- Introduction to Literature
- Graphics from Moyra's Web Jewels.
- Used with permission.
The title of this book Till We Have Faces did not readily provide an understanding or real meaning of its contents. Many times I usually know what to expect from a book just by the title, in this case however, it was not very obvious to me. Nevertheless, in this profound novel the religious theme seemed to stand out. This was basically because I was aware that the writer was a Christian and he was well known for his deep religious expositions. On reading the cover further, I came across the smaller prints "A MYTH RETOLD". This confused me a little. I could not make any connection between C. S Lewis and Greek mythology. My knowledge of Lewis' life was limited and this influenced the way I tried to understand the book. I thought of C. S Lewis more of a factual rather than fiction/mythical Christian writer. At this point it appeared that it was going to be a challenging book to read. For me the big question was this: Why would C. S. Lewis dwell on myths and mystic stories of the ancient society that had no Godly content and were pagan in nature and yet he was a Christian. I expected a profound Christian revelation from C. S. Lewis, a message filled with deep biblical thoughts and views.
Learning more about the writer and his other works somewhat cleared the confusion and misunderstandings that hindered the comprehension of this story. It occurred to me that Mr. C. S Lewis' sensitive hands exposed the ancient myth and retained its fascination, while endowing it with brand new meanings, new depths and fears. Mr. Lewis enjoyed knowledge and philosophy from a tender age. He wrote many stories, essays and poems just to mention a few, for all types of audience. He wrote children's books and also highly intellectual material as well. His creative mind had no limits. It therefore helped to know how it could be possible for him to write Greek mythology. He explored the deepest mysteries of religion, belief, humanity and divinity and unearthed them. At this level, I could identify with the contents because of the experiences that I have gone through. I have gone through religious mystery. God has revealed himself in mysterious ways and I believe that there are things that happen to men that cannot be understood or explained rationally. Till We Have Faces dwells on religious mysteries which seem unexplainable. The priest in the story advises the King not to question the gods. He warns against killing people who are guided by Ungit-a god. "A priest does not wholly die," asserts the priest. This troubles the King.
On the other hand, my religious experience also caused me to question the book heavily. I could not appreciate the fact that Greek mythology had anything to do with Christian faith especially as we know it today. The knowledge that I possess as a modern 20th century Christian dismisses the belief in gods rather than God. My experiences also with reading literature have led me to strongly believe that myths are fictitious. They are not real. Not many of the ones I read had any religious meaning or theological soundness. I was therefore tempted to dismiss this story (before I read it)on the basis that it may be inane. However, on learning on narrative interpretation in class sessions, I began looking for the deeper meaning in the narrative. I found a wealth of knowledge. I viewed the book from the human point of viewed and I saw love, hate and other fundamental aspects of human condition played out to disclose the deepest confusions, questions and "doubtings" of humanity.
From the movie Shadowlands, I learnt that Mr. Lewis had a rough life. He had been writing about love with out ever experiencing love in real life until he met a lady who he married. This unfolded a new chapter in his life, unfortunately one filled with pain and suffering. His wife was sick. He had to deal with losing her, he had to deal with being alone again. He experienced the feelings that have been addressed in the story. He experienced love and hate. The setting of the story may also suggest the sadness in the story: the town of Glome. Some have suggested that this name represents the gloomy plot.
As a 20th-century reader, my interest in myths may not be as deep as it would be for real life stories or science fiction. I am used to myths about the future. The after-life seems to be more important than the past life. I therefore read this book knowing that the story does not relate to me. The material is archaic. The story is just read for knowledge and entertainment. The events don't drive my emotions. I could not feel the fear, anxiety and unpredictability that I would experience if it were a real life story or a futuristic mythological exposition.
I have a strong Christian view of life. The Bible is my ultimate source of source knowledge, wisdom and spiritual understanding. Therefore when reading about gods, I am inclined to fit the spiritual meaning to the events taking place. How do mortals become gods? The priest in the black robe mentions that "for you must know like many other gods she (Psyche) began by being mortal"(Pg. 24). More questions crossed my mind. What is the role of the priest? Are they representing the gods the way priests should represent God in today's society? How do I fit God and Christ in this story? Am I meant to fit in Christianity within this myth? How open should my mind be when reading this story by the great Christian writer? C. S. Lewis has a deeper meaning for the readers. To identify that deeper meaning is the project of the readers.
I came across numerous opinions on the story. Many critics have conflicting ideas and interpretations. Firstly, William Luther White accepts that the story is complex. He simplifies it by dividing it into three major themes. The first one is the clash of possessive love with selfless love. This is centered around Orual. She discovers that her life was full of hatred, neglect of her younger sister Redival and killed a soldier whom she loved. The second theme is that of questioning of religious beliefs. Fox deploys philosophy in the interpretation of the gods. Orual questions reality of the gods and Bardia on the other hand represents the simple faith of countrymen. Orual cannot identify with the gods and she cannot see them. She asks for a revelation but receives none. The third theme according to Luther is that of mystery. This one comes out strongly. The supernatural seem to provide no answer but offer personal encounter. As Luther puts it "divine reality seems better discovered through obedience than through testing," the end of the book depicts Orual as having the revelation and she wants it sent to Greek after her death. She learns that the words of the philosopher are inane when it comes to relating to the supernatural.
This interpretation of the book made a lot of sense. I could relate to it and draw conclusions. It is straightforward and has simplified the complex turns the book takes. I could now see the relationship between the people and the gods. The themes stood out much more clearly after reading this interpretation. There are other interpretations of this book. Clyde Kilby suggested that regarding Oural, she had known that the gods were real but willed otherwise. Luther disagrees with this interpretation. P.J. Schakel, thought that the book is difficult enough to require more than one reading. He noted that the first half of the text leads the reader step by step discussing plot, themes, characters, structure, symbols, allusions; the second part of the book places the whole story in context by examining it through the eyes of Lewis himself. It also reveals the full value of myth in conveying eternal and universal truths to the most receptive heart and mind. P.J. Shackel also observes that Lewis' works went through a period of change in the 1950s about the time when this book was written. He shifted from writing on reason to writing on imagination. Reason will lead to truth, but imagination to reality seems to be the guiding philosophy. Essentially, P.J. Shackel is suggesting that this myth has more meaning to it than can be got from the surface. One must read this book with a critical mind and deep imagination in order to get anything out of it. Very different from the ones above is Evan K. Gibson' interpretation. He mentions that the story is about barbarism in the pre-Christian era. The belief in gods and how the gods relate to humanity depicts the barbaric characteristics of this period. He also underlines that the story is about the mind of an ugly woman. This would be Orual. He discusses how Orual struggles with her identity and appearance. Lewis discloses Orual thoughts and attitudes. Further still, Shackel observes that there is a three way conflict between idolatry, enlightenment and vision. The worship of the gods, the philosophical views of Fox and the Greeks and the vision seen by Psyche but cannot be seen by Orual all play a part in this three-way conflict. The most profound of them all is that P.J. Shackel believes that C. S. Lewis has used old Greek mythology to convey Christian truth. He notes that Psyche becomes the platonic ideal of what a person should be. I find this interpretation farfetched and not readily available in the faculties of my mind surrounding the book. This kind of interpretation is what I expected the book to clearly manifest when I first encountered the book, but it ended up to be much harder to fit this theme into the plot of the story.
I shall attempt to introduce my own psychological interpretation of this narrative. The book is very deep and the characters are all subjected to psychological dilemmas and twists. There are impulses, desires and feelings about the characters in the story that they are unaware of and influence their emotions and behavior. This includes the writer as well. From the class discussions and the readings from the web and other sources including the film Shadowlands, I learned that C. S. Lewis went through some tough times in his life. He wrote this book around the time his wife was sick with bone cancer in 1956. These events must have influenced Lewis in the writing of this book. As far as the book goes, the question that rings throughout the book is this: why do the characters do what they are doing? Orual is filled with hatred for others, Fox dismisses most of the religious characters and their interpretations of events in life. Orual is presented as the narrator in this story. She struggles to uncover her feelings. The fact that she got just a faint glimpse of the gods, the palace, the gods secret valley made her ask numerous questions and perhaps made her fell that she is rejected and unwanted. This feeling manifested it self in her relationship with the people around her. At the end she comes to her own discovery and as a leader takes up a role beyond which she could not see as the beginning. "Since I cannot mend the book, I must add to it" (TWHF page 253). Theses are the words of Orual at the beginning of the second part of the book. I derive from this a deep revelation that came upon the life of Orual. The book refers to her past life. She looks back and sees mistakes that she made.
The King acts authoritatively. He is confident of his kingship until he was asked to throw his crown over the roof. He exclaims "I am King. I have asked you (Fox) for counsel. Those who counsel kings commonly tell them how to strengthen or save their kingship and their land. That is what a counseling a King means. And your counsel is that I should throw my crown over the roof, sell my country to Phars, and get my throat cut" (Lewis, TWHF page 59). The king seems to be overwhelmed by the demands of the gods to offer an expensive sacrifice. He doesn't understand the gods like most of the simple people do. After Fox tells him the sacrifice of his own daughter will not work, the king scratches his head and muttered, "That's just like the gods, drive you to do a thing and then punish you for doing it" (Lewis, TWHF page 58). I would like to interject here by mentioning that this kind of reasoning is apparent even today. People still ask why did God allow certain things happen to them.. What is his will? Some times people find themselves in a situation whereby they don't know what to do, but when they do something calamity strikes them. This sort of contradiction causes characters like Fox to be driven by philosophy. He believes that there is an rational answer to all the things that are going in Glome.
Interpreting a book in a very personal process. How we see characters and events is greatly influenced by our experiences in life and our knowledge on the material we are interpreting. Since the book is a collection of written words and conglomerate ideas, the writer can only present his ideas as far the written words allow. Beyond that, the reader must imagine and create his own Glome and be part of the sequence of events as they unfold. Everyone reading the book will have a different view of the scenario being presented. This eventually leads to diverse interpretation of the material. The knowledge that one possess before reading a story adds a lot to the accuracy of interpretation. Knowledge on the author and his works, as well as knowledge on the time the story was written and other chronological factors, all enhance the realism that we as readers can bring to the story. We can identify with the characters in a much better way. I also found that the views of other readers also influence our understanding of the book. This is more apparent when the views are from a credible source. The view of other students in class and the views of the teacher and invited speakers set the grounds to develop my own interpretation. My interpretation therefore springs from a great deal of external and internal resources.
Julius Sanna
