By:Amy Norton

Troy University ENG 1102/T4/14Professor Owens

•Setting•Characters•Theme•Controversy

Lewis was quoted:

“The whole Narnian story is about Christ.” “Supposing that there really was a world

like Narnia and supposing it had (like our world) gone wrong and supposing Christ wanted to go into that world and save it (as He did ours), what might have happened?”

Aslan, which means lion in Turkish is meant to parallel Jesus Christ. “Christ is called “The Lion of Judah in the Bible” (Wikipedia) perhaps this is why Lewis chose lion for this character. A lion symbolizes strength and leadership. Those traits fit this character perfectly and also are modeled after Jesus Christ. Aslan, as a character is well respected, “Just about everyone agrees that he’s the stand out character of the Chronicles of Narnia and probably Lewis’ greatest literary creation.” (McGrath)

Queen Jadis, the White Witch is said to represent Lucifer. She “rules Narnia for 100 years, represents the power of Satan or evil in the world. (Selby) She is cold and cruel. This is represented by the land where there is always winter, but never Christmas. She manipulates Edmund and lures in him with Turkish Delights and the promise of prestige. “Edmund represents all mankind who has betrayed Christ from birth, and who Jesus died for on the cross.” (Selby) Because of Edmund’s weakness Aslan had to die and rise again then release the frozen captives. Once that was complete the ice began to thaw and spring begins. As Aslan grows stronger the White Witch grows weaker. Good versus evil. I believe Lewis meant these to be parallels of man’s redemption.

The event when Susan and Lucy walk with Aslan to the place of execution is representative of Jesus going to the Garden of Gethsemane. Both Aslan and Jesus reappear after they have been resurrected with a glorified body. As the story draws closer to Aslan’s return, ice starts to thaw and spring appears. The Witch’s power begins to weaken and these events suggest that “as Christ comes there is a diminishing of the strength of evil and an increasing intensity of Christ’s spirit, (Warmth), presence and power. “(Selby) Everything in the story seems to have a symbolic meaning. “The plot and chronology of the story seem to portray the history, fall and plan unfolding in the world” (Selby)

Being a Christian myself, I find these stories and their representation of the gospel as beautiful and they have become more meaningful to me the more I have learned about them while researching this paper. However, there are some who disagree that Lewis’ Christian apologetic views have anything to do with the Chronicles of Narnia. “Some find them distasteful, while noting that they are easy to miss if one is not familiar with Christianity” (Wikipedia) There are some Christians who even have their doubts, Rev Abraham Tucker was quoted as saying “ While there are in the Narnia tales many clear parallels with Biblical events, they are far from precise, one-on-one parallels.” There are also some Christian groups who criticize these works and say they promote “soft-sell paganism and occultism” (Wikipedia) John Hurst of Christianity Today states “Not only was Lewis hesitant to call his books Christian allegory, but the stories borrow just as much from pagan mythology as they do the Bible.” (Wikipedia) Lewis, however, felt that mythology played a role in the imaginative life of the stories and could act as a good way to prepare others for Christianity. His thought was to “first to make the people good pagans, and after that to make them Christians” (Wikipedia) Lewis felt that to reach more people with the gospel, it would be better to start with some pre-Christian ideas. Perhaps it would make Christians more relatable to the people of the world. Whatever your view, opinion or feelings on Christianity, C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia” are classic stories most importantly made to be enjoyed by many. I personally hope they reached a few with the gospel, but I know for sure the entertained and excited imaginations of many generations and will continue to do so for many more generations to come.

References: Baehr, Dr. Ted. “The Deeper Truth Behind The Chronicles

of Narnia”. cbn.com . CBN. n.d. Web. 05/11/14 Selby, Jonathan. “The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, the

Witch and the Wardrobe Symbolism and Meanings”. Jonathanselby.com. Jonathan W.Selby. N.d. Web.

05/11/14 Wikipedia. Religion-Wikipedia. Wiki.2010. Web. 05/11/14 McGrath, Alister. “The Religious symbolism behind The

Chronicles of Narnia”. Bbc.co.uk. bbc. N.d. Web. 05/11/14 Greghorn, Michael. “The Lion, the Witch and the

Wardrobe: Reflections on Its Meaning”. Probe.org. Probe. N.d. Web

05/11/14