The Chronicles of Narnia are veritably the most popular writings of C.S. Lewis. They are known as children’s fantasy literature, and have found favor in older students and adults alike, even many Christian theologians enjoy these stories from Lewis; for there are many spiritual truths that one can gleam from them, if familiar with the Bible. However, having said this, it is noteworthy to say that Lewis did not scribe these Chronicles for allegorical didactics of the Christian faith, but wrote them in such a well-knit fashion that young readers might understand Christian doctrine through captivating fantasy and thus gain an appreciation for it. With this in mind, and in the interest of this assignment, the purpose of this paper is an attempt to analyze one of the many doctrines of the Christian faith from The Lion, The Witch, And, The Wardrobe (LWW), namely, temptation and how Lewis illustrates it through an individual character, Edmund. Before we delve into the temptation of LWW, let’s observe its prolegomena as found in The Magician’s Nephew: In the Genesis’ creation story, there are two rudiments of evil found—Adam and Eve’s direct disobedience to God's commandment (Gen 2-3), and the deception of the serpent (Gen 3). The Witch in The Magician's Nephew may be seen as a representation of the introduction of sin, but also, later in the story, as a figure representing the character of the serpent. This marks a move away from the theme of creation and a step towards the theme of temptation in the Narnia Chronicles. The theme of temptation is present in both the Bible and the Narnia Chronicles, and Lewis often models his presentations of temptation after stories and characters from the Bible. A good example of this is found ... ... middle of paper ... ...ins, and Aslan pays for it with his life, as did Christ (Rom 5:8). The Narnia Chronicles have already established themselves as timeless works of literature. They appeal to both the atheists and the God-fearing, to both the uneducated and to scholars; to children and adults. An understanding of the Biblical allegory in these books is not essential to their appreciation. A critical analysis of these works, however, does allow the reader to more fully appreciate Lewis' unique gift to simplify complex narratives and craft beautiful children's fantasies. This, in turn, allows the reader to gain both a deeper understanding of Lewis as a skilled creative writer, and a deeper satisfaction of his art. To be able to appreciate C.S. Lewis as such an artisan can only add to one's enjoyment of his works.
In conclusion, C.S. Lewis’ The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is not only a children’s story filled with creatures that are only of imagination, but an allegorical representation of biblical history and a quest to find one’s strength. Although author like J.R.R Tolkein once criticized his Narnia books, they remain among the most beloved books of classic Children’s Literature selling over 100 million copies.
“Let us suppose that there were a land like Narnia and that the son of God, as he became a man in our world, became a lion in theirs, and then imagine what would happen” (letters to children qtd. Gazora 9). Throughout Clive Lewis life, he changed his religion so many times from not believing in God to believing again. Lewis was always known for his fantasy, and his most known book The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis wrote The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, to show his Christian faith. In Lewis’s novel, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, he uses the archetype of the hero, and the villain, as well as the symbol of the stone table.
C.S. Lewis was the 20th century’s most popular proponent of faith based on reason. As a child, he created an imaginary world where personified animals came to life, and later, he wrote the book, Chronicles of Narnia. How did he transform from a boy fascinated with anthropomorphic animals into a man of immense faith? His transformation to the Christian religion happened as his fame began to flourish. People wrote him, asking him about his claims about the truth of Christianity (Belmonte, Kevin). As I attended the drama of Freud’s Last Session, I was engrossed into the plot of the play and was constantly thinking about how it pertained to the objectives of the World Literature class. I not only connected the content of the play to its context, but I also reached out to apply the context to a discussion on a broader scale. I then discovered why the context of literature is imperative for true understanding of the w...
“All shall be done, but it may be harder than you think.” is an inspiring quote from the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe written by C. S. Lewis. This story takes place during the time period of World War II. When the bombings of London started taking place, four siblings, Lucy, Peter, Susan, and Edmund are sent to a country house for safety. Later on, Lucy discovers a wardrobe that transports her to a magical world called Narnia. Shorty after coming back, she brings her siblings along as well. There they join Aslan, a lion, in the fight against the evil White Witch. In order to fully understand the story it is very important to dive deep into the theme, setting, and the character of the protagonist.
Aslan is the King of Narnia. Lewis tries to resist any recognition that Aslan is Jesus Christ. When readi...
In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis, Lucy wants to tell Edmund what Aslan has done for him while Susan does not. Susan, using her power as the older sister, forbids Lucy to reveal the truth to Edmund. Susan does not make a wise decision when denying Lucy the choice to tell Edmund about Aslan’s sacrifice. Although the truth might cause Ed-mund feelings of regret or guilt, he has the right to know the truth. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Edmund finds out about the sacrifice, so Susan’s decision to hide the truth from him ultimately fails. Edmund feels sadness and anger toward his sisters once he realizes what they did. If Susan had allowed Lucy tell him earlier, there may have been far less conflict between family members.
The symbolism between C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the fourth book in The Chronicles of Narnia, and the New Testament in the Bible, particularly the account of Jesus’ death is not merely coincidental because The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is, in fact, an allegory. An allegory is a story with morals in which characters, plots and settings are used as symbols. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis is rich with Christian symbolism even though the allegorical nature of it is the subject of much controversy. Nonetheless, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is an allegory. In this tale, four ordinary children find a wardrobe that leads them into Narnia, an extraordinary land parallel to our universe with talking animal and fantasy creatures. An evil witch has cast a spell of eternal winter over the land and has lured one of the children into betraying the others for enchanted Turkish Delights. Meanwhile, a magical lion, the nemesis of the witch, has arrived after a 100-year absence because of the betrayal of Edmund and ancient prophecies. Soon the children find themselves as involved in the battle as the other creatures and the lion must free Narnia from the clutches of the evil witch and atones for Edmund’s betrayal. The symbolism in the characters, plots, setting, miscellaneous things and themes prove Narnia is, indeed, allegorical
Throughout C. S. Lewis’ book series, Narnia, he uses his diverse characters to embody different real-world people and issues. Lewis utilizes his exceptional writing skills to put his characters through certain situations that reflect real-world issues. By doing this Lewis indirectly helped his readers to better understand the world around them.
The land of Narnia is a place where something as simple as a wardrobe is the key to something as magical as Narnia. In C.S Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, four children go on an adventure of a lifetime. The main characters are Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, are siblings that travel to Narnia as the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve. There is controversy whether or not the book is well-suited for children. Lewis uses different literary techniques including character development, animal personification, and censorship to help make the book more appropriate for children.
Have you ever wanted to free yourself from the terrors and troublesome times of modern society and escape to a magical place? Clive Staples Lewis, or C.S. Lewis as he is better known, created such a place, in his extremely popular children’s series The Chronicles of Narnia. In these books, Lewis has an underlying message about Christianity. He represents four key aspects of Christianity in this series: Christ and God, evil in the world, and faith.
Wicked, the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the East is a fantasy book by Gregory Maguire. It follows the life of the Wicked Witch, the character from the Wizard of Oz, from her birth to her death, or her pseudo-death. It also explores the question the nature of good and evil.
C.S. Lewis uses a secondary world, Narnia, to convey complex, thought-provoking messages to readers of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. This paper examines the way a selection of Narnia's key characteristics prompt debates over logic and faith, comment on the nature of spiritual and metaphysical journeys, allow readers to broaden their conception of their own capabilities, encourage new reflection on the story of Christ and help to clarify conceptions of good and evil.
When it comes to magical worlds and the fantasies of being there can be quite hard to relate to. One that relates to me is Chronicles of Narnia, not only because of the fantasy part how C.S Lewis made Christianity more welcoming to non-believers C.S Lewis the writer of the series of Chronical of Narnia takes a surprising approach to this belief that seeing is believing. With the adaptations made from the novel to the big screen of Chronicles of Narnia the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Paul Stones (1988) and Andrews Adamson’s (2005) versions of the film incorporated some of the ideas that C.S Lewis wanted to get across to children.
The youngest Pevensie brother, Edmund, is the mischievous child among his siblings in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He is a representation of the possibility of what can go wrong when a child is not properly taught and does not follow set boundaries. Edmund’s subversion of set standards is the cause of a great deal of the troubles the Pevensies face in Narnia. For example, when he goes to the White Witch’s castle instead of listening to the others when they say Aslan is the true leader. In order to redeem himself, he must first be renewed and return to an earlier state. He is not allowed to stay indignant, but is reformed when he learns that Aslan is really the true ruler, and Jadis is not. He is allowed to do so because of his status as a child who is still developing. Edmund’s corruption and later redemption show that he is not really wicked, but has an innate goodness.
Through the use of Christian symbolism, conflicts, and imagery, C. S. Lewis implements his religious background into his literary works.