![]() ![]() The veiled face symbolized an acute identity crisis, and fuelled much speculation among the citizens of Glome. Orual’s earlier decision to don a veil paved the way for this dramatic recognition scene. Spellbound by the picture of her moral corruption, Orual becomes a Medusa figure turning her own heart to stone. Following this frank admission, the roles in the court proceeding are reversed: the accuser is really the accused. Ironically, Orual treated all her loved ones-including her beloved sister Psyche-with the same selfishness and cruelty she previously attributed to the gods: “To say that I was Ungit meant that I was as ugly in soul as she greedy, blood-gorged” ( Till 292). ![]() The hideous specular image exposes not only her facial ugliness but also the base motives of her actions. ![]() In a visionary sequence, an adult Orual stands once again before a mirror in an infernal setting and is shocked to discover that she is the goddess she abhors the most: “The vision…ithout question…was true. The strategy of putting the gods in the dock backfires, however. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |