That Hideous Strength Character Analysis

Jane Studdock

Jane Studdock is one of the two protagonists of That Hideous Strength, along with her husband Mark. Like her husband, Jane is a young academic. She resents the sexist expectations placed upon women… read analysis of Jane Studdock

Mark Studdock

Mark Studdock is one of the two protagonists of That Hideous Strength, along with his wife Jane. Mark is a young sociologist and Fellow at Bracton College, and his interest in academia primarily… read analysis of Mark Studdock

Elwin Ransom/Mr. Fisher-King

Ransom is the protagonist of the first two books of the Space Trilogy and the leader of the followers of Logres. His interactions will eldils on Mars and Venus have made him a devoted servant… read analysis of Elwin Ransom/Mr. Fisher-King

The Head

The Head is the severed head of executed prisoner François Alcasan, through which the Macrobes communicate with the N.I.C.E. It is the primary antagonist of the novel, and its leadership makes the N.I.C.E. an… read analysis of The Head

John Wither

John Wither is the Deputy Director of the N.I.C.E. and the institution’s second-in-command behind the Head. He and Professor Frost are the only members of the N.I.C.E. who understand the Head’s demonic power, and… read analysis of John Wither

Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine

Richard Devine, who has been awarded the title of Lord Feverstone, is a member of the N.I.C.E. and one of the two men who kidnapped Elwin Ransom to Mars in Out of the Silent Planet… read analysis of Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine

Miss Hardcastle/The Fairy

Miss Hardcastle, nicknamed “The Fairy,” is the head of the N.I.C.E.’s private police force. She sanctions and participates in their acts of police brutality, and she leads the plot to incite riots in Edgestow in… read analysis of Miss Hardcastle/The Fairy

Merlinus Ambrosius (Merlin)

Merlin is an ancient wizard of Logres often spoken of in Arthurian legend. Local rumors claim that he has slept since the age of Logres under the ground at Bragdon Wood, and those rumors… read analysis of Merlinus Ambrosius (Merlin)

Professor Augustus Frost

Professor Frost is the only member of the N.I.C.E. besides Wither to know the true nature of the Head and the demonic Macrobes. Frost aligns himself with the Macrobes in their attempt to wipe… read analysis of Professor Augustus Frost

Mrs. Margaret Dimble

Mrs. Dimble is a friend of Jane’s who moves into the Manor and joins Ransom’s company of Logres. Other members of Logres call her “Mother Dimble,” and Ransom presents her to Jane as… read analysis of Mrs. Margaret Dimble

Cecil Dimble

Cecil Dimble is the husband of Mrs. Dimble and a scholar of Arthurian myth at the University of Edgestow. Dimble is a kindly and intelligent man who highlights the good side of academia. He provides… read analysis of Cecil Dimble

Dr. Filostrato

Dr. Filostrato is an Italian physiologist in the N.I.C.E. He knows about the Head’s existence but not its true evil nature; he believes it to be the product of his scientific genius and proof… read analysis of Dr. Filostrato

Reverend Straik

Reverend Straik is a member of the N.I.C.E. who believes himself to be a prophet capable of wielding science as a divine weapon. He is a member of the inner circle that Mark joins in… read analysis of Reverend Straik

Curry

Curry is the Sub-Warden of Bracton College and a friend of Mark Studdock at the start of the book. Curry leads the unofficial “Progressive Element,” a clique of Bracton Fellows that Mark joins. Mark takes… read analysis of Curry

Andrew MacPhee

Andrew MacPhee is the resident skeptic of the society of Logres that forms in the Manor. He does not believe in magic or mysticism, and he often demands that his fellow residents of Ransom’s… read analysis of Andrew MacPhee

Ivy Maggs

Mrs. Maggs is the Studdocks’ former maid and a member of the company of Logres. She represents the impact the N.I.C.E.’s villainy has on ordinary people. She is among the townspeople driven out when the… read analysis of Ivy Maggs

Camilla Denniston

Camilla Denniston is a member of the company of Logres, along with her husband Arthur. She is the first person Jane meets at St. Anne’s, and the two become close friends. When the Oyéresu… read analysis of Camilla Denniston

Minor Characters

Grace Ironwood

Grace Ironwood is a doctor and a member the company of Logres. Jane comes to Miss Ironwood for advice about her prophetic dreams, and though Miss Ironwood presents an imposing figure, she helps Jane and explains to her the divine conflict of the novel.

Arthur Denniston

Arthur Denniston is Camilla’s husband and a member the company of Logres. The Dennistons’ loving marriage contrasts with the strained relationship between Jane and Mark. Denniston accompanies Jane to search for Merlin, during which time he realizes that Merlin represents a lost age of Britain.

The Tramp

The tramp is a homeless man whom the N.I.C.E. believe to be Merlin. They bring him to Belbury, where he refuses to speak to any of the members besides Mark. The secret friendship that Mark forms with the tramp fulfills Mark’s yearning to be part of a “secret circle.”

William Hingest

William Hingest is an employee at the N.I.C.E. who decides to leave when he realizes the evil of the organization. The N.I.C.E. murders him and frames Mark to keep Mark in their control.

Mr. Bultitude

Mr. Bultitude is a bear that Ransom has tamed with his eldilic powers. Toward the end of the novel, the N.I.C.E. captures him for their animal experiments. When Merlin sets the animals free, Mr. Bultitude kills many of the members of the N.I.C.E.

François Alcasan

Alcasan is a prisoner who was executed before the story takes place. The N.I.C.E. turns his severed head into the Head.

Horace Jules

Horace Jules is a journalist and the figurehead Director of the N.I.C.E. He is unaware that the Head is truly in control of the organization.