Ben Faxon
Warnings of Totalitarianism in C.S. Lewis Literature Compared to
Censorship Themes in other 20th Century Authors
When Mark Studdock, a propaganda writer for the organization NICE and one of the primary characters in C. S. Lewis’s That Hideous Strength, is in jail after being framed for a murder by the same company he works for, makes a conscious decision to no longer work for NICE. He had finally seen NICE for what they were; a totalitarian organization with plans to control and spread their ideas across all of Europe. C.S. Lewis’s novel focuses on Mark and other characters working for a totalitarian government, and the reasons why people work for such a regime, therefore foreshadowing Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn’s idea of “survive at any price” that is prevalent today in many corrupt powers all over the world. Mark chose to work for NICE because of his dreams of power, but later realized that he is trapped there, and doing anything that goes against NICE’s plans for him could lead to death. Solzhenitsyn’s “survive at any price” relates to Mark who, after he was framed for the murder, learned how venerable he was and also fits in with Solzhenitsyn’s idea of the “permanent lie,” where Mark believed his social power was increasing while really he was being further attached to NICE. The discussion in Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago shows that many organizations like NICE are still around today, and while the Soviet Union did fall, many governments are still on the cusp of totalitarianism.
In the first section of Chapter 10 in That Hideous Strength, Mark is called down to the office of his boss, Director Wither. Mark is hesitant, due to his argument with the director during their last meeting, therefore showing that Mark knew another argument could end horribly for him. Lewis states that “to Mark’s surprise and (momentarily) to his relief, Wither showed no recollection of their last meeting” (202). Often in totalitarian regimes acting against or arguing with the ones in charge can lead to serious repercussions, or even death. As it is shown with many different people in The Gulag Archipelago and in Solzhenitsyn’s own life, the Soviet Union would not tolerate disrespect and sent the police after anyone who was believed to be a possible threat. Although at this point in the novel Mark does not know of the true authoritarian motives of NICE, he is still wary since Wither is, at this point, who Mark believes runs the company.
When Mark arrives at Wither’s office, he is greeted by Wither and Miss Hardcastle, the leader of the NICE police force. The presence of Hardcastle should have put Mark on edge, because of the use of police to intimidate as shown in The Gulag Archipelago. Wither’s manner is described as “genial, even deferential, though extremely grave” (202). This is a fake emotion meant to “sell the scene,” since NICE is responsible for Mark being called into the office to begin with. Mark is asked if he had recently lost his wallet, in which he responds that he has. The use of this question is again used to further “frame” Mark as admitting to what they are trying to prove. This was a tactic used by the Soviets as well as other totalitarian governments as a way to “trick” the prisoner into admitting to a crime that they have, most of the time, not committed. In The Gulag Archipelago, Solzenhitsyn states that “every interrogator was given an allowance of a certain number of cigarettes to encourage those willing to confess” (72). This is the same persuasion technique that Wither and Hardcastle used on Mark, but instead of offering a bribe they merely tricked him.
Mark is called down to the office because his wallet was “found” at the body of Bill Hingest. Hingest was one of the few employees who thought for himself, therefore expressing one of the few traits Lewis found admirable in The Abolition of Man. Hingest was found murdered on the side of the road the night where he left NICE for good. He was a former employee, and tried to convince Mark to leave NICE one of the first days Mark arrived. Mark is angry because he is originally under the impression that Hardcastle is accusing him of murdering Hingest. To this, Wither states that he does not know if “Miss Hardcastle has made it perfectly clear to you (Mark) that it was her officers, and they only, who have made this- er- embarrassing discovery” (204). This is when Wither shows the true totalitarian nature of NICE. Wither and Hardcastle want the framing of Mark to be able to keep him in check. They do not come out and say this, but Mark is able to pick up on it when he cannot think of a reason why they should not report it to the English police force. This idea is reflected in The Abolition of Man, through the use of holding an idea or object above someone to be able to control them. It is explored in the first section of the book. The Tao can only be achieved by those who are not bound by others and can truly think and act for themselves. Due to this, those who are trapped by a real or framed crime cannot truly achieve it until they are freed.
Mark decided that due to the crazy event that had occurred, he wanted to go to the official English police and use the evidence to prove that he did not kill Bill Hingest. Mark did not know there was basically no English police force anymore, because of NICE’s secret takeover of the area, like many other totalitarian groups. Wither advises Mark to not go to the police, stating that, while he would look disloyal to NICE, he would be out of their protection. While this is of course false, and the police are under the control of NICE, this is a further use of the persuasion technique to keep Mark in check. It is used to make it appear that NICE cares for him and Wither wants to protect him. Withers then states that it is advisable Mark “should act, as I’m sure you(Mark) will, with the greatest prudence and- er- er- caution for the next few months” (207). Wither uses this moment as a way to indirectly tell Mark the real reason they “found” his wallet: to make sure Mark is aligned with them and afraid to not do what NICE needs from him. Mark’s wallet represents his freedom, with him losing it when he joins NICE, and NICE taking control of it and bribing him with it later on. This is reflected in the section of The Abolition of Man titled Men Without Chests. Men without chests refers to the concept of people unable to think for themselves. The heads of the men “are no bigger than the ordinary:it is the atrophy of the chest beneath that makes them seem so” (25). The majority of the employees at NICE have been transformed into men without chests, and Wither clearly sees how difficult it is to fully change Mark into a loyal employee. Mark is closer to the Tao than others, and Wither must resort to blackmail to get him on his side. This will result in Mark feeling that he must join them to “survive at any price.” At this point, it is not truly his life on the line, but should he not take NICE’s warnings, his life, independence, and freedom will be in danger.
Towards the end of Lewis’s novel, in the fourth section of Chapter 16, Director Wither and his two employees Straik and Filostrato survive and escape a banquet that had become overrun with dangerous animals that NICE was experimenting on. Injured and bleeding, the three men go to the one truly in charge of NICE, the head of Alcasan, therefore showing Solzenhitsyn’s “permanent lie” in the NICE employees. The three men are blinded by their hunt for power, and cannot see their own injuries for all they care about is their perceived power and their loyalty to NICE. Solzhenitsyn describes the permanent lie as “the only safe form of existence, in the same way as betrayal. Every wag of the tongue can be overheard by someone, every facial expression observed by someone. Therefore every word, if it does not have to be a direct lie, is nonetheless obligated not to contradict the general, common lie” (325). In the Soviet Union, the civilians are partaking in this “permanent lie” to survive, a lie that is enforced by the police who may be lying to themselves as well just to “survive at any price.” At this moment, Wither, Straik, and Filostrato have been living this lie for so long that they run directly to their master as their organization crumbles.
When Alcasan asks for “another head” as a sacrifice, Wither and Straik team up, where they kill Filostrato. Filostrato does not resist and accepts his death, even singing along with the other two men, therefore showing Lewis projecting his ideas written in The Abolition of Man into his novel. Lewis states in That Hideous Strength that “Filostrato knew at once why they(Wither and Straik) were forcing him to a certain place in the wall. He had devised it all himself” (352). This shows that Filostrato knew he was going to be executed, but he went along with it. This is shown in The Abolition of Man’s first section, which states that “It still remains true that no justification of virtue will enable a man to be virtuous. Without the aid of trained emotions the intellect is powerless against the animal organism” (24). Filostrato is shown to be a bright man, but, like so many others in the novel and real life, his quest for power has made him and the other two employees lose their “trained emotions.” There are two primary reasons why someone would join a totalitarian regime: the hunt for power or to survive. Both the three employees and Mark originally join for power, but Mark sees the evil in NICE and changes his beliefs before it is too late. Wither, Straik, and Filostrato were too far to change, and should have realized the power after they were being persuaded to kill each other as the one in charge just watched.
After the murder of Filostrato, Wither and Straik both realized that Alcasan would ask for another sacrifice. Wither attacks Straik with a knife that, because of his actions, shows the permanent lie of absolute power is still in Wither’s head. When Straik realised Wither had the knife, he ran but slipped in Filostrato’s blood, allowing Wither to catch up to him and end him with the knife. Straik is the only one of the three to be able to break out of the cult-like mindset. His running shows that he is again basing his actions on the idea of “surviving at any price.” Lewis states that Straik “wrenched himself free from the rhythm with a frightful effort” (352). This is related to the feeling Mark had when he tore himself away from NICE. At both moments, the two men found the strength to break away from the permanent lie. Even with goals of power, he originally followed Wither because Wither outranked him. Straik was high enough in NICE’s circle that he knew about the dreams of power, but he bowed down to Alcasan like everyone else. According to washingtonpost.com, the Soviet Union’s government would have their secret police track down and kill those who posed threats to the country’s power. This is like Wither killing Straik, both the Soviet Union and Wither feared for their power while still always looking for ways to increase it.
When Wither returned to the room with Alcasan, he was blocked by a massive bear that had escaped when Merlin released all the captured animals during the banquet. The bear then kills Wither, therefore expressing the ideas Lewis and Solzhenitsyn are trying to spread about the “permanent lie” and “survival at any cost.” Having Wither, Straik, and Filostrato all die is Lewis’s way of showing what he thinks happens to all who go along with a totalitarian group. The survival and redemption of Mark show that a change of heart is possible, and is backed up by the evidence provided in The Gulag Archipelago. Solhenitsyn describes being arrested as “a blinding flash and a blow which shifts the present instantly into the past and the impossible into omnipotent actuality” (4). This is exactly what Mark believed when he was thrown in jail for the murder of Hingest. His present of working with NICE shifted to the past, and he was given free reign over the choices for that new time in his life. Straik’s moment of being “arrested” provided for the clarity past the now cult that Wither was participating in. Both Mark and Straik changed their views, with Mark no longer caring about “surviving at any price” and Straik running from Wither and his life with NICE to live longer. Straik being executed by Wither shows the unfairness of certain aspects of life. He would have escaped had he not slipped on the blood of Filostrato.
What came out of both Lewis and Solzhenitsyn’s evaluations on totalitarianism was that the “survive at any price” and the “permanent lie” ideologies were prevalent in many organizations and governments across the world. Mark chose to work for NICE for the power, but when he realised he was being unethically controlled by the very company he worked for, he had his moment of “arrest” and no longer listened to NICE. He did what they wanted to “survive at any price” but after he lost everything it was the time to act. Wither, Straik, and Filostrato were blinded on the hunt for power, and the “permanent lie” prevented them from realizing their fate. Lewis and Solhenitsyn wrote these books to warn people about the dangers of totalitarian regimes and ideas. They used their writing to express the possible desire of being part of a powerful organization, but used events such as the deaths of Wither, Straik, and Filostrato to demonstrate what happens to those who buy into the lies. There is evidence of totalitarianism all around the world today; in the former Soviet Union, in European nations, in the United States, and even in large technology corporations. Lewis and Solzhenitsyn’s ideas may have come from a different time but they are still relevant. Now, thanks to both authors, the signs of a possible regime can be seen and addressed before it is too late.
Work Cited
Lewis, C.S. That Hideous Strength. Scribner, 2003.
Lewis, C. S. The Abolition of Man HarperSanFrancisco, 2001.
Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr Isaevich. The Gulag Archipelago. Vintage, 2018.
Walton, Calder. “Russia Has a Long History of Eliminating ‘Enemies of the State’.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 13 Mar. 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/03/13/russia-has-a-long-history-of-eliminating-enemies-of-the-state/.