That Hideous Strength - Ch 14 - Real Life is Meeting

Martin Buber (1878-1965) lived as an influential existentialist philosopher, who also exerted a prominent role in theology.  He emphasized an "I and You" personal relationship with God, which deeply affected all our other relationships - making them more personal.  He contrasted it with an "I and It" impersonal relationship with God, which tended to affect all our other relationships - making them more impersonal.  He summarized these views in his saying, "All real life is meeting."  (I won't go into his theology here.)  C.S. Lewis seemed to have picked up on some of this as indicated in his title for this chapter, "Real Life is Meeting."

Mark remains in a cell at Belbury, visited at times by Frost, who seeks to remove all emotions from him (all humanity and the personal), and replace it with complete objectivity (the impersonal and inhuman).  Though Mark inwardly resists, he outwardly plays along, thinking he will only eventually gain his freedom this way. As part of this process, he had to endure exposure to art intended to offend him in an effort to numb his human emotions.  Instead, they produced an opposite effect of reinforcing his determination to resist this sort of training, and instead more determined to choose the opposite - the normal, all wrapped up in his wife, Jane.  At this point, Frost led Mark to a bedroom with a roaring blaze and an old man in the bed.  Frost told Mark he was to remain on duty here until relieved, and that if the old man said anything, to call the Deputy Director, but not to speak to him since the old man did not speak English.  However, soon after Frost left, the old man awoke - and he did speak English.

Song of Songs

Meanwhile, Jane helps Mother Dimble prepare a bedroom for the reuniting of Ivy Maggs with her husband, Mr. Maggs, who is being released from prison for a petty theft crime he committed before their marriage, but which was discovered six weeks later.  Jane reflects on the "solemn, yet roguish, company of old women who had been tucking young lovers into beds since the world began," who could "kneel devoutly at alters" one moment, but at the next moment cheerfully make ribald comments about young lovers.  Jane begins to wonder how her relationship with Mark will develop when he returns.  When Jane sits alone, she sees an enticing woman in a flame colored robe, who reminds her somewhat of Mother Dimble.  She soon notices a group of five fat dwarfs accompany her - who mock Jane.  The woman holds a torch, but when she touches items, instead of burning, it causes ivy, honeysuckle, red roses, and lilies to grow.  Meanwhile, the dwarfs tore up the room.  Suddenly, Jane realized she was dreaming - yet the room was empty but for the bed which had been pulled to pieces.  She decides to see the Director at once.

Mr. Bultitude (one concept)

Mr. Bultitude, the bear, unattended by Ivy Maggs, his caretaker, who left to meet her husband being released from prison, climbed a tree over the walls of St. Francis, and landed on the other side.  Len and Sid from Bebury see Mr. Bultitude, and wonder if he's the bear they keep there escaped.  Anyway, they were out to purchase a wolf from someone who backed out upon learning how Belbury uses animals.  They are worried their boss at Belbury might fire them for not returning with the wolf.  They decide its better to return with a bear rather than empty-handed, whether or not its the bear from Belbury.  They throw Mr. Bultitude a drugged sandwich, which he eats, and which soon knocks him out.  They tie him up - throw him in the van - and take him back to Belbury.

Meanwhile, Mark got to spend more time with the tramp, and got to know more about him, though the tramp always acted elusively.  From time to time, Withers and Frost brought someone else in who tried to speak to him in another foreign language.  Each time, the tramp would not respond, with an expression of tranquil indifference.  Mark felt that he achieved a special secret and strong circle with the tramp.

Back at St. Francis, the Director explains to Jane that as long as Merlin remains with them, they are not exactly in the 20th Century, they have entered into an overlap.  Besides, as a seer, Jane was bound to run into the Old Woman, who resembled Mother Dimble, a Christian woman, but since Jane is not a Christian woman, she encountered a version that existed before Christ (before Maleldil), untransformed, demoniac, which reflected the history of Jane's life.  Jane begins to realize that the Director stands on the side of Mother Dimble.  While she hoped for a world where all differences of sex were taken away, she begins to suspect that a deeper reality may exist where the differences run all the way up the ladder.  The Director reinforces this view by saying, "What is above and beyond all things is so masculine that we are all feminine in relation to it."  The Director ventures the Huge Woman was the earthly Venus in anticipation of Oyarsa of Perelandra (Venus), since Director planned to bring Merlin before the various Oyarasas of the various planets - Vitribula (Mercury), Perelandra (Venus), Malacandra (Mars), Glund [or Glundandra] (Jupitar), and Lurga (Saturn) so they can empower him.  Then, since Belbury advertises for experts in archaic Western dialects, they will send Merlin in that capacity and so empowered.  At the last moment they find out Mr. Maggs has been sent to Belbury for "remedial treatment."

As Jane thinks about what the Director said, at first it seems nonsensical to her as a view of religion.  But as she reflects further, she realizes the Directors and others at St. Francis never spoke about religion, instead they talked about God.  Instead of steam rising upwards, they pictured strong, skillful hands thrusting downwards to make someone into a truer version of what that God had designed them to be.  She experienced a profound change.  She came into the presence of a Person who demanded everything right.  The "Me" she centered on vanished.  In its place, something new molded.  She found the experience resulted in the largest thing that ever happened to her in the shortest time possible.

Obviously, the title Lewis chose had to do with meeting with the personal God.

Ch 13 - They Have Pulled Down Deep Heaven on their Heads

Ch 15 - The Descent of the Gods

That Hideous Strength - Overview

Character List