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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 the N.I.C.E., and he views the creation of the Head and the N.I.C.E.’s other experiments as the path to humanity’s salvation. Dimble notes that Straik was “a good man once,” but he has since been corrupted by the N.I.C.E.’s ideals and his own grief for the death of his daughter. At the end of the novel, Straik helps Wither sacrifice Filostrato to the Head, only to be sacrificed by Wither immediately after.
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Reverend Straik Character Timeline in That Hideous Strength
The timeline below shows where the character Reverend Straik appears in That Hideous Strength. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4
...killing another man by the road. The next morning, Mark meets “the Mad Parson” Reverend Straik, who believes the N.I.C.E wields science as a divine weapon and considers himself a prophet....
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Chapter 6
...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...
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Chapter 8
Straik tells Mark that the Head wishes to see him, and Straik and Filostrato explain that...
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Chapter 13
At Belbury, Frost and Wither decide to have Straik and Mark try to communicate with the tramp. The following day, Dimble and Mrs. Dimble...
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Chapter 16
...knows that he is doomed, but he is largely unaffected by this revelation. He finds Straik and Filostrato, and the three of them pray before the Head, which is powered by...
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