Femininity In The Last Battle

In The Last Battle, Peter explains “My sister Susan is no longer a friend of Narnia” (insert citation). Jill Pole goes on to say “she's interested in nothing now-a-days except nylons and lipstick and invitations" (insert citation). Lewis portrays Susan as a girl who became interested in sinful and shallow things and by doing this she rejects Narnia, which essentially means she rejects Christianity, which secures her damnation and banishment. She is basically destined for hell for wanting to express her feminine sexuality. Lewis, as a born again Christian expresses hostility towards adult female sexuality and lust, and punishes his character for defying God’s wishes. The way Lewis portrays aspects of femininity under a Christian light in his

novels is highly problematic. Since the release of the novels, he has fell under scrutiny and many feminist authors including J.K. Rowling have many problems with his work because of this.
Another great thinker that influenced much of C.S. Lewis’ work is the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. Even Augustine of Hippo writes that God wished for him to study Plato before being blessed through the scriptures. One of Plato’s philosophical ideas that pop up in the Narnia universe is his allegory of the cave. This theory describes that humans not educated on the Theory of Forms are like prisoners in a cave, oblivious to the outside world around them. There are a few minor references but I believe the most obvious reference to the allegory lies within The Silver Chair, the fourth novel of the series.
This novel has a base theme throughout that contests the idea that a religious experience is a delusion and distraction from everyday life.

In the book the main characters are sent by Aslan to rescue Rilian who had been abducted by the Emerald Witch. She then charms Rilian into forgetting his past in order to manipulate him into helping her take over Narnia. The main characters eventually save him and end her control over him. The Emerald Witch becomes infuriated and uses her powers to make the characters start forgetting their past memories. They remember some elements but she attempts to trick them into thinking their memories are wrong and what they think is merely fantasy. When Prince Rilian goes on to explain the memory of a sun described as a lamp that is much bigger than the sky, the witch chimes in with: “You see? When you try to think out clearly what this sun must be, you cannot tell me. You can only tell me it is like the lamp. Your sun is a dream; and there is nothing in that dream that was not copied from the lamp. The lamp is the real thing; the sun is but a tale, a children’s story.” When Eustace remembers Aslan the Lion she explains that Aslan doesn’t exist and that there is no Narnia either. This of course is a direct and obvious reference to Plato’s allegory of the cave. The ignorance of the heroes and how their reality can be controlled by the magical powers of the witch are much like the prisoners in the cave who only accept what is taught to

them.
Another minor aspect of the novels in the use of authority. This mainly has to do with the character Aslan the Lion. Aslan is the alpha male character in Narnia. He is the all-knowing, all-loving hero figure and like I mentioned earlier, he is an embodiment of God and Christ. He holds authority over the land of Narnia and the main characters. When he needs their help he summons them and they abide by his rules and do what he says. In the second book Prince Caspian, the character Miraz, the cruel ruler of Narnia, is very threatened by any authority that presents itself. Miraz is so threatened that he actually denounces any such thing labeled as legitimate authority. For him there is no authority, there is only a thirst for power. Upon first meeting the character Miraz, he states his disbelief of what Peter, Lucy, Edmund, and Susan tell him. Miraz frustratingly expresses how he doesn’t understand how there could be two kings. A hierarchal power struggle is a common theme in the Narnia books as is any other fantasy novel with war in it. There are many different authority figures involved and controlling or attempted to control the land of Narnia. It is difficult for the characters to discern what the legitimate authority is but they can tell the difference between good and evil. Ultimately Aslan is the only legitimate authority in the novels.
C.S. Lewis’ series The Chronicles of Narnia is a goldmine of Christianity and biblical references as well as containing many other complicated philosophical ideologies, way too many to include in this essay. Although his blatant sexism is very problematic, he does a good job of depicting Christian values and morality within this vast fantasy universe. I enjoyed reading these novels as a child and touching on them again and analyzing the writings has been greatly fascinating to me and forces me to think about the influences of an author when reading a work of fiction.