Posted on 11/13/2012 8:52:06 PM PST by dps.inspect
Hell is trying to break forth in this story, and the N.I.C.E. cabal is dong everything it can to help it succeed. Only thing is, N.I.C.E. thinks it is nurturing a power to be used and wielded by the cabal, not realizing Hell's demons obey only one master. In the story N.I.C.E. is the acronym for the National Institute of Coordinated Experiments
"The N.I.C.E. was the first fruits of that constructive fusion between the state and the laboratory on which so many thoughtful people base their hopes of a better world. It was to be free from almost all the tiresome restraints- "red-tape" was the word its supporters used. It was also largely free from the restraints of the economy, for, it was argued, a nation which can spend so many millions a day on a war can surely afford a few millions a month on productive research in peacetime"...
Of course the millions a month they were arguing for was never for the purposes that their propaganda described. But rather to fund their rush to obtain a power that in essence would make them kings of the earth... or so they thought...
The parallels between this story and the reality of our present day mirror each other in many ways. Present day powers in America are seeking to consolidate Governing power into one party. It uses propaganda the same way other power hungry tyrannical minds of the past have done. And what appears to be consistent throughout human history is that demonic powers seem to manifest themselves to empower humans who seek to dominate other humans. Think of the Nazi Regime or Communist Regimes or other hideous powers of the past, powers that seemingly enjoyed causing human misery while the proponents of those Regimes wined and dined.
One almost expects to see a demonic power endowed upon the President to accomplish his evil plans for America. There is an uncanny feeling, that something terrible is about to befall this once great nation, whether it be hellacious social unrest, a financial meltdown, race rioting, or all rolled into one for all out mayhem... the feeling is there and there is no denying.
Whether you believe in the existence of evil or not, a foreboding hangs in the air. Men of good conscience will be challenged to consider the unimaginable, the need to wrest power from evil minded men and to the tearing down of political and spiritual strongholds. Some say we should pray for this President and his family. If you feel so compelled, please do... however, I say we need to pray that God removes him and his kind from the seats of power. That Hideous Strength is the marriage of Hell and mankind to subdue and rule, to take freedom and instill fear. We must stand to challenge this marriage, it must not take place, but we cannot do it alone, we must invoke the powers of Heaven. Call upon God and then prepare for battle.
I completely agree that the parallels are obvious. But we have to be careful. It is not about America. That Hideous Strength will be manifest throughout the world. Perhaps America has to be destroyed first, before that comes to fruition. But some might argue that America fell a long time ago.
Agreed, we nonetheless must fight the battle...
Definitely we fight the battle. Remembering it is against powers and principalities.
Love this book, and have seen these parallels for a long time. Thanks for pointing it out.
And as always, throughout history, it is the, “men of good conscience will be challenged to consider the unimaginable, the need to wrest power from evil minded men..”, that is the sticking point.
Will the men of this country stand up, or are they too civilized?
Looking for Ransom.
Even the bit-players in the book make the transition to today’s America: the sadistic lesbian who tortures the heroine, for instance. And of course there’s Merlyn’s revelation to the couple: the son you sought not to have was to have been the Pendragon, the savior needed for this society. The couple hadn’t had an abortion, their careers just couldn’t accommodate children at the moment. Wonderful, wonderful book.
Thank you for her name! I couldn’t remember it. (How Dickensian!)
I admit I had to check to make sure I remembered it right, I had.
N.I.C.E. of course had to have their own journalists. They needed the media to make things seem normal to those they sought to control. Every lie and misdeed was for
“the greater good”. But in reality everything was for the good of the ruling elites.
I haven’t read this book in years but tonight I’m picking it back up.
One of my all time favorites.
Very thoughtful piece. I haven’t read this book in 40 years but I think you nail it.
I thought it was the worst of the series, with Perelandra being the pinnacle. But Merlin was a masterpiece of a character.
I have been thinking about this every day for the last four years.
So thank you for posting this. Please in future try to spell the author’s name correctly. Lewis, not Lewes.
I have been thinking about this every day for the last four years.
So thank you for posting this. Please in future try to spell the author’s name correctly. Lewis, not Lewes.
I have been thinking about this every day for the last four years.
So thank you for posting this. Please in future try to spell the author’s name correctly. Lewis, not Lewes.
Lewis is one of my favorite authors. When I saw your title I thought ooooh I am not the only one thinking about that book. At least the good guys win in the end but it one tough ass haul to get there
I disagree, I think it is the masterpiece of the trilogy. I read it every year.
I love the way even the bear in the story has a role to play.
I have to say I think THS fails as a book, as L’s great friend Tolkien opined, but it has more interesting ideas in it than most successful works.
Yeah, the first act was the most interesting part, and it takes up over half the book; but then acts 2 and 3 seemed rushed and ended up lacklaster.
Ah my squirrely eyes... that’s why you should never be your own editor...
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