Good Vr. Evil In That Hideous Strength Essay, Research Paper
In “That Hideous Strength,” Mark Studdock is faced with the choice of opposing evil or submitting to it. Throughout the novel, Mark sides with a group called the N.I.C.E., an example of an evil democracy trying to take over the world. The N.I.C.E. is countered by a group of Christians from St. Anne’s who strive to make the world a better place. The N.I.C.E. could generally be describes as one word: evil. They are highly anti-Christian, manipulative, and cliquish. With this description the society sounds less then appealing. However to Mark, it was all he ever wanted. His whole life, Mr. Studdock has yearned to be in the inner circle of the popular group. His only goal was to be accepted by the N.I.C.E. Unfortunately, to be part of the society Mark must participate in weird rituals and perform sacrilegious acts. Because he doesn t believe in religion, Mark sees these acts as pointless and sometimes cruel. During the novel, however, Mark is still drawn in by the fact that the N.I.C.E., as evil as they may seem, still control much of life in his town of Edgestow, and being part of the N.I.C.E. gives him the satisfaction of knowing he’s finally in the inner circle. This is the choice that Mark Studdock must make. He can either succumb to the evil, and stay with the N.I.C.E., even though he knows it’s wrong, or overcome evil with good, by joining forces with the group of Christians from St. Anne’s along with his wife. Joining the group at St. Anne’s however means giving up on his dream of being in the group that “takes over the world.” Mark finally decided that the evil he was committing outweighed his need to be approved by the upper society, and Mark joined the group at St. Anne’s. As a result of his choice, the nice no longer had power over society, and the leadership crumbled. Those in leadership positions were beheaded, and Edgestow could no longer exist. This is much like our Christian walk. If we resist evil temptation, God will reward us. Many times our reward is that God destroys what has tempted us, so that we will not be tempted