Theology in the Chronicles of Narnia the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

“Creatures, I give you yourselves,” said the strong, happy voice of Aslan. “I give to you forever this land of Narnia. I give you the woods, the fruits, the rivers. I give you the stars and I give you myself. The Dumb Beasts whom I have not chosen are yours also. Treat them gently and cherish them but do not go back to their ways lest you cease to be Talking Beasts. For out of them you were taken and into them you can return. Do not so.”- Aslan

The books have Christian themes and describe the adventures of a group of children who visit a magical land called Narnia. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was the first published and the most popular book of the series. Lewis is said to have stated that he wrote the novels when he wondered what it would be like if Jesus Christ was incarnated on another planet or world to save the souls of those inhabitants”.

The plots and settings of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe only further prove that Narnia is an allegory. Edmund betraying Aslan is the same as us betraying God, yet Aslan as does God, rescues Edmund and is prepared to give his life for him. Aslan knowing he has to die to give Edmund life makes a treaty with the White Witch to sacrifice his life over Edmund’s and naturally, the White Witch is overjoyed and readily agrees, forgetting the “deep magic”. Christ was who died on the cross in payment for our sins and Aslan died for Edmund. On the way to Calvary, Jesus remained silent, as did Aslan. It is said that Aslan could have killed them all with one swipe of his paws and it was said that Jesus could have killed

In C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lewis emphasizes the three points of philosophy, themes, and symbolism throughout his writing. Lewis was a strong Christian man, and wanted to make children see and understand all the stories of the Bible. Therefore, he put Christian elements through his books, but with fantasy characters as well. Especially in this story, Lewis conveys the differences between good and evil. Aslan is represented as Christ just as the White Witch represents the sense of evil. Lewis wrote several books in this Narnia series, but The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe became the most famous and recognized of his novels.

Narnia (Lewis 149). When Aslan created the animals, they grew out of the ground in Narnia, but

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fiction in which one of the main characters, the sturdy lion Aslan, has the most power and authority. There are tons of images of Aslan from the book and the movie that relate to Jesus in Bible. The most outstanding images are the death of Aslan on top of the stone table which represents the crucifixion of Jesus, Aslan’s rebirth which is similar to the Resurrection of Jesus, and Aslan’s offering the stone statues life just as the figure of God made everything. Shortly, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe includes a number of biblical images that are the details from the Bible which were reflected by the book and the movie.

C.S. Lewis is one of the greatest authors in history. His books are still widely available and sold to many interested readers. In Lewis’ childhood, he experienced a tragedy that affected his belief in god; in his middle life, he mainly focused on college and his studies, but his father’s death played a role in Lewis later becoming a Christian. In Lewis’ later life, he married one of his own fans. Clive’s passion for writing began when he was a small child, and it continued to grow as he furthered his education to become a college professor at Oxford University. Lewis is still remembered today for his great works, such as The Screwtape Letters and The Chronicles of Narnia, which is a popular series among children.

C.S. Lewis wrote The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe because he wanted to write a children’s book “as a gift for his godchild” (Palmer). It began for him with a series of pictures that came into his mind. “Lewis stated, ‘Everything began with images; a faun carrying an umbrella, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion” (Kennedy). A fairy tale was forming in his mind and “‘At first there wasn't anything Christian about them; that element pushed itself in of its own accord’” (Kennedy), As the story progresses and Lewis’s characters and storyline begin to develop a seemingly clear relationship formed between The Bible and this novel. “Given Lewis’s strong Christian faith, that is not surprising. In fact, once the story was established, Lewis said he ‘...saw how stories of this kind could steal past a certain inhibition which had paralysed much of my own religion in childhood’” (Kennedy.) Even though C.S. Lewis started off writing a children's novel, many people perceive it to be a novel written in parallel to the Bible. Lewis has used Biblical references and a classic storyline to prove that good will alway triumph over evil. Aslan is labeled as a divine figure in the novel; he is also known as the son of the Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Aslan’s death and resurrection is like that of Christ. The four children are all considered important to in the world of Narnia, but in the real world they are

Two other people, or should I say creatures were seen in the book. These two are Aslan and Queen Jadis. Queen Jadis is first seen when Polly and Digory jump into a puddle. At first she seems to be a beautiful and amazing person, but when Digory awoke her from her slumber, they realized she was very evil. From there on in the book. You can see how much eviler Queen Jadis gets when she does not receive what she wants. Aslan is seen towards the end of the novel and is seen as a ferocious, yet calming lion. Everyone was scared of him but little that they know that this lion is the king of Narnia. He helps defeating Queen Jadis and is seen as a hero. All important characters in these books are well developed. C.S. Lewis offers the full physical and mental description of the characters depicted. When he does this, he is able to do it in a very fun style and still shows a concept about “good versus

C.S Lewis was a well renowned English author that has published many great works with his most well received piece being, “The Chronicles of Narnia.” The tale takes place during the London bombings of World War II. The solace for the four children in the novel is a magical wardrobe that transports them to a world of mythical creatures, and connections are made between the Catholic Church and this magical world. In, “The Chronicles of Narnia, the author C.S. Lewis develops the ongoing theme of redemption to a better life through Christianity. His life and other works is what helped him be able to do this in such an effortless fashion.

As, perhaps arguably, his most famous novel, from his most famous book series, The Chronicles of Narnia, there has been much debate as to his motives for the implementation of religion in his works, and even some question as to whether religion is an actual existing aspect of the work. This essay will not only outline the unmistakable presence of religious allegory, but also focus on the purpose of it being there. Thus being, that C.S Lewis uses religious allegory to effectively introduce and develop core themes of the novel in a fashion both comprehensible and relatable for a universal audience.

When having to reflect upon the movies I have seen and trying and pinpoint a few that have made a spiritual impact on me without me even noticing, was very difficult. So, I took to Google and realized that one of my favorite series, The Chronicles of Narnia, is almost based on Christianity itself. One movie, in particular, probably the most well known is The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. The movie is found to have Christian themes. The writer of the novels the films are based on has religious views in almost all the books. This film adaption of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is filled with hidden religious content. For instance, Aslan is seen to be Jesus Christ, Jadis is Satan, and the plot of the movie follows the resurrection

In 1950, eager readers approaching the children’s fantasy section of the bookstore were met with an unusual new title: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. To children, the combination of those three things was intriguing enough. To adults, the name of the author would have piqued more interest: C. S. Lewis, the renowned Christian writer. His name appears on such other titles as The Screwtape Letters, The Problem of Pain, The Weight of Glory, Miracles, and later Mere Christianity, a hallmark of religious classics. While the younger generation pondered how Narnia could fit into something as small as a wardrobe, mature readers would have mulled over a different question. How does The Chronicles of Narnia fit into his other religious works?

In comparison with the book, the movie remains remarkably faithful to C.S. Lewis’ story, and the his passion for fantasy and children’s novels shines through. The director of the movie, didn’t add any new characters, which to me was great because sometimes when new typescripts are added, it takes away from the message and as well the main characters. While reading the book before seeing the movie, my expectations were higher of the character, the White Witch and they weren’t met in the movie. I would recommend that you should read the book first so you can really understand what’s going on and get a good feel on what C.S. Lewis was trying to say.

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.