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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
Mark feels that he has no option but to take a job at the N.I.C.E., but when he speaks to Wither about it, Wither’s rambling has lost its good-naturedness and courtesy since Mark told him he wanted to leave the N.I.C.E. A desperate Mark agrees to a much lower salary than Wither initially offered him. Wither explains that Mark will not have a single job or boss but should instead make himself “generally useful.” Mark is humiliated, and he blames Jane for his situation, since he puts up with this treatment to be able to support his family.
The N.I.C.E. appealed to Mark because he’s prideful, and that leads him want to be part of an elite group. Now that he has lost the goodwill of the members of that group, his pride is wounded. He is frustrated, but Wither’s confusing way of speaking and the N.I.C.E.’s other methods of disorienting its members lead him to blame Jane rather than the N.I.C.E., and his ego prevents him from recognizing his own faults. Mark’s resentment of Jane as a burden he must provide for also indicates his sexism, since Jane is an academic who values her career (and her income to support the family) just like Mark.
Themes
A fog settles over Edgestow and the surrounding areas. The N.I.C.E. has turned the land it bought near Bracton into an industrial “abomination” that outrages even the Fellows who voted to sell the land, and the N.I.C.E.’s influence over the University of Edgestow as a whole continues to grow. Tensions grow in the nearby towns, while Jane suffers recurring dreams of being watched by the good-looking man who spoke to the prisoner Alcasan in her first vision. Mark works with the N.I.C.E. police to write articles rehabilitating Alcasan’s reputation.
The fog in Edgestow represents the N.I.C.E.’s expanding influence as they sow confusion and anger among the townspeople. Mark contributes to this mission with his propaganda. The N.I.C.E. also continues its efforts to industrialize Bragdon Wood, destroying the culturally-significant natural landscape to build an “abomination” that serves their evil plans.
Themes
Feverstone invites Mark to join a society that meets in the N.I.C.E.’s library. The core members are Feverstone, Miss Hardcastle, Reverend Straik, and physiologist Professor Filostrato. Other members include Wither and Professor Frost, who matches the description of the good-looking man in Jane’s dreams. In one meeting, they reveal to Mark that Miss Hardcastle is behind the disturbances in town that her police force is responsible for quelling. The end result will be a massive riot that will take place within two days. Feverstone instructs Mark to report on the riot to ensure the government declares a state of emergency and grants the N.I.C.E. more power. Mark knows this is wrong, but he agrees almost immediately, charmed by the group’s comradery. He writes the articles, which promote the N.I.C.E. and encourage townspeople to distrust their own neighbors.
The N.I.C.E. reveals to Mark some of the Institute’s more insidious operations, knowing that they can trust Mark because he is so desperate to fit in that he’ll compromise his morals. Mark’s role as propagandist is integral to the N.I.C.E.’s plan, which depends on deception. The N.I.C.E. uses propaganda and confusion to make the townspeople feel isolated and unsafe. Miss Hardcastle’s police force will then seem to prove the townspeople’s fears correct with her riot, thus manipulating the public into accepting the N.I.C.E.’s authority.
Themes
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Jane dreams that she is imprisoned with a bearded corpse. When she wakes, she goes to Edgestow to look for a new maid to replace Mrs. Maggs. While in town, she recognizes Professor Frost from her visions. She is repulsed by him, and she is driven to St. Anne’s by the simple desire to be around pleasant people. When she arrives at St. Anne’s, she takes comfort in the wooded landscape as a reminder of how vast the world is.
Woods and nature once again serve as a way for characters to connect with themselves and with other people. In this way, it’s framed as the opposite of the industrial “abomination” that the N.I.C.E. built—and, given Jane’s comfort, it’s presented as the superior option of the two.
Themes
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