C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces is set in the imaginary country of Glome, the Hellenistic world and Greek culture, about 200 years before the birth of Christ. Orual, the eldest daughter of the King of Glome records her life story in Faces.
Very early on in the book it is obvious that in Glome much weight is placed on appearance. Orual, possibly the most controversial character in the book, is often regarded as ugly; even called curd-face and goblin daughter by her own father. she wears a veil to not only cover her face but also shut out her feelings from the rest of the world.
The extreme opposite of Orual is Psyche, Orual's step-sister. When Psyche is born,
her older step-sister is always by her side, continually caring for her like a mother. Psyche is regarded as very beautiful and her beauty is said to rival even that of Ungit [Aphrodite in Greek], the goddess of nature. She is at first worshipped as a goddess and is believed to possess healing powers. Psyche does not understand why so many people treat her differently. At one time a mother with her baby comes to young Psyche and pleads her to kiss her baby, because she said her baby would be beautiful if she did.
From the time when Psyche was born, Orual developed a strong connection with her step-sister. She loves her more than anything. In one part of the book she says of Psyche: “She made beauty all around her.” In another section “I wanted her to be my full sister instead of my half sister.” Orual longed to be as close to Psyche as she could. Perhaps she sees in Psyche what she longs to see in herself – a feeling of worth and a feeling that she is also beautiful. Psyche herself never once comments on her step-sister's appearance. She tells her often that she is loved. “...what have I ever had to love besides you...?” .
Orual is pessimistic and though a strong leader, cold and bitter. She has grown up without much love, save from Psyche who eventually disappears. People respect Orual, but because she wears a veil they assume she must be ugly. Orual hears what rumors are going around about her appearance, and therefore wears the veil because of fear. When she was young she was constantly abused by her father and had been the target of his wrath. This had a definite effect on Orual's state of mind and view of the world. The way we see ourselves influences the way we see the world. The way we see the world influences the way we see ourselves.
Towards the end of Orual's life, she decides to write down her life story, which is Till We Have Faces. She has grown up, become queen, and hid her face from people for a long time. Psyche has long since disappeared. Orual herself says in the book: “Now, you who read, judge between the gods and me. They gave me nothing in the world to love but Psyche and then took her from me.”
Reviewed by Riswan Lintang-RL
Very early on in the book it is obvious that in Glome much weight is placed on appearance. Orual, possibly the most controversial character in the book, is often regarded as ugly; even called curd-face and goblin daughter by her own father. she wears a veil to not only cover her face but also shut out her feelings from the rest of the world.
The extreme opposite of Orual is Psyche, Orual's step-sister. When Psyche is born,
her older step-sister is always by her side, continually caring for her like a mother. Psyche is regarded as very beautiful and her beauty is said to rival even that of Ungit [Aphrodite in Greek], the goddess of nature. She is at first worshipped as a goddess and is believed to possess healing powers. Psyche does not understand why so many people treat her differently. At one time a mother with her baby comes to young Psyche and pleads her to kiss her baby, because she said her baby would be beautiful if she did.From the time when Psyche was born, Orual developed a strong connection with her step-sister. She loves her more than anything. In one part of the book she says of Psyche: “She made beauty all around her.” In another section “I wanted her to be my full sister instead of my half sister.” Orual longed to be as close to Psyche as she could. Perhaps she sees in Psyche what she longs to see in herself – a feeling of worth and a feeling that she is also beautiful. Psyche herself never once comments on her step-sister's appearance. She tells her often that she is loved. “...what have I ever had to love besides you...?” .
Orual is pessimistic and though a strong leader, cold and bitter. She has grown up without much love, save from Psyche who eventually disappears. People respect Orual, but because she wears a veil they assume she must be ugly. Orual hears what rumors are going around about her appearance, and therefore wears the veil because of fear. When she was young she was constantly abused by her father and had been the target of his wrath. This had a definite effect on Orual's state of mind and view of the world. The way we see ourselves influences the way we see the world. The way we see the world influences the way we see ourselves.
Towards the end of Orual's life, she decides to write down her life story, which is Till We Have Faces. She has grown up, become queen, and hid her face from people for a long time. Psyche has long since disappeared. Orual herself says in the book: “Now, you who read, judge between the gods and me. They gave me nothing in the world to love but Psyche and then took her from me.”
Reviewed by Riswan Lintang-RL
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