The Book of Thel - Characters

Characters

• Thel - The first analysis comes with the meaning of the name Thel. In Greek it means “will” or “wish” or “desire.” The name is often looked at as a reflection of the poem’s allegory of desire. Others have attempted to connect “Thel” with “female.” Thel is often seen as an unborn soul who refuses to live as a mortal in the material world. Another widely popular interpretation is that Thel is an immature human virgin who shies away from the life of mature sexuality. One final interpretation of Thel is that she represents not the just the surface of female frailty, but that she is actually a symbol for the feminine frailty of humankind.
• The Clod of Clay - The Clod of Clay is depicted as the maternal figure for the infant worm. The Clod has accepted the hypocritical male philosophy that teaches that we do not live for ourselves. The Clod is incapable of self-confidence and she is incapable of change because she lacks the ability to question her condition. The Clod cannot tell right from wrong because she has been a victim of abuse by the oppression of a male dominated realm. What the Clod does have is the capacity to love, as she shows the reader through her interactions with the infant Worm. Even though the Clod preaches to Thel about the troubles of marriage, Thel retains her benign image of marriage.
• The Lily of the Valley - The Lily is the first character that Thel encounters in the Vales of Har. She is an adult female who, similar to Thel, has been taught to think of herself as little weed instead of something beautiful because of the patriarchal pressures. Each morning, God comes down with the rising sun to remind the Lily that she is meek and a dweller of lowly places. She is only reassured by God’s promises of life after death in heaven. The Lily is a female character that advocates fulfillment though serving others. Her advice is supposed to quell Thel’s anxiety and convince that she need not worry. However, the Lily’s advice fails and Thel attempts to move away from her.
• The Cloud - The Cloud appears (seems to have materialized out of nothing) after Thel compares herself to a faint cloud. Unlike Thel’s comparison, the Cloud is more than a conventional symbol of mutability. The Cloud, as the only male figure in the poem, makes a validate suggestion of courtship and marriage with Thel.
• The Worm - The Worm is a double symbol, acting as an infant and also as a penis. Thel reacts to each symbol in a specific way. When the Worm is acting as an infant, Thel feels sorry for the helpless Worm, but still refuses to assist it. When the Worm appears as a penis to Thel, she immediately rejects it and mocks it, calling it an image of weakness.