Orual doesn't tell the Fox the entire trust about Psyche and the god. Is this wise? Are "half-truths" ever a good option?

I really don't know. I think she ought to have told Fox the whole story whether he believed her or not. It might have made her feel better in away. I do think that Fox probably wouldn't have approved of her methods and probably wouldn't have believe the part about the god. Part of me says that one should always tell the truth but part of me says that some times isn't the best to tell all of the truth. I do know that half-truths can be very misleading and can give one a false sense of being truthful (i.e. lessen the feeling of guilt).

What can we make of Orual's decision to veil herself from here on out? Is she trying to hide her ugliness or is she trying to hide something else?

It is a very interesting choice. She writes: "It is a sort of treaty with my ugliness." That statement implies she did it because of her ugliness. She might be trying to hide herself: her feelings, her shame, etc. Whether she thought about this when she did it or not, it serves to make her stand out and seem mysterious. It seems to scare the King, although his illness might have something to do with that. I think it might make people a little afraid of her. She can see them but they can't see her. I'm not sure I'm saying this well.

"No one who had seen and heard the god could much fear this roaring old King." What does this tell you about Orual's conception of the gods? Why is Orual no longer afraid of her father? Is it a healthy fear of the gods that has replaced her fear of her father?

Her encounter with the god showed her what really power was. Her father can hurt her physically or kill her, but that is nothing compared to what the gods can do. She saw their power on the mountain when everything was destroyed. I don't think she has a healthy fear of the gods. She fears them but it is a fear mixed with dislike rather than a "reverential awe" (a definition of fear from dictionary.com).

*pops on with another comment on the chapter without answering any questions *
I just wanted to say that I found this chapter to be so ahead of its time. It's incredibly profound for this day and age.

About a month ago, I was reading about Crystal Bowersox, American Idol Runner-up, who was criticized because she had a gap in her teeth... Perhaps even cost her the winning spot? Anyways, she got it fixed and now she has a perfect smile and people can stand to look at her now. Yet another reminder that people judge you for your appearance rather than who you are... and I am among those people whether I mean to be or not.

But with the invention of the internet and social networking, everybody is suddenly wearing a mask. It no longer matters if you're fat or skinny, tall or short, white or black, ugly or beautiful. The internet is a mask you wear and it forces people to judge you more for who you are rather than what you look like (unless they're busy judging you for your typing ability instead of reading what you say, but that's beside the point).

When Orual donned her mask, people no longer saw her face, they saw who she was.

And so we're all Orual's in a way. Hiding behind the mask of a computer screen, comfortable that no one can see our physical imperfections and judge us.

Where Lewis came up with this concept in his day and age is beyond me, but it's sooooo right on.

Interesting input, FK, and one that I'm definitely willing to further explore, as I think that the subject of beauty is very important to this book. One of the parts that struck me about this chapter (or maybe it's the next. . . I'm not sure), is when Orual first appears before her father while wearing her veil. He commands her to take it off, and mocks her for her wearing of the veil. Orual says something like, "It's not fair for me to be criticized for my ugliness, and then criticized for veiling myself." To me it sort of shows that, even though we wear a mask, on the internet or in person, people will still always find a way to critique you about your appearance.

The internet is an interesting acception to this rule, I think, because no physical contact is ever exchanged over the internet. This is a good thing, but also a bad thing. It can lead to things like one hears about on these dating sites. People pretending to be six foot four, twenty-three years old with blonde hair, six pack abs, blue eyes, and a beach tan, when in reality they're a middle aged man with a receding hairline.

Masks can be good, because they allow us to hide who we really are, but they can also allow us to lie about who we really are. In a way, any kind of mask is a deception of a sort.

Orual may be hiding her ugliness, but she's also hiding the face that the gods gave her, and if the gods are angered with her, I'm not sure that that's the wisest choice.

At any rate, a VERY intriguing question. I really look forward to reading other peoples thoughts.

1. I think she didn't tell the Fox because he'd think she was crazy too, but I think that she was also afraid that he wouldn't approve of how Orual had forced Psyche to comply with her. I'm not sure whether this was the right thing to do or not. I don't think half-truths are really right to tell, but they can feel right.
2. I think she is trying to hide her ugliness. If she doesn't show her face, maybe people will finally judge her by something other than her face. It also seems to give her confidence. When no one can see her face, but she can see them....that also makes her mysterious.
3. Now that she's seen what real power is like (the power of the gods), her father's power pales in comparison. Its not exactly a healthy fear, as she still dislikes them, but compared to them, her father isn't frightening. Its rather like the situation in The Magician's Nephew when Polly and Digory are afraid of Uncle Andrew...until they meet Jadis.

1. I don’t think she told the Fox the whole truth because she doesn’t want to say out loud how she betrayed Psyche. Also, I think she fears he won’t believe her or he will and having a logical person like him believe her will make what she did all the more real.

2. I read the part about the mask and I couldn’t help thinking of the Phantom of the Opera (maybe because I’m such a huge fan of the book, play and film). I think she hides her faces so her true self can escape. Most people don’t see past her appearance and see her value—or maybe it just seems that way because everybody imitates the king. When she finds a way to get past her self-conciseness about her looks, she feels confident enough to show her real self.

Also, I think Lewis timing of this with her wearing the mask after betraying Psyche was purposeful. The mask may represent her shame. Incidentally once she feels shame for her actions (which she could have controlled), she no longer feels as much shame about her looks (which she can’t control).

3. When people go to prison for murder I doubt they worry about their parking tickets. It’s the same thing with Orual and her fears. Before she “met” Psyche husband, her father was the most conceivable threat to her. The gods were some distant people she didn’t really comprehend. Sure she feared them, but from a distance. She really didn’t grasp who they are. Then she met Psyche husband and the beings that were so vague to her suddenly became clear.

And so we're all Orual's in a way. Hiding behind the mask of a computer screen, comfortable that no one can see our physical imperfections and judge us.

Hmm... I'm not so sure about that. Don't you judge people by their avatars?

People pretending to be six foot four, twenty-three years old with blonde hair, six pack abs, blue eyes, and a beach tan, when in reality they're a middle aged man with a receding hairline.

Usually I pretend to be a middle aged man with a receding hairline to cover up the fact that I'm six foot four, 23, blonde, with a six back, blue eyes and a beach tan.

Okay, okay I'll be serious now.

Orual may be hiding her ugliness, but she's also hiding the face that the gods gave her, and if the gods are angered with her, I'm not sure that that's the wisest choice.

I actually look at it the other way around. I think she knows the gods are angry with her so she is hiding herself so the gods don't have to look at her. If somebody is mad at you, then you generally try to avoid them. How do you avoid a god? By veil perhaps?