Eric Fesmire Till We Have Faces Post #2

Ugly

What is truly ugly? This seems to be just one of the questions Lewis explores in Till We Have Faces. Orual is captivated  by this question because of her consistent insistence that she herself was ugly. This idea was only strengthened and reinforced by the people around her causing her to wear a veil over her head. The veil hiding Orual's face is contrasted with the one hiding Cupid's, one to hide ugliness one to hide beauty. Ultimately, Lewis views ugliness as something that is more profound than superficial looks. The ugliness of Orual at the end is not in her looks but in her short-sided selfishness, but this leads into a kind of redemption through repentance.


What makes Orual ugly is the opposite of what makes Psyche beautiful. Psyche's true beauty lies in her innocence and her purity. Her desire is for good and good alone, not tainted by selfish pursuits. Orual has other plans, desires, cravings. Psyche is given purpose because of her purity, Orual is given helplessness and meaningless existence for hers. All of this emotion builds up to the ending that  allows Orual to truly see and to not run away from the ugliness that had jaded her life.