Till We Have Faces Critical Analysis

In the novel “Till We Have Faces” by C.S. Lewis, the treatment of women as items and inferior beings is a very prevalent theme. Women are restricted from political matters and are not able to hold any power. They are also defined by their looks, and in Orual’s case, it can be extremely debilitating. Although she is faced with the hindrances of being a woman in a “man’s world,” Orual rises to power as the queen of Glome while masked by a veil, demonstrating both her unanticipated capabilities as a strong female ruler and her struggle to find her true identity. The tyrannical king, Orual’s father, is a good example of a man who dehumanizes women. He receives a young woman to be his second wife, but only uses her for sex, so he can have a son. He stripped her of innocence when he “left the shivering, white body with …show more content…
Without it, everyone looked at her like a little ugly kid, but once her face was hidden, so were her looks and age. Orual even says “as soon as my face was invisible, people began to discover all manner of beauties in my voice” (228). She finds comfort in the fact that people “did not think of [her] as a woman” (228). Women have always been judged by their appearances, and unfortunately, that doesn’t seem like it will change. If you were to take away the headline of a news article, you would have to pay close attention to the details to understand what it is about. A person’s face is the first thing others see, and the most effective means of communication. When a person experiences a certain emotion, it is first reflected in their facial expression. If Orual’s face cannot be seen, neither can her fear or shame. When she becomes the queen, she realizes her transformation at the end of the chapter when she says “I am the Queen; I’ll kill Orual too” (225). She transformed from herself into a powerful, ruthless queen. Even though she is the same person inside, her veil masks the Orual and shows the