Allusions In T. S. Lewis That Hideous Strength

Another figure of speech, which Lewis relies heavily upon in his literary technique, are allusions. Sometimes called a reference as well, allusions are effective tools for writers as they “stimulate ideas, associations, and extra information in the readers’ minds” ("Allusion in Prose and Poetry"). They ultimately give the reader a better understanding of what is happening by connecting the author’s ideas with the knowledge of the common man. Throughout That Hideous Strength, Lewis uses two popular allusions – Merlin and the Tower of Babel – aiding in the reader’s understanding of the plot, and thus the effectiveness of the novel. Merlin “is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in Arthurian legend and medieval Welsh poetry” (Wikipedia). Lewis alludes to the sorcerer and aspects of his story, throughout …show more content…
Referred to in multiple pieces of literature, the Tower of Babel has become an allusion known by the majority of people – even those without a Biblical background. “The couplet, from the Scottish Renaissance poet Sir David Lyndsay, which Lewis quotes in the epigraph of That Hideous Strength, alludes to the tower: ‘The shadow of that hyddeous strength. Sax myle and more it is of length’” (Urrutia). Lewis then develops the allusion farther “as the human villains of the novel, like the builders of the tower, attempt to rival the power of God and in the end, suffer a like fate.” In That Hideous Strength, it is Merlin who brings about the “curse of Babel” on Belbury, stating in old solar, “They that have despised the word of God, form them shall the word of man also be taken away” (Lewis 348). Therefore, Lewis’ allusions to Merlin and the Tower of Babel aid in the effectiveness of the novel, as they help the readers understand the plot through their pre-existing knowledge of the two