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Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in That Hideous Strength, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Obedience, Exclusivity, and Humility
Modernization vs. Tradition
Divine Conflict
Deception and Confusion
Gender and Marriage
Summary
Analysis
In Mark’s cell, Frost explains that notions of “good” and “bad” are meaningless, and that he and the N.I.C.E. seek to progress beyond these ideas, since they are tethered to the organic world the N.I.C.E. wishes to leave behind. Mark recognizes that Frost is a convincing orator, but his hatred of the N.I.C.E. leaves him unswayed by the professor’s arguments. Mark doesn’t reveal his distaste for Frost, so Frost brings him to a strangely decorated room designed to strip Mark of his attachment to subjectivity. He resists the room by thinking of simple pleasures like his love for Jane. After this, Frost leaves Mark in the room with the “tramp,” who wakes up and speaks to Mark in Cockney-accented English.
Frost recognizes that human morality is tied to humanity’s connection to nature, but instead of viewing this as a reason to protect nature, he sees it as cause to separate humans from nature altogether. Mark disproves Frost’s belief that emotions are a weakness by finally resisting the N.I.C.E.’s manipulation by holding on to his emotions: his hatred for Frost and his love for Jane. By serving as a moral anchor for Mark, Jane’s role as a wife means that she’s actually serving Maleldil without her being aware of it.
Themes
Mrs. Dimble and Jane prepare a house on the Manor’s estate for Mrs. Maggs’s husband, who is being released from jail, and the diligence of housework reminds Jane of church ceremonies. Jane talks to Mrs. Maggs about marriage. Jane doesn’t know how she can reunite with Mark even if he denounces the N.I.C.E., but when she imagines that she might not see him again, the idea horrifies her. Jane encounters a red-robed woman, who reminds her of Mrs. Dimble. The woman is accompanied by dwarves who taunt and mock Jane. The woman holds a torch that turns whatever it touches into flowers. Jane awakens, realizes the encounter was a vision, and goes to see Ransom.
Jane’s disdain for traditional womanhood fades during her time at the Manor, and a series of distinctly feminine experiences pave the way for Jane’s encounter with the strange, red-robed woman. Jane and Mrs. Dimble tend to the domestic duties that have been traditionally considered “women’s work,” and they discuss their experiences as wives and the significance of being married. Like Mark, Jane’s love for her husband is increasing as they are separated.
Themes
Mr. Bultitude wanders the garden, missing Mrs. Maggs in an unspecified animal way. Mr. Bultitude climbs over the garden wall and immediately regrets leaving the Manor, but before he can return, two N.I.C.E. employees see him and capture him for the N.I.C.E.’s animal experiments. Meanwhile, Mark’s mental resolve wavers while he is isolated with the “tramp,” and only his occasional conversations with the man help him hold onto himself. The “tramp” proudly asserts that he hasn’t told his kidnappers about the strange man (Merlin) who put him to sleep and stole his clothes. Mark doesn’t notice that his secret bond with the “tramp” fulfills his lifelong desire to be part of an exclusive circle.
Mr. Bultitude disproves MacPhee’s theory that animals can’t feel affection. Though he cares for Mrs. Maggs differently than a human would, he does still care for her. The confirmation that animals are conscious and emotional beings highlights the cruelty of the N.I.C.E.’s experiments on them. Mark and the tramp’s imprisonment parallels Mr. Bultitude’s, and in this imprisonment Mark doesn’t realize that his driving desire has been fulfilled. Only when Mark is no longer seeking status does he achieve the intimate, exclusive friendship he has dreamed of.
Themes
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Jane describes her vision to Ransom, and Ransom explains that the woman is an earthly representation of the Oyarsa of Venus. She appeared in a demoniac form to Jane because Jane is neither a virgin nor a Christian wife, and Ransom urges Jane to become a Christian. Jane is frustrated that Ransom and his divine figures uphold divisions between men and women. Ransom explains that tonight he will present Merlin to his five Oyéresu Masters. Miss Ironwood calls Ransom away to help Mrs. Maggs, whose husband has not returned from prison and has instead been taken by the N.I.C.E. for experimentation.
The book establishes a limited definition of acceptable womanhood from its two most trustworthy sources. Ransom, the embodiment of human goodness, and the angelic Oyérsu perpetuate the notion that virtuous women must be either virgins or Christian wives. Despite Jane’s complex characterization, conforming to the ideal of a Christian wife is the only acceptable outcome for her.
Themes
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Jane walks through the garden reflecting on religion and God. She grapples with the idea of being created and puppeted by an omnipotent being who can never understand her. It occurs to her that Ransom always refers to God rather than praising religion. Suddenly, she finds herself in the “presence of a Person” who demands rightness. Jane detaches from her sense of self and finds joy in the thought of being made to please God.
Jane’s religious awakening comes from two successive interactions with the divine: her encounter with Venus followed by this visitation by what seems to be Maleldil himself. This highlights that Maleldil cares about his followers and wants to point them to the right path. Jane’s thought that Ransom praises God rather than the institution of Christianity also speaks to the importance of forging a personal relationship with the divine rather than simply accepting the word of religious leaders.
Themes
