Gender Roles In The Chronicles Of Narnia

C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia are often linked to his Christianity and how he portrays his faith through his characters. Because early Christianity portrays women as less than men, many believe that Lewis expresses his ideas of gender inequality throughout his writings. The Chronicles of Narnia comprises of seven stories that follow different characters and their experiences in the land of Narnia; the first novel that was written was The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1950. Throughout the novel The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis’ female protagonists are strong developed characters that reflected the new ideas of gender roles and equality in the 1950s. Lewis characterized females as women who are equal to men without

Of all the characteristics that Lucy is given, compassion is the most apparent for many reasons. As stated before, when Mr. Tumnus told Lucy that he was supposed to kidnap her, she responded by telling him that she believed he was a very nice, kind-hearted man. She did not want to believe that he had ill intentions. This may be because she was a child and was very naive, however, she did realize that what he had done was vile, but not unforgivable (Lewis 118). Aside from Mr. Tumnus, Lucy was also able to befriend Aslan. As the story progressed it was made apparent that Lucy’s struggles were not as physical as they were emotional, but that her emotional struggles were far harder than any physical conflicts that she, or other characters, experienced (Emerson 7). Her most strenuous challenge was when she had to witness Aslan’s sacrifice. It was their compassion that led them to follow Aslan and their determination that made them stay. After they realized what the White Witch had done, Lucy and Susan refused to leave Aslan’s side until he had risen (Lewis

Women in this time period were becoming more independent and although gender roles are not the same as they were then, Lewis was very progressive with the way he wrote his characters. The Chronicles of Narnia is often dismissed as well written classic literature because of how the females are said to be portrayed. Also, this specific piece is often analysed as a religious allegory which is another reason as to why the reference inequality is oftentimes