Interpretaion Trogh Faces Essay, Research Paper

“How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?” Each person harbors a face veiled by the imperfections brought to us through a shallow self-concept. Each instance in a life is filtered through a lens of personal interpretation, which makes each work of every hand and each treasure of every heart different. By realizing the lens through which one makes such calculations of belief, motive, and reason -such interpretations that are governed by who one is and in turn affects that person, one can embark on a journey of self discovery which will also aid in an empathic understanding of others. The gift of humanity, what separates humans from the beast, is self-awareness that ability to realize one’s existence, actions, motives, and so forth. By realizing that which governs our interpretations of the circumstance in which one finds themselves emersed in, one if fulfilling the highest calling upon human as well as embarking on a discovery of one’s own face. The encounter between the text and its reader is a confrontation between the author’s purpose and the reader’s personal experiences and worldview. As one encounters a piece of literature certain reaction and interpretations arise. The response of each person is as a different as the person themselves.

My encounter with Till We Have Faces has been shaped by my personal experiences and past knowledge of the author. First, I found it easy to identify with Orual as suffering character as most have when face with the loss of a loved one. I have felt many of the same feelings of abandonment, anger, and hurt which connects me empathetically with the main character. In my own pain at the loss of two best friends, I have pleaded with God to give me back that which he took from me, and I have cried out in anguish at the seeming injustice. The connection between the character and the reader is one of the purposes of the author for he is relating a story that everyone faces. Orual is not some despicable foe that out of selfish desires dooms a loved one to suffering, but she is the part of man that sentimentally clings to things of this world especially the loved. However, the practical side of me sees Orual as obsessive and over reactive, which is often a characteristic of mythical characters. Before reading the novel I possessed basic background knowledge of C. S. Lewis as an influential Christian writer. I was aware that he often used fiction to relay spiritual truths as seen with his Chronicles of Narnia which were read to me as a child. C. S. Lewis used fictitious tales to present truths much in the same way Christ uses parables to illustrate Truth, both of which require a willing and seeking heart. With this knowledge, I assumed that Till We Have Faces would hold a Christian connotation and I found one. I interpreted Orual’s struggle with Psyche’s invisible god abiding in an invisible castle as the struggle of the unbeliever to understand the believer’s unseen God abiding in a castle of alluding Faith. My own struggle to find an invisible God and then the experience of trying to convey my Faith to unbelieving and unenlightened friends when I was called to God in the last days of high school have promoted me to relate to the novel in such a way. Also, the film Shadowlands opened many avenues of understanding concerning the attributes of the characters along with the nature of the tale. The film depicted his encounter with his wife, which turned into an encounter with himself. He experienced a revelation in his philosophy about suffering, pain, and loss by opening his closed world to a dying woman and letting himself experience the pain of love. The process that Orual goes through at the loss of Psyche mirrors Lewis’ process of suffering at the loss of a wife. The book seems to be a reflection of this revelation in that Orual learns to open herself up to the love of the gods by experiencing the suffering of Psyche and releasing the blame held toward them. My personal experiences as a female have also shaped my interpretation of the text in that as a liberated woman I notice the injustice of the age-old attitudes as well as the struggle to gain a position of respect in a male dominated society. My own struggle for respect in the academic and medical fields allows me to relate to Orual on yet another plane.

As a part of society, one acquires beliefs shared by the greater community in which one lives which also affects the perception one has on a piece of art. Certain assumption and values are founded in that I am a twentieth century Christian reader which especially influences my outlook on mythology. Being a Christian, living in the twentieth century, are only a few examples of influences from a greater community. In an age where science and logic explain everything and the individual are glorified, fiction and mythology are often not taken for their full worth. The glorification of pleasure and self have lead to fiction being exploited only for its entertainment value, only looking to the old classics for truths about society. Being part of this self-indulgent society I find it easy to underestimate the value of fiction; however, through education such as a literature class I have learned to look for the value not just entertainment in literature. For example, on first encounter I would not have expected the work to hold any self-revelating truths, but after discussion in class I challenged myself to reflect upon the commentary presented in the novel. Also, twentieth century readers seem to view mythology as practice of an unenlightened Old World. Since mythology was often used to explain phenomenon that alluded ancient civilizations, the scientific methodologies and advancements of today have left the stories to be viewed as mystical fairy tales. Most do not dispute the value of myths as a window into a lost society by conveying the beliefs and values of such a society. For this reason, myths are established as perpetuating and historical literature. Information concerning the role of women for instance have been explored through myths by the circumstances of both the goddesses and the moral women which shown in the attitude of women in Till We Have Faces. Few, however, realize that myth hold meaning for today’s society, which is one mode of thinking I fell into before reading the novel. Ag ain, Till We Have Faces also depicts women’s modern climb from suppression to power which attests to modern value. Also a Christian society due to the basis of their belief system holds a negative connotation toward myths by reason of the polydeism often found in myths. It is hard for one who has been ingrained with “one true God” to be open to truths in a tale of many gods. I found myself fighting with thoughts of skepticism when I first started the novel, however, knowledge of the author and his purpose as well as his arguments concerning the purpose of myths promoted me to keep an open mind to the truths it might hold. Christians though tend to interpret a text through the eyes of a Faith in the redemptive power of Christ whether the author intended such a meaning or not. While reading the text, I found myself searching for the Christian connection. It is safe to say on the basis of knowledge concerning the author Christians are welcome to make such interpretations.

Not only does the realization of our own looking glass through which we interpret aid in the understanding the work, but by considering other’s interpretation one catches a glimpse of the many facets that a piece of literature can contain. In order to understand the context in which the story resides, one must consider Lewis’ perception and purpose of mythology as the tool in which to convey his theme. Lewis’ views on mythology offers a different interpretation of its value than most contemporary Christians would hold. He views mythology as an artistic device in which the basic Christian doctrine is portrayed in an ambiguous manner. He attests many pagan stories with qualities of that of the Christian story. Since they are founded in the pre-Christian era, the tales seem to almost prophetic premonitions of the same events as Lewis discusses in They Asked for a Paper. “But this is My inventing, this veil under which I have chosen to appear even from the first until now.” Lewis suggests in this passage that myth is similar to the “ambiguous” teachings of the Word in that the meaning is veiled in metaphor and analogies. Thus, he uses myth as Christ used parables to teach those, modern Christian, who are willing to search for understanding. Through imagination one may encounter the god behind the meaning. Lewis’ purpose for myth challenged me to look at the story with a searching heart that is open to universal truths instead of obvious commentary. Also, realizing the historical significance of mythology helps one to appreciate its connection with Christianity instead of disregarding it because of its pagan background.

Scott Daniels, a religion professor, also offered a different interpretation of the piece, one that offers a Christian interpretation. Daniels suggests that Psyche represents the Christian caught between two worlds, the secular earth and the place among the gods. As Psyche resides in an invisible castle that the sister cannot see or comprehend, so Christians live in a castle of Faith that a secular society cannot understand. Orual only captures hints of the world Psyche is conveying but refuses to acknowledge its presence which suggests that Faith requires a willing participation of the person to realize an unseen God. Daniels also commented on Lewis’ critiquing of differing worldviews as shown through the contrasting elements of various characters. For example, the Fox is governed by the Greek philosophical views namely by reason and logic, whereas, the King is depicted as individualistic and utilitarian who is only concerned with present and uses religion as a way to keep power and order. The people of Glome are as sheep that are feed on the myths to be led as they are told which represents much of society today. The contrasting worldviews offers a commentary on how other worldviews held in society view the spiritual realm. Daniels’ interpretations brought to my attention the relationship between the invisible Faith castle in which Psyche lives which opened my eyes to a deeper meaning for Christians in the novel. Also by addressing the various worldviews presented I made a conscious effort to compare the worldviews to the Christian one. It showed me for example that spiritual wonder cannot be rationalized but takes a step of Faith.

Another authority, William Luther White, in his article “The Image of Man in C. S. Lewis” offered many comments as to the theme presented in Till We Have Faces. Two significant themes that he addresses are the evasive nature of the supernatural and the need to understand human nature in order to understand divine nature. White comments that while Orual searches for her belief which is lost in the “ambiguous evidence and the criticism of Greek reason,” she discovers that the spiritual truths never come through a direct answer but are always pervaded with a sense of mystery. This sense of mystery is relayed throughout the novel in Orual’s confusement about the nature of the God’s, the aura and legends of Ungit as well as the invisible nature of Psyche’s husband. Human nature is also questioned as White suggests. Orual discoveries that with the ability to understand her true self she can better understand the nature of the gods. Orual struggles throughout the book with her identity in that she hides behind the veil and buries herself in work until she is forced to present herself in front of the gods face to face. She must realize the selfish nature of her love before she can accept the self-less love of other including the gods. White’s interpretations of the major themes present in Till We Have Faces helped distinguish the inner turmoil that Orual was suffering which connects her with Psyche.

The roles and actions of the characters in mythology subtly betray the underlying values and beliefs held by the culture in which they were derived and modeled after. Furthermore, the roles that women play in a society are an obvious indicator as to the values upon which it is founded. It is said that a society can measured by the way in which they treat women, the elderly, and the poor. Since mythology addressees the cultural view of a particular society, that society is inadvertently compared with the modern society of which the reader belongs. Till We Have Faces, a modern myth, allows the reader to follow the changing view of women in society through Orual’s struggle to gain a position of respect in a society driven by men. First, the Old World view of women’s roles is personified through her relationship to her father. The King, being a utilitarian individual, views his daughters as burdens to be carried and reminders of his inability to conceive a son. In the past, the suppression of women can be attributed to that men viewed them in much the same. Women were reminders of the softer weaker side of them and were dependent upon on their strength to provide food and protection, which was an added burden. The King continually refers to Orual’s ugliness by equating it with w9orthlessness, which implies the view of women as only worthy because of the beauty of their sex to attract men. In the novel, this assumption is supported when the King comments “if she loses her maidenhead before I find her a husband, you’ll yell louder for it than she — And you, goblin daughter, you what you’re good for — if you with that face can’t frighten the men away, it’s a wonder” (26). Even in today’s society, women are exploited for their sex appeal.

The gradual assent of women into a position of equality and respect is shown through her education and assent into power as Queen. First, the King consents to educating the girls in order that they may serve as a useful wife. The first education of women was also for the purpose of better serving the household. Soon, however, the men in the in novel realize the capabilities of Orual. For example, the King takes Orual in as an aid to the affairs of the kingdom and Bardia discovers her skill with the sword. Noticeably, both talents are in areas that usually only men were allowed to participate in. Slowly, they learn to appreciate her for her capabilities instead of criticizing her for the lack of beauty. Society, too, gradually learned to accept women’s capabilities and only recently in fields that were designated as male only. Women were allowed to assist and learn but never could take part in leadership roles until circumstances rendered it necessary. For instance, as the women entered the work force they were forced to remain with in the boundaries of specific occupations until the World Wars when women had to go work in the factories doing a man’s work. Gradually, even the military has opened its door to females. As women started assuming leadership roles they had to establish credibility much as Orual establishes confidence in her among the people of Glome. She goes to great pains to produce a productive kingdom by incorporating the skills that were taught to her. She shows strength when she defeated the neighboring kingdom, intellect as well as cunningness when she strikes a bargain with the new Priest and thoughtfulness in preparing the kingdom against disaster. Also, Orual finds herself at a critical point donning on a veil in order to better enhance her ruling abilities. Much the same way, women today must mask themselves in order to keep from being treated differently which has led to laws concerning the right to withhold information. The veil also helps to establish Orual as an equal w ith the prince from the neighboring kingdom as women fight to do in modern society.

Even though Orual gains power, wealth, prestige, and talents, the characters and people of Glome are still concerned with the first issue of beauty shown through the King. For example, the rumors that fly about Orual and her veil center around her looks which suggests that even though women in today’s society have gained a lot they still have to deal with the issues of the decades gone by. Orual finds herself as a successful queen, however, in the end she is left with only herself-her bear faced self. Lewis reflects that no amount of success, freedom, or power will change who one is, woman or man.

Through a composite of my own experiences, the worldviews of the societies in which I am apart, and interpretations of others, I have developed my own perspective on the ideas presented in Till We Have Faces. I learned that by realizing what shapes my interpretations of the world in which I live, I better understand myself. Also, one’s interpretation changes as new theories or information is learned. For example, once I saw Shadowlands my attention was brought to Lewis’ commentary on pain and suffering through Orual. I realized that Till We have Faces is more a commentary on human nature and psychology than a book of spiritual guidance. Lewis seems to be making a statement about his struggle to deal with loss and understanding God in that process which may be why the “ideal Christian” symbolized in Psyche is apart of us but tat the same time so far away. By understanding the approach of others to a text, one receives a broader understanding of the many facets of the text. Daniels’ interpretation of the Faith castle struck a note of harmony in my own thoughts about a Christian interpretation. This idea helped laid the groundwork for my interpretation of the unbeliever conflicting with the believer. When I first started the novel, I was searching for Christian commentary because of my pervious knowledge of Lewis other works. I sought out the Christ figure, which I labeled as Psyche who does die for the people as well as display Christ like qualities. However, upon reflection I feel that Psyche is more representative of how Christian should be and her invisible husband as Christ. “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb as come, and his bride had made herself ready” (Revelations 19:7). I have found that not only education but also personal reflection is involved with interpretation, which drives us to grow. Since interpretations are constantly changing with knowledge, experiences and growth, they are hard to define and only by understanding ourselves and looking to others can a broader purpose be obtained.

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