Miss Hardcastle/The Fairy Character Analysis in That Hideous Strength

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 order to convince the government to grant the N.I.C.E. emergency powers there. Miss Hardcastle is the only villainous female character in the novel, and she is also the least stereotypically feminine. In addition to her masculine appearance and habits, she lusts after female prisoners and takes sexual pleasure from abusing them. Jane falls prey to her abuse before being rescued, and her escape earns Miss Hardcastle Wither’s disapproval. Miss Hardcastle dies without fanfare during Merlin’s attack on Belbury, shortly after she accidentally shoots and Horace Jules.

Miss Hardcastle/The Fairy Character Timeline in That Hideous Strength

The timeline below shows where the character Miss Hardcastle/The Fairy appears in That Hideous Strength. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Obedience, Exclusivity, and Humility Theme Icon

...endear himself to Wither and the head of the N.I.C.E.’s police, whom he calls “ the Fairy .” (full context)

Mark has drinks with “ the Fairy ” Miss Hardcastle, who tells him about her many adventures and her belief in the... (full context)

...who he reports to and what his job is, but Wither obfuscates the question, and Miss Hardcastle firmly tells Mark to stop asking. She insists that Wither runs the N.I.C.E by refusing... (full context)

Miss Hardcastle tasks Mark to write a series of anonymous propaganda pieces portraying the recently executed Alcasan... (full context)

...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... (full context)

On her way home, Jane is caught up in the N.I.C.E.’s riot. She encounters Miss Hardcastle , who arrests her. Miss Hardcastle threatens Jane with sexual violence and presses her to... (full context)

Wither scolds Miss Hardcastle for losing Jane and reminds her that manipulation is a more effective way to recruit... (full context)

...in good spirits about the riot and his reporting on it. He meets with Frost, Miss Hardcastle , and Wither, who instruct him to write more articles supporting the popular opinion that... (full context)

...her a letter and finds himself wishing he didn’t have to drag her into danger. Miss Hardcastle tells Mark that Jane is mentally ill and suggests he commit her as mental patient... (full context)

The next morning, Wither calls Mark to a meeting with him and Miss Hardcastle . The two tell Mark that they have evidence that could convict him of Hingest’s... (full context)

Wither, Miss Hardcastle , and Professor Frost talk about Mark, whom they have left overnight in jail, and... (full context)

...are nonsensical gibberish. When he concludes, Wither speaks, and he is similarly unintelligible. Chaos ensues. Miss Hardcastle shoots and kills Jules, then dies herself in the resulting commotion. Mark sees great beasts... (full context)