Till We Have Faces

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Choices and Hardships: The Decisions We Face Amy Arnold, RN King College Choices and Hardships: The Decisions We Face C.S. Lewis's novel “Till We Have Faces” is based on the classical myth of Cupid and Psyche, however Lewis chooses to tell the story through Orual, Psyche's older sister. While Lewis does retell the well-known story of Psyche and Cupid, that is only a small piece of the story he creates and re-tells. “Till We Have Faces” is actually the story of Orual's struggle to find love, and to discover her own identity. Orual leads an isolated life, surrounded only by her fathers servants, advisors, and her sisters, Redival and Psyche. Psyche is the true image of perfect and natural beauty. However, Orual is neither pretty nor beautiful. She is constantly reminded by her father, the king, as indescribably ugly. Orual never feels that she is loved by anyone, that is, until Psyche enters her life after Psyche’s mother dies giving birth to her. Orual takes it upon herself to become Psyche's guardian and to raise her. Orual loves Psyche more than anything, but her love is selfish and very possessive. Orual is tormented by the thought of having to ever give Psyche from her possession and she does everything in her power to prevent it. After first being separated from Psyche then becoming bitter from not seeing the same things as Psyche once reunited, I realized the tragedy was that not only did Orual never found the “love of the Gods,” she also never learned to love her life and accept herself as the person she was. While she is described by her subjects as "the most wise, just, valiant, fortunate and merciful" of all rulers, Orual feels that her actions are only a mask of her inner ugliness. She despairs of ever overcoming her hideousness inside. She says, "I would set out boldly each morning to be just and calm and wise in all my thoughts and acts, but before

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