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C. S. LewisA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Our first direct encounter with duality, or “dualism,” in the novel comes from Weston. He tells Ransom, “In my view no real dualism in the universe is admissible” (80). Where Ransom thinks of God and the Devil, Weston is concerned only with the universe and what he calls the Force moving everything forward. In his interpretation, by transcending good and evil, man can become all-powerful. As he says, “I call that Force into me completely” (82). This is in opposition to what Ransom realizes later, as he ponders the duality of choice. We read that all paths “lead sooner or later either to the Beatific or Miserific Vision” (96). In this sense, there is no middle road; rather, there are many pathways funneling into two final options. This sense of duality serves as a dividing line between good and evil, eventually leading Ransom to stop going back and forth on his emotions and accept pure hatred toward the Un-Man. He recognizes in this hatred not a negative emotion, but one that helps him fully resist evil and combat it without fear of giving in.
Later, we see duality as the force that creates order. With Perelandra and Malacandra’s new forms, we see the duality of gender (172).
By C. S. Lewis
A Grief Observed
A Grief Observed
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Mere Christianity
Mere Christianity
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Out of the Silent Planet
Out of the Silent Planet
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Prince Caspian
Prince Caspian
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Surprised by Joy
Surprised by Joy
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That Hideous Strength
That Hideous Strength
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The Abolition of Man
The Abolition of Man
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The Discarded Image
The Discarded Image
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The Four Loves
The Four Loves
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The Great Divorce
The Great Divorce
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The Horse And His Boy
The Horse And His Boy
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The Last Battle
The Last Battle
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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The Magician's Nephew
The Magician's Nephew
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The Pilgrim's Regress
The Pilgrim's Regress
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The Problem of Pain
The Problem of Pain
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The Screwtape Letters
The Screwtape Letters
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The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair
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The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
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Till We Have Faces
Till We Have Faces
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