Week 8: Chapter 7 — The Tragedian and the Lady (Part 2)

1.By the end of the encounter, the Ghost has almost entirely vanished into the Tragedian — the self-pitying mask has consumed the real person. Lewis writes that the Ghost is 'becoming' the Tragedian. What does this suggest about the long-term effect of choosing one's ruling passions over and over again? Is there a point of no return?

2.Hilda, even as the Ghost refuses her, is not diminished in her joy. She weeps, but her tears are not the tears of defeat. The narrator is troubled: how can she be happy in Heaven if someone she loved is in Hell? This question haunts many readers. How does Lewis begin to answer it here, and do you find his answer satisfying?

3.Lewis suggests that in Heaven, the redeemed will be able to look back on the whole of a person's earthly life with understanding and compassion — but that the joy of Heaven will not be destroyed by the choices of those who refuse it. How does this connect to the nature of God, who is perfectly just and perfectly joyful simultaneously?