Rumination Fugue Publication Rumination Fugue Publication | Page 14

“Yes, of course, if it’s fine tomorrow” (Woolf 3), said Mrs. Ramsay, comforting her youngest child James. What the Ramsays were talking about was their plan to visit the Lighthouse: in their mind, the Lighthouse was “hoary,” “distant,” and “austere,” yet kept “fading and falling” all the time (Woolf 12). They made full preparation for this visit (Mrs. Ramsay even knitted the stocking “given to the Lighthouse keeper for his little boy” (Woolf 5)), but the plan was coincidentally cancelled everyday. “But,” said Mr. Ramsay, ruthlessly argu- ing against his wife, “it won’t be fine” (Woolf 4). He was a fanatical follower of ab- solute truth who despised all fanciful things in the world. “What he said was true” (Woolf 4), thought James, complaining se- cretly for his father who broke his and his mother’s dream, “It was always true” (Woolf 4). He finally drove to the conclusion that “the wind blew from the worst possible di- rection for landing at the Lighthouse” (Woolf 5), completely destroying their plan.