Face to Face with God

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses the book 'Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold' by C.S. Lewis and notes that Lewis has created a complex novel in his retelling of the story of Cupid and Psyche. The writer points out that it is a novel with numerous themes and meanings, one which is very deep and reflects on the very core of the interaction between human nature and spirituality. The writer relates that speaking largely on the power of God, the Divine, love, jealousy and family among other themes, Lewis creates a powerful character in Orual whose transformation reflects on the very nature of God's involvement in life and on love, spirituality, and holiness within an individual. The writer concludes that Orual went through the process of gaining a face through her conversion and through her realization of her own self-deception, Lewis is suggesting that it requires internal awakening of the divine before true conversion and understanding of God can be reached.

From the Paper:

"Orual's conversion, and her own struggles with the divine, is reflective of the challenges humans must overcome to discover God. To find God, one must first find God in him or herself. Only through finding the divine inside, can one truly discover God. With the veil over the faces, to borrow Lewis' metaphor, humans have to face, and therefore cannot see the face of God. The face of God is not for humans to see anyway, because it is so pure and divine. However, there will come a day when we all have faces, as the title suggests, and then truly can we discover God. Ultimately, we must discover the Godliness in us as individuals; we must all undergo the conversion of Orual. The love that humans think they feel is not unconditional and it has to be to discover God. Discovering God is finding heavenly love in oneself, and to discover that one must believe in the greater spiritual powers without empirical proof. Psyche found her true happiness by trusting God, and she had beauty that was limitless. In Till We Have Faces, Lewis depicts how humans must go through a conversion, a difficult conversion in which they find true love in themselves in order to understand the true love of God. Only then, can God be discovered."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Lewis, C.S. Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold. London, UK: Geoffrey Bles, 1956.

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