That Hideous Strength: C.S. Lewis on Living Wisely

In this final episode, we recap main points from both books, with a particular emphasis on how themes from The Abolition of Man appear and are fleshed out in That Hideous Strength. We also look at lessons we can learn from the Company at St. Anne's on living wisely and making the best use of time when the days seem evil.

In Chapter 16, the N.I.C.E. banquet at Belbury devolves into Babel-like chaos and terror as Merlin speaks an incantation: “Qui Verbum Dei contempserunt, eis auferetur etiam verbum hominis.” (They that have despised the word of God, from them shall the word of man also be taken away). Merlin releases the animals from their cages, and the leaders of the N.I.C.E. are consumed by their dark masters. The closing chapter chronicles Venus's descent upon St. Anne's, focusing on the male and female order of Creation and the restoration of the created order.

In Chapter 14, Mark's imprisonment takes a new turn, as he is subjected to the "Objectivity Room" with the aim of eliminating his emotions and indeed his humanity through exposure to deformed architecture and art which possess no objective beauty or truth. Jane has a vision, followed by a discussion with Ransom about the created order of masculine and feminine. She then encounters Christ in a profound way. The scene moves back to the N.I.C.E. in Chapter 15, where Ransom has managed to get Merlin hired as an interpreter to work with the tramp whom the N.I.C.E. directors have mistaken for Merlin.

Both the Company at St. Anne's and the N.I.C.E. are searching diligently to find Merlin, who has awakened and left his sepulchre. Two different men are spotted in the vicinity; one escapes on a horse and the other is captured by the N.I.C.E. The action picks up as Merlin immediately rides to the aid of the Company at St. Anne's and is revealed as a Christian. Meanwhile, the N.I.C.E. are speaking Latin to the man they believe to be Merlin, but who is actually a tramp, in hopes of luring him onto their side.

This week, we go on an unsuccessful quest with Jane, Dimble, and Denniston in search of Merlin, while the powers at the N.I.C.E. debate about whether torturing Mark would be fruitful or would disrupt Jane's visions. In his prison cell facing hanging, Mark gains clarity about the folly of his obsession with the Inner Ring and falls into despair.

In this week's chapter, the powers of the N.I.C.E. will try to tighten their grip on Mark by entrapping him with planted evidence, and when he flees, he ends up in a showdown with Dr. Dimble about Jane. Dr. Dimble stands fast about Mark and the evil represented by the N.I.C.E. and refuses to reveal where Jane is. Meanwhile, the Director and the Company at St. Anne's prepare to take action and enter the fray based on the spiritual guidance they have received.

To his horror, Mark finds that the Head of the N.I.C.E. is not just a nightmare he has dreamed up, but instead the head of a dead criminal whose life has been artificially prolonged. As Mark's attempt to leave the N.I.C.E. is thwarted by Wither, Jane learns about Ransom's history at St. Anne's and the role of the angel-like spirits known as the Eldils in guiding the Company

While Mark enjoys what he believes to be increasing success at the N.I.C.E., Jane discovers some of the unusual aspects of life at St. Anne's. However, things at the N.I.C.E. are not as they first appear to Mark, and more of its sinister characteristics become evident over the course of the chapter.

Jane flees to St. Anne's and is welcomed into the Manor. She is taken to meet the Director, Mr. Fisher-King, and she is overwhelmed and transformed by the beauty and holiness of her encounter with him. Upon returning to Edgestow, she is caught up in a riot and then arrested by the N.I.C.E., who torture her to try to extract infomation about St. Anne's. Jane escapes and manages to find her way back to the Manor.

As we embark on Chapter 6, we will see fog envelop the N.I.C.E. as it works more aggressively on media propaganda and using riots to advance its agenda, while Jane's visions continue to disturb her daily routine. Meanwhile, the company at St. Anne's is an island of light and beauty unaffected by the fog.

The true nature of the N.I.C.E. starts to become more apparent in Chapter 5, as even through the cloud of double-speak it becomes evident that propaganda and coercive control are key parts of its mission. We also gain insights into the community of St. Anne's and its leadership.

In Chapter 4, the works of the N.I.C.E. begin to invade the lives of many of the major characters in the story, leaving destruction and even death in their wake. Lewis also shows the dangerous impact of teaching and following a false gospel.

The lure of the Inner Ring, the danger of rejecting God's design for you, the perils of redefining language, the propensity of power to devolve into tyranny--all these themes appear in Chapter 3 of That Hideous Strength. In this episode, we unpack what Lewis is saying and how eerily prescient this work is.

At the end of Chapter 2, Mark and Jane Studdock are heading in different directions to very different destinations--Mark in Lord Feverstone's sports car speeding to the N.I.C.E. at Belbury, and Jane on a slow train making its way to St. Anne's-on-the-Hill. In this episode, we look at the symbolism hidden in these journeys and outline the action at the beginning of Chapter 3.

As we explore Chapter 2 of That Hideous Strength, the theme of the Inner Ring takes center stage as pride and gossip envelop Mark Studdock. Lewis makes strong points about using people and abusing power, corrupting language, envisioning a politico-technological utopia run by the government and science, holding to a dangerous view of Man as merely an animal or cog in a machine, and refusing to be vulnerable in human relationships. All the while, he is setting the stage for revealing what the N.I.C.E. is all about.

One of the major themes in That Hideous Strength is the confusion of language, recalling the title's allusion to the Tower of Babel. This theme gets its first outing in the Fellows' meeting in college about the sale of Bragdon Wood, which is rife with doublespeak. In this episode, we unpack that passage and look at its startling relevance for today.

Following up our discussion of the Preface and first part of Chapter 1, we delve into the nefarious doings of the Fellows of Bracton College and explore Lewis's framing of Beauty and Truth and Goodness as he sets the foundation of this story.

After a recap of the main themes of The Abolition of Man, we move on to set the stage for That Hideous Strength, looking at the cosmology of Deep Heaven, the characters who appear in the first chapter of the book, and some themes from The Abolition of Man that begin to emerge even in the first chapter of the last of the Ransom trilogy, including an exploration of Lewis's under-appreciated essay, "The Inner Ring."