The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe Essay

Are we born knowing the difference between Good and Evil ? Or are we taught our moral beliefs by our parents and society? Does man have free will to choose good or evil actions ? We humans everyday must be fair and remember even with the bad guys seeing ourselves as good. We are the heroes of our own lives. In the world today, society is made up of individuals, we would well be advised to delineate the core characteristics of what we would regard as a good person versus an evil one, “ A good person may be defined as one who consistently exudes a great deal of empathy, compassion, sanctity for human life, selflessness, and altruism, On the contrary, an evil person is one who consistently displays psychopathic behavior, a lack of empathy and

compassion, a total disregard for the sanctity of human life, and is saturated with egocentricity and narcissism” (CNN).

Throughout the novel good and evil is a way of life in Narnia. In The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis uses the characterization of the White Witch as Satan and Aslan as Christ in order to convey the opposing forces of good and evil in the Christian religion.

In the novel, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe author C.S. Lewis describes the White Witch as the evil force in Narnia; if the novel is a Christian allegory then the White Witch represents cruelty and malevolence. She tends to keep Narnia uninhabitable. The people who live Narnia are in a constant state of fear. Narnia is a cold, wintery kingdom where creatures live in a constant state of fear of the White Witch. The White Witch claims the throne of Narnia by brute force. She uses her evil powers to keep a curse on winter all the time. One day four children arrive in Narnia possibly fulfilling a long held prophecy. The prophecy says that the “Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve” will take over the throne and the White Witch will lose her power. The White Witch is threatened by this so she kidnaps one of the children, Edmond. The protagonist named Aslan, a strong but peaceful lion, is

introduced as the one who will save Narnia from the White Witch’s evil spell and return the kingdom to peace. In order to rescue Edmund from the White Witch’s power, Aslan agrees to sacrifice his life to save Edmunds life. Prior to the slaughter of Aslan, the White Witch reclaims “ Tell you, she said, her voice growing suddenly shriller. “ Tell you what is written in the letters deep as a spear is long on the trunk of the World Ash Tree ? Tell you what is engraved on the sceptre of the Emperor-Beyond-The-Sea ? You at least know the magic which the Emperor put into Narnia at the very beginning. You know that every traitor belongs to me as my lawful prey and that for every treachery I have a right to kill “(Lewis 114). This explains how Narnia isn’t all beautiful landscapes and feel-good romps without Aslan. There are painful requirements in the spiritual laws of this world, and the country itself could be destroyed if Aslan didn’t abide by those rules. The White Witch exclaims “Summon all our people to meet me here as speedily as they can. Call out the giants and the werewolves and the spirits of those trees who are on our side. Call the Cruels, The Hags, The Spectres and the people of the toadstools. We will fight”(Lewis 125). This shows the evil power the White Witch has over the residents of Narnia because she has them do her evil bidding. She plans on using the creatures to help her capture and kill Aslan because she believes if he does this she will be queen of Narnia forever. The White Witch commands her followers to tie Aslan up. As the White Witch prepares to kill Aslan, she humiliates him and mocks him. She humiliates him by shaving off his mane while he lies defenceless on the stone table. It is the ultimate act of humiliation for a lion since the lions mane is his pride and distinguishes him as a male lion. All the while, the other creatures are mocking calling him a big pussy cat and asking him if he would like some milk. Similarly, Jesus Christ is also captured by troops acting on the orders of someone else. In the Book of Matthew, verse 27, he writes “ The soldiers led Jesus inside the courtyard of the fortress and called together the rest of his troops. They put a purple robe on him they placed a crown that they made out of thorn branches. They had made of Jesus and shouted “Hey you king of the Jews!” Then they beat him up with a stick. They spit on him and knelt down and pretending to worship him.” This shows Jesus being publicly humiliated and physically assaulted like Aslan. The White Witch shows her cruelty when she assaults and ultimately kills Aslan. The manner in which she does this is particularly mean by shaving off his mane and mocking him. Causing her to show that she is inferior towards the people of Narnia. Just as the White Witch (antagonist) describe pure evil Aslan the protagonist exemplifies pure good.
Throughout the novel, The Lion The Witch and Wardrobe author C.S Lewis defines Aslan as the good force in Narnia; if the novel represents a christian allegory then Aslan represents forgiveness and courage. The people in Narnia treat him as if he were a figure of god. In Narnia, Aslan, a nobile lion, represents god and the goodness and justice in Narnia. The exact opposite of the White Witch. When the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve arrive, they immediately have powerful sensations that they cannot understand. Peter, Susan, and Lucy begin to start experiencing an inexplicable delight. Edmond, who has basically betrayed by his own siblings by siding with the White Witch is extremely horrified. The mysticism that surrounds Aslan’s name only grows as the children learn more about Aslan. Mr. Beaver declares “He’s the king, He’s the Lord of the whole wood, but not often here, you understand. Never in my time or my father's time. But the word has reached us that he has come back. He is in Narnia at this moment. He’ll settle the White Queen all right. It he is, that will save Mr. Tumnus”. This shows that he is going to fight the evil of the White Witch and restore Narnia and free the animals in the kingdom to leave peace and harmony. Alsan shows that he will not give up fighting against the evils of the White Witch. Showing his sense of pride and aggression not only to the people of narnia, but to Edmund, Susan and Lucy. Aslan the Lion, sacrifices his own life for Edmond’s life, someone he doesn’t even know. For example, when Aslan is sacrificed he explains that “When a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead . Death itself would start working backwards (Lewis 100). ” This shows that this is an amazing thing about Aslan's sacrifice, by taking Edmond’s place, Alsan is able to save not only Edmond, but his entire people. Showing that there is a special power he can access by being a willing and innocent victim. Alsan is able to submit to the pain, as Aslan rises from the dead. He exclaims "It means," said Aslan, "that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know: Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards. And now”(Lewis 112). This shows that despite the White Witch's knowledge of someone who had committed no treachery, he would be innocent in these situations proving that he is very powerful and he is not willing to show his powers in front of the white witch's people as he wants use it to save the good people of Narnia. Along with restoring Narnia back to its original restoration. Aslan is saving his good for the sake of his people. In his essay entitled “The Good Guys and the Bad Guys” author Louis Marko states “ There are a few good character in literature who embody positive goodness more powerfully that Aslan” (Marko) Mstkos elaborates “ Aslan shows himself willing to sacrifice his own life for his friends and for Narnia in the final battle with the Witch”. This shows that despite Aslan knowing he was going to die, he did not try to escape. He did not try and run even though he could because he was a mighty lion. Aslan could have easily ripped out of the ropes that tied him to the stone altar. He accepted his fate of death to save Edmund. Narnia and to put an end to the reign of the White Witch. We can believe that Aslan is a selfless person who is willing to give up his life because he knows deep down that the people of Narnia are good.