Barry-Till We Have Faces—Sex and Gender

This novel was one of the most enjoyable I have ever read. I’ve always liked stories about mythology and legend, but I found that Lewis’ retelling of the Psyche-Cupid myth was even more engaging than the traditional tale. The character of Orual is both to be admired and pitied. She challenges several sex/gender stereotypes in the novel, which is perhaps why I admired her. Cursed as an unattractive woman, Orual is bothered by her ugliness, but is not insanely jealous of beauty as the Psyche-Cupid myth would suggests. Realizing that she will probably never marry, she begins to lose many of her feminine qualities throughout the course of the book. Taking up a sword, for example, shows her willingness to step outside the prescribed sex roles (men as warriors, women as mothers) and valiantly fight for her sister as any Greek hero might. She even recounts at times about the way Bardia and slaves in the palace would see her less and less as a woman. This suggests important ideas about the genders of masculinity and femininity. Many believe that women are to act one way while men should behave another way. Deviating from the prescribed gender roles results in confusion and even mockery. Still, Orual sheds whatever dainty feminine characteristics she has left in pursuit of her sister. Her courage should not be characterized as “manly”, but simply brave. Any human being is capable of noble and courageous deeds. Polarizing to either “male actions” or “female actions” only perpetuates sex and gender stereotypes.