... it is an affirmation of order and stability. There is a clear demarcation of masculine and feminine domains in the novel. The feminine domain is the home, where Mrs. Ramsay fulfils her purpose as a woman by being a good wife and mother ('She would be happy if always to have a baby in her arms'). She also has 'the whole of the other sex under her protection', not only due to admiration of them, but also because 'she pitied men always as if they lacked something - women never, as if they had something'. There is, she believes, profound value in the traditional woman's role. Within this role, the process of establishing relationships between people is of paramount importance. In fact, drawing people together, overcoming their personal differences, has become her reason for being. She struggles against the complexity of life, described as 'her old antagonist', in order to act ...

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