a. Throughout the text of To the Lighthouse the description of one of the main characters, "Mrs. Ramsay," is without question a depiction of Virginia's mother. In fact, both Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay are blatant illustrations of her parents. After reading the novel, Virginia's sister Vanessa wrote to her, "...a portrait of mother which is more like her to me than anything I could ever have conceived of as possible. It is almost painful to have her so raised from the dead...you have given father too I think as clearly but perhaps, I may be wrong, that isn't quite so difficult...it is so shattering to find oneself face to face with those two again..." (Ingram, 5).
             Virginia's father was also an author, a philosopher and a very learned man. Leslie Stephen, also plagued by the mental illness handed down to him by his father and grandfather, left a lasting impression on Virginia that she would account for in two very different ways. At a young age she described him as "that old wretch, my father" and "if he had lived lon
             ...