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Character Analysis: Till We Have Faces Essay

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Character Analysis

Till We Have Faces, written by C.S. Lewis, is a novel based on the Greek legend of Psyche and Cupid. The main character and narrator, Orual, retells her life from when she was young to her present age. In the story she tells of how being the ugly sister compared her two beautiful sisters, Redival and Psyche, has impacted her life substantially. Psyche was the major reason behind Oruals actions because Orual was jealous that everyone noticed Psyche and never acknowledged her, and this would ultimately lead to the sacrificing of Psyche to the mountain god, Ungit. It is evident that Lewis portrays Psyche as a believably perfect person because she is very noble throughout Till We Have Faces(Abromaitis, 4246). These traits are shown when Psyche is referred to as a goddess by Redival, when she tries to nurse the Fox, a Greek slave purchased by the King to teach Redival, Orual, and Psyche various things, and when she met with Orual to plan the Foxs escape.

The first time Psyche shows her noble character was when Redival made fun of Psyche by saying, Why dont you honour the goddess? to Orual. She said that quote in reference to Psyches action of kissing a womans baby when the woman claimed it would make her baby beautiful. Psyche agreed to kiss the baby because the lady seemed very nice and it would have made her happy. This showed Psyches loving and noble character. Still, Redival persisted on mocking Psyches goddess-like actions, but Psyche felt it was no big deal and it made other people happy, so she ignored Redival.(Lewis, 27-28)

Another time Psyche showed her noble character was when the epidemic spread throughout Glome and many people became ill, including the Fox. The Fox was very important to Psyche, so she nursed his whenever she could, even when forbidden by the King. Psyche was so determined to keep the Fox alive at all costs that she even fought or bit people who stood in her way to his room. This act was very noble of Psyche because she risked catching the epidemic and being caught by guards to save a great friend.(Lewis, 30)

The final time that Psyche showed her noble character was when she met with Orual to discuss the plans for the Foxs escape to freedom. Psyche gets Orual to understand that both of them can die in this quest and she must stay strong in the face of danger. Psyche says, You must make me a promise. Youll not do anything outrageous? Youll not kill yourself? You mustnt, for the Foxs sake. You must hold together with him and stand the closer like soldiers in a hard battle. These quotes are all very noble because Psyche is putting her faith in her sister and she is trying to motivate and shake the fear out of her. She portrays her love and respect for her sister as a person whereas others would judge her by her uglier physical appearance.(Lewis, 68-70)

Psyches noble character can easily be seen by observing her interactions with other characters in Till We Have Faces. She showed nobility when she kissed the womans baby to make her happy and disregarded Redivals negative criticism. She showed nobility when she stopped at no cost to nurse the Fox back to health. She showed nobility when she discussed the plan to free the Fox with Orual. Psyche rarely showed anger and she always tried to help others throughout the novel. She always loved and respected people for their inner beauty like the Fox and especially Orual, whereas others would judge them by their physical appearance. All of these examples prove that Psyche was a believably perfect person with great nobility.

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