What is the main theme of Till We Have Faces?
Daniel Johnson
Published Feb 23, 2026
What is the main theme of Till We Have Faces?
But Christian themes are present more subtly in Till We Have Faces, in its emphasis on love, sacrifice, and self-sacrifice and in lines such as “I wonder do the gods know what it feels like to be a man” and “I was being unmade….
What is the historical context of Till We Have Faces?
Historical Context of Till We Have Faces The Fox’s philosophical teachings correspond to the ancient Greek school of thought called Stoicism, which was founded by Zeno of Citium in the third century BC and became predominant throughout the Greco-Roman world.
What is Ungit in Till We Have Faces?
Ungit represents the potential for jealous, devouring love that lies within all mortals. Although she is worshipped as a god in Glome, the Fox does not acknowledge her as one of the “true gods” at the end of the book; instead, she is “an image of the demon within” everyone (295).
How can the gods meet us face to face till we have faces?
I saw well why the gods do not speak to us openly, nor let us answer. Till that word can be dug out of us, why should they hear the babble that we think we mean? How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?” It is life and strength, not knowledge and words, that we get in them.
What was Cupid the god of?
Cupid, ancient Roman god of love in all its varieties, the counterpart of the Greek god Eros and the equivalent of Amor in Latin poetry. According to myth, Cupid was the son of Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods, and Venus, the goddess of love.
Why did Orual hate the gods?
Ultimately, Orual realizes she has been jealous of the gods themselves for being so beautiful that they can attract the love of anyone they want, including her beloved Psyche. Her tendency towards jealousy leads Orual to harm those close to her with her possessive form of love that constantly borders on hatred.
What is the genre of Till We Have Faces?
Novel
Fantasy FictionHistorical FictionParallel novel
Till We Have Faces/Genres
What does psyche represent in Till We Have Faces?
The theme of the myth, according to Peter J. Schake!, can be ascertained from the name of the protagonist, since Psyche is the Greek word for soul: “The story from the first has been allegorized as the human soul’s quest for love” (Schake!, Peter J. Reason and Imagination in C.S. Lewis: A Study of Till We Have Faces.
Why does Orual wear a veil?
Orual’s veil represents her tendency to hide a part of her, not only from others, but also from herself. The King initially forces her to wear a veil to his wedding to hide her ugliness. Later, she decides to permanently don a veil after Psyche’s exile.
Who married Redival?
Eventually, Orual retreats from her desire to do Redival as much harm as possible, and when she becomes Queen, she marries Redival to Trunia of Phars.
What do faces symbolize in Till We Have Faces?
Orual ultimately realizes that the gods cannot “meet us face to face till we have faces” (294), implying that the having a face includes being conscious of one’s entire self, both good and bad, and understanding one’s motives and the results of one’s actions.
What does the veil symbolize in Till We Have Faces?
The Veil Symbol Analysis. Orual’s veil represents her tendency to hide a part of her, not only from others, but also from herself. The veil, then, helps her rid herself of Orual, whose face she wears, and become someone new.