Lily Briscoe's painting is just a pretty picture or a lady she admired and missed. Additionally, although it is a small thing, the skull or boar is only considered naughty by adults, artistic by artists, and scary by small children. After adding the literary context of the novel, there is a reciprocity of deeper meaning to each of these images. This tall tower structure becomes a fortress, a pillar and a structure. That light that guides fishermen and others...... middle of paper ...... Returning to how the lighthouse served as a symbol for this basis of the family structure as well as to represent Mrs. Ramsay, after her dead, this lighthouse was still standing. Even though she was the heart of the family, when she left, she was still present among the family. James realized that "nothing is just one thing", meaning he finally saw the double meaning of his life, how he has changed and what the lighthouse is. meant for him (186). However, the use of all the symbolism has this effect and shows how this solid tower structure provided a foundation for the family foundation as well as being a sign of the growth of all the characters. Additionally, after he left and things started to "sink" and things seemed to take a turn for the worse, the vital importance of family life came into play for most, regardless of some details left out..