Classics Without All the Class discussion

May 2015 book discussion --> Till We Have Faces

Chapter 16 - Orual is home again. She tells her story to the Fox, except for the part about self-wounding, and he chides her bitterly for what she did. Orual then made a treaty with herself to always wear her veil (the Fox was the last man to ever see her face). She had a confrontation with her father over this, but she stood her ground and remarked that "I never feared him again. From that day I never gave back an inch before him."

What do you think about this decision of hers to always wear a veil?

Orual returned to her fencing lessons with Bardia and soon he was teaching her to ride on horseback as well. Orual says, "He talked to me more and more like a man. And this both grieved and pleased me." Your reaction to this?

The King has a bad accident and falls into his last illness. At the same time the old Priest of Ungit is dying, and his place is taken by Arnom. Orual assumes the duties of Queen even before her father dies. She has Bardia's loyalty and drives a hard bargain with Arnom to gain his as well.

Chapter 17 - Trunia, at war with his brother Argan for the throne of Phars, takes refuge in Glome. Orual says, "Trunia as king of Phars would be a far better neighbor to us than Argan, especially if we had befriended him when he was lowest."

Orual sends word to Argan that the matter should be decided by a single combat, an unnamed champion of theirs to fight Argan for Trunia's life. If Trunia's champion wins, Trunia takes the throne of Phars and is Glome's friend; if Argan wins, he may take back Trunia to do as he wishes and so will not have cause to wage war against Glome. A brilliant idea! Bardia and the Fox were amazed to learn that Orual planed to be the champion herself. She is already thinking like a queen.

The last part of this chapter contains Orual's words of anguish and her thoughts about both Psyche and her father. Your thoughts about all of that?

Chapter 18 - The old priest died and Arnom succeeded him. Bardia has Orual kill a pig as a preparation for the killing of her man. Then she called Bardia and Arnom for witnesses and declared the Fox free. Orual was stunned when she learned that the Fox was planning to return to Greece. Your thoughts about this?

The Fox decides to stay with Orual. Orual visits Trunia in his cell and they arrange for him to marry Orual's sister, Princess Redival, if all goes well in the single combat. The King dies.

Chapter 19 - Orual kills Argan in clean single combat. Do you have any thoughts about the events or Orual's narrative during that part of the chapter?

Orual invited some of the notables, some of the officers from Phars, and Arnom to a feast. She found herself to be "all woman again and caught up in housewife's cares." Orual was crushed when Bardia said "the day's work is over" and begged leave to return to his wife and children.

Orual had a miserable time at the feast and afterwards, when by herself, imagines herself married to Bardia and having Psyche as their daughter. Then she uses wine to banish her sorrow.

What are your reactions to the events and narrative in this chapter?

It wasn't until Chapter 19, when Orual is struggling with her identity as both Orual and the Queen, that I felt sympathy for her. She has been starved for love her whole life, but her ugliness and femaleness provoked her father's rage and dislike, and she was kept from interacting with others in the kingdom. Orual's decision to wear a veil lends her an air of mystery, especially to Trunia, and covers her perceived ugliness; but it also hides "Orual" and shows "the queen." There is likely some concern that she has that if her people saw what she really looked like, she could not win their respect.

Candace wrote: "It wasn't until Chapter 19, when Orual is struggling with her identity as both Orual and the Queen, that I felt sympathy for her. She has been starved for love her whole life, but her ugliness and..."

I like that, that now she realizes the full weight of responsibility, and the knowledge that not everything is black and white, as she may have believed in the past.