Summary: Chapter I
Paul, Minta, Andrew, Prue, and Lily return from the beach.
One by one, they retire to their rooms and shut off their lamps.
The house sinks into darkness, except for the room of Augustus Carmichael, who
stays up reading Virgil.
Summary: Chapter II
Darkness floods the house. Furniture and people seem to
disappear completely. The wind creeps indoors and is the only movement.
The air plays across objects of the house—wallpaper, books, and
flowers. It creeps up the stairs and continues on its way. At midnight, Carmichael
blows out his candle and goes to bed.
Summary: Chapter III
Nights pass and autumn arrives. The nights bring destructive
winds, bending trees and stripping them of their leaves. Confusion
reigns. Anyone who wakes to ask the night questions “as to what,
and why, and wherefore” receives no answer. Mrs. Ramsay dies suddenly. The
following morning, Mr. Ramsay wanders through the hallway, reaching
out his arms for her.
Summary: Chapter IV
The contents of the house are packed and stored. The winds
enter and, without the resistance of lives being lived, begin to
“nibble” at the possessions. As it moves across these things, the
wind asks, “Will you fade? Will you perish?” The objects answer,
“We remain,” and the house is peaceful. Only Mrs. McNab, the housekeeper,
disturbs the peace, as she arrives to dust the bedrooms.
Summary: Chapter V
Mrs. McNab makes her way through the house. She is old
and weary and hums a tune that bears little resemblance to the joyous song
of twenty years earlier. As she cleans the house, she wonders how
long it all will endure. Some pleasant memory occurs to the old woman,
which makes her job a bit easier.
Summary: Chapter VI
It is spring again. Prue Ramsay marries, and people comment
on her great beauty. Summer approaches, and Prue dies from an illness connected
with childbirth. Flies and weeds make a home in the Ramsays’ summerhouse.
Andrew Ramsay is killed in France during World War I. Augustus Carmichael
publishes a volume of poetry during the war that greatly enhances
his reputation.
