Religious_Symbolism_in_the_Chronicles_of_Narnia

Themes of The Chronicles of Narnia The sequence The Chronicles of Narnia written by C.S Lewis is a magical and spiritual group of books that takes place in England and of course, Narnia. The plot contains four children who are staying with an old professor and discover a wardrobe that leads to the whimsical world of Narnia, a place led by the evil White Witch. Throughout the books, the children experience an extremely magical and extravagant journey in the fight to save Narnia. In each novel, the face some sort of problem, or evil source that tries to destroy Narnia, but the children put in every effort to save the wonderful place. Throughout the stories, there is a significant portrayal of Christianity and spiritual symbolism especially in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Last Battle. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Christianity is displayed immensely, especially by the majestical lion Aslan. The children first discover Narnia by going through a wardrobe of fur coats in the professor’s house. Eventually the children run into a beaver that takes them back to his home and tells them the story of Narnia. The White Witch is an evil tyrant that makes it winter all year round, but no Christmas is allowed. She is evil because she turns the innocent into stone which compares to when Jesus was completely innocent, yet he was still crucified. The children first hear about Aslan from the beaver, but when they hear about his return to save Narnia and his amazing stories, it gives their hearts a spiritual feeling. The beaver tells the children that Aslan “is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts' Aslan is a lion – the Lion, the great Lion” (Lewis 79). This represents Christianity because Mr. Beaver is explaining that Aslan is the son of the Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea, which is a greater power than him. Likewise, Jesus is the son of God, which is a greater power than Jesus. Aslan resembles Jesus in other forms, such as his death by the evil witch. He sacrifices himself for Edmund’s survival. (Edmund had been captured by the evil witch prior to Aslan’s death). As Lucy and Susan mourn over the lion’s death, the author discusses their pain by saying “if you've been up all night and cried till you have no more tears left in you – you will know that there comes in the end a sort of quietness… Hours and hours seemed to go by in this dead calm, and they hardly noticed that they were getting colder and colder” (158). Whenever Jesus was crucified, his followers mourned over his death for three days straight. Their king had been killed, and all hope was lost. For Susan and Lucy, they feel a sense of hopelessness. What were they to do if their leader had just been killed' Shortly after Aslan had been killed, the girls hear a strange sound and turn around to see what it was. They look upon the stone table, which Aslan was tied to during his death, and realize that he is gone! The girls express great confusion and begin to wonder where Aslan is, but then they see him. He resurrects from his death, just as Jesus resurrected from his tomb. The girls run and kiss Aslan and express a superfluous amount of happiness for him. The witch was not aware of the deep magic of the stone table Aslan laid across during his death. If she had known the deeper meaning of the stone table, then it would be apparent “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" (163). Since Aslan is killed upon the table, death works itself backwards, which resurrects him from the dead. In this part of the sequence, Aslan portrays the most amount of Christian and spiritual symbolism because he resembles Jesus immensely. The Christian and spiritual symbolism continues throughout the novels, including The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The fifth book in the Narnia series The Voyage of the Dawn Treader displays Religious symbolism throughout the novel. The plot is reminding of the story in the bible about Moses and the way God worked through him in order to save his people. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Aslan, who represents Jesus, sends Prince Caspian, Lucy, Edmund, Eustace, and other “Narnians” to the Lone Islands to save the seven lords who have disappeared. On their journey they experience extreme difficulties and run into the strangest people. When Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace board the ship, Caspian tells them that he expects to find Aslan’s country. Lucy wonders and asks, “Aslan’s country would be that sort of country-I mean, the sort you could ever sail to'” (Lewis 21). By this, Lucy is asking if it is even possible to sail to Aslan’s country. The mouse, Reepicheep replies with uncertainty. In comparison, Heaven, God’s “country,” is a place that one can not transport to unless he dies a firm believer. Just like one can not transport to Aslan’s country. During the story, the characters experience dark and frightening times on their journey. Aslan is there to guide them though. In the middle of a dark fight, Lucy leans her head on the of the fighting and whispers, “Aslan, Aslan, if you ever you loved us at all, send us help now” (186). This shows that everyone looks up to Aslan and calls upon him for help or guidance just as people in today’s society call upon Jesus for guidance. The most significant time in the story where Aslan relates to Jesus is at the very end when he is conversing with the children. Lucy asks Aslan when she and her brother are going to be able to visit Narnia again, and Aslan tells them they will never come back to Narnia again. He also tells them that they must come close to their own world, and the children are worried about never seeing Aslan again. Aslan tells them that he is in their world and says, “I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was [is] the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there” (247). Therefore, Aslan is basically saying that he is known as Jesus in Lucy and Edmund’s world and the point of them coming to Narnia was to become closer to Christianity. The religious symbolism appears drastically throughout the novels, but causes a demonic turn in The Last Battle. The Last Battle is the end of The Chronicles of Narnia and it has a great amount of religious symbolism. From the previous books, Aslan is proven to represent Jesus in the Narnian world. Now, everything must come to end, like today’s world is supposed to come to an end. At the beginning of the story, an ape by the name of Shaft convinces a simple donkey, Puzzle, to dress like the famous lion, Aslan. Shaft does this because he wants the Narnians to believe that Aslan has returned like he promises, just like Jesus promises today’s society that he will return. King Tirian of Narnia and his unicorn Jewel accuse the rumors of Aslan returning false and the Calormene’s bind them to a tree. Jill and Eustace return to Narnia and rescue the king and his unicorn. The dwarfs have trouble believing in Aslan after so many years of not returning, and their non-believing plays revenge upon them when Aslan does return. Aslan says, “They will not let us help them. They have chosen cunning instead of belief. Their prison is only in their own minds yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they cannot be taken out” (Lewis 169). The dwarfs refuse to be rescued and refuse to believe, so they pay the price for it in the end when they do not get to return to Aslan’s country. In comparison to biblical references, Jesus also says that if one is not a believer, he will not return with Jesus when Jesus comes to Earth to save us. The Calormene’s king Tash swallows Shaft whole and is perceived as the Anti-Christ. Peter orders Tash to leave and Aslan appears. Lucy, Edmund, Peter, Eustace, Digory, Polly, and Jill watch all of the people and animals, including those who had previously died, gather outside the barn and get judged by Aslan. Those who have been loyal to Aslan or the morality upheld by Narnians join Aslan in Aslan's Country. Those who have not been loyal to Aslan are sent to terrible place. In reference to religion, it is said that when Jesus returns, those who have been loyal to him will join him in Heaven, and those who have not will join the devil in Hell. The end of Narnia is awfully upsetting to Lucy, who has been there since the beginning of the series. When her brother Peter tells her to stop crying she says, “I am sure it is not wrong to mourn Narnia. Think of all that lies dead and frozen behind that door” (181). In contrast, the firm believers of today’s society would not worry about what is left on Earth after Jesus saves them, they will be too joyful about going to Heaven. Aslan’s country is just like Narnia, but significantly better and safer for the Narnians. Peace remains and fighting will no longer take place. Puzzle exclaims his happiness by saying “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this” (196). In today’s society, everyone who is loyal to Jesus looks forward to the day they return to Heaven with him and work harder and harder every day to get there just like the Narnians worked so hard to get to Aslan’s country. Of course, it all paid off in the end. After long, devious battles, Narnia is now at its rest and the people remain happy in Aslan’s country. The Chronicles of Narnia is series of books that take the reader on an adventure he will never forget. The biblical references are absolutely endless and the plot line is one that can never be forgotten. From Aslan, who represents Jesus, being resurrected on the stone table in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, to working through the characters in order to save his people of Narnia in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and then returning to Narnia to rescue his people and take them to his country with him in The Last Battle, he most definitely portrays Christian symbolism in the series. Jesus says he will return one day to rescue his people on Earth just as Aslan did, but for now, Narnia remains locked and the Narnians are living joyous lives in Aslan’s country.