I don’t say lightly that the greatest novel CS Lewis ever wrote is Till We Have Faces. After all, he penned quite a few splendid works of fiction, including the Chronicles of Narnia and The Space Trilogy. But this retelling of a classic Greek myth to teach deep Christian principles is far more profound yet also is harder for many readers to grapple.
I’ve recommended this book to quite a few people over the years and most seem to struggle with the more abstract nature of the philosophical journey Lewis takes the reader on. For that and other reasons, it’s the author’s most mature and profound work. I’ve found reading it multiple times, as well as being familiar with the story of Cupid and Psyche as told by Apuleius, helps with understanding the underlying lessons.
There are several prominent themes throughout the novel, like the difference between blind faith and those who consciously choose to follow God despite struggles and doubts, the conflict between rational thought and spiritual insight, how justice and mercy can simultaneously be served, the painful reality of truly seeing oneself stripped of all masks or false identities, and of course the exploration of what love is really all about.
It’s that last theme which really jumped out at me the last time I read the book, thanks to a few reasons like life experience and more recently studying attachment styles. Love means different things to different people, and that’s certainly evident in Till We Have Faces.
Out of the three royal sisters, each has a different approach to love.
Orual, the eldest and the narrator of the story, has a consuming way of expressing love. She demands full dedication from anyone near her, believing that in return she blesses them with her undying devotion. What she does in reality is consume those around her, a fact she doesn’t realize until speaking with Bardia’s widow late in the book.
Interestingly enough, Orual accuses the gods of consuming mortals’ lives, the very thing she herself does. It’s a classic example of projection and teaches the reader so much about her character.
Redival, the second oldest, seems to have a more anxious attachment style. She appears to need a man to feel good about herself, which in a way is consuming, so she might not be as different from Orual as some have assessed. She’s so dogged in her pursuit of getting affirmation from men that Orual and their nursemaid, Batta have to keep a close eye on her constantly for fear she’ll sleep with one of the commoners. Later, after she marries the king of the neighboring nation, she lets herself go because she’s accomplished her goal of securing a husband to prove her worth. It’s a sad reality many women and quite a few men live out.
Istra is quite different from her sisters, including how she views and expresses love. Instead of consuming others, she allows herself to be consumed. She goes out to the peasants when they’re afflicted with disease, exposing herself to the point she’s bedridden. She submits to the Beast, accepting it will consume her to appease the God of the Mountain. She even allows her older sister, Orual, to consume her constantly, having been conditioned to such a role early in life.
King Trom, their father, has his own way of approaching love. He seems to have an extremely avoidant attachment style, acting like a “manly man” who isn’t comfortable with expressing vulnerable emotions to literally anyone. He’s a bottler, shoving emotions down until everything erupts in anger directed at the most proximate person, including his own daughters. In addition, he’s consuming in the love he does express, which might be where Orual learned her approach. For example, he consumes Istra’s mother in pursuit of personal gratification and a male heir for the throne. When she dies shortly after giving birth, he only thinks of what he didn’t get from her, showing a more utilitarian approach to marriage and close relationships. Unfortunately, he’s representative of so many men in our society.
I might come back and offer more analysis of Till We Have Faces since the novel is so profound and touches on quite the array of topics that are timeless, offering invaluable insight.
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Steven Symes 