The Chronicles of Narnia: Myth & Allegory

Flying into the air you are able to fight off twenty or so villains without breaking a sweat. After, you land in a dark gloomy room, furnished in complete steel, chrome, and black leather. A woman wearing a tight black jumpsuit meet you. Her glasses are so shiny that you can see your exact reflection. She then hands you a piece of paper. The paper reads "Mission: Kill One Save a Thousand." The world that enables flying undercover superheroes, animals that speak, and individuals with super human abilities enthrusted into their genes. This is fantasy. Fantasy is a world that you control. A world where anything goes, and for C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia was just that, an escape from the real world. The Chronicles of Narnia can be read as a simple story with biblical symbols, and if you decide to read and interpret the stories allegorically or symbolically it would not change the story itself.

The Chronicles of Narnia is a story of fantasy with religious influences written to entertain and to show Christian analogies. Right away when reading the fantasy portion is obvious. The Chronicles of Narnia cannot be detached from its religious influences. If you know the Christian story that's great because than you have the option of reading deeper into the religious text, or to read it just as a story with biblical symbols. There is no separation between religion and story. If at one point in your life when you were introduced to some type of religious text you won't be able to separate the allegory from the readings. If you have a rich religious background, religion pokes out like a sore thumb. Hearing the comments in class I was able to notice that most of the students acknowledged the fact that they read, or have seen the Chronicles of Narnia and were only able to spot the biblical symbols when told to point them out. Knowing the symbols were there didn't take away from the effect of the story. It was still the Chronicles of Narnia, the only thing that changed were the references. The biblical symbols are a definite undertone in the story. The biblical symbols, the allegory, are there for deeper meaning and will never leave the story.

Once the biblical symbols are noticed, there is no question whether or not they can be detached from the story. Already in the beginning C.S. Lewis in the Chronicles of Narnia chooses the boys to the "sons of Adam," and the girls are the "daughters of Eve," and in the crazy world of Narnia the king as the lion. In the Gospels the prophets often referred to Jesus as the "son of God." Jesus also acknowledges himself as "son of Man." By referring to himself as "son of man" he is acknowledged as an authoritative teacher and his authority is so high that he doesn't have to follow the Torah. The same qualities are found when Aslan doesn't have to abide by the law when the witch uses the law to back her up.

"Tell you?" said the Witch, her voice growing suddenly shriller. "Tell you what is written on that very Table of Stone which stands beside us? Tell you what is written in letters deep as a spear is long on the firestones on the secret hill [...] the Magic the Emperor put into Narnia at the very beginning. You know that every traitor belongs to me as a my lawful prey and that for every treachery I have a right to kill (Lewis, Book 1, 59)."

There were also divine men in the Greco-Roman world, and in Narnia. The characteristics of divination ranged from infallible predictions, eradicate plagues, control weather, half man, half god and being God like were all considered signs of divinity. Mr. Thumnas is half man. There are also centaurs in the novel. These are traits and characters are seen in Greek mythology when re-telling the stories of the Gods. In the case of Narnia there are high and low levels of Christology when you replace the characters.

The Christians interpretation of the "Fall" is human desire and frailty. When God created earth, he didn't create evil. Adam and Eve ate from the tree and then there sin and disobedience were created. Lewis named the White Witch the serpent. The serpent tricked Eve and told her that the tree would make her wise. The serpent enticed Eve to eat from the tree, and Adam loved Eve so much that he also took a bite from the forbidden fruit as well because he could not stand the thought of living without her. Augustin will say that Adam loved his wife so much that he would rather be damned with her than without. Adam and Eve had an entire garden and they still ate from the tree. Once they ate from the tree it took away from their innocence. They were no longer able to hang out with God. The consequences from eating the fruit: Their punishment was death (they were eternal beings), their innocence was gone (they know they are naked and hide), and the fruits of the earth (garden) were no longer available to them. After Adam and Eve ate the fruit sin enters the world

The story of Adam and Eve can also parallel itself with the betrayal of Edmond. Lewis uses Edmond to represent all humanity. His entrance into Narnia is quite different than that of Lucy. He came into the story in a sour mood, jealous of his siblings and his negative attitude. The White Witch then tempts him with what he already has (she uses authority over him). Just like the serpent in the bible that told Eve to eat from the tree, the White Witch gave Edmond Turkish delight. The snake promised wisdom and the White Witch promised to make Edmond a King. Eve already had all the fruits of the earth and Edmond was already King. Edmond is reluctant to apologize even when he has done unkind things. Edmond knows before he commits the acts of transgression that what he is going to do is evil, and that the White Witch is not good. The comparisons to the Bible and the Chronicles of Narnia are uncanny.

When Adam and Eve were not allowed to hang out with God anymore its because they ate from the tree, and this represents Fall.

Contrast meal with the beavers which gave them sustenance. Turkish delight, and once he ate the beavers already knew that he was a trader. As soon as Aslan was mentioned there was magic. Chivalry, what it means for Edmond to feel chivalrous. Edmond is on his way to the white witch and they figured out that they have to escape. As Edmond starts to follow his craving the Christian notion of ego starts. The self can be selfish. As he thinks about the White Witch he thinks about how he is going to be king, and how he is going to make Peter pay, and how he is going to be better than him. In chapter nine the when Edmond was in the White Witches house he pretends to believe, and as Edmond is about to do his betrayal Lewis gives us a human inside that Edmond knows what is right and wrong. In the article, "Two Ways with the Self" he explains the good side of the self, and the I and me side. Before they go and meet Aslan, the presence of Aslan goes into effect when winter starts to melt away because by Aslan being there, the witch is challenged. In the gospels the presence of Jesus is grand. Jesus doesn't have to die in order for the miracles to happen. Before he goes to the cross he is able to save truth and save people from sin. Story in the gospel of john Lazarus dies - Jesus hears about it before he dies, rather than goes and heals Lazarus he waits. When Lazarus is good and dead he visits the family. He says your brother will live again, "he says I am the resurrection of life." Lewis is capturing that as White Witch melts.

Also Mathew starts off with the birth narrative of Jesus. The whole point of this is for the woman to be impregnated by God himself. The baby is a version of God walking the earth (planet), and this is important to Lewis' planet because Edmond is the trader. The White Witch backs up Edmonds punishment with the law. When the law was broken everything had to fall apart according to the White Witch. When the White Witch tries to give reason to her authority over Edmond and re-states the law Aslan says, "No, I was there when it was written." This parallels with Jesus and the New Testament. One of the reasons why God had authority was because he made everything. Jesus does the same thing. His followers still die even though they believe in him (your physical body will die but not your being).

Woman is man helpers in the Chronicles of Narnia and in the Bible. There are certain creations that define the way Lewis writes. As the kids are hiding with the beavers they think they hear the White Witch when in reality they hear the bells of Father Christmas. In this instance children can recognize Father Christmas as Santa Claus. Here Lewis shows his thought on gender roles. The Chronicles of Narnia was written in and the gender views are a lot different than what is socially acceptable today, individualism. Individualism has changed the way woman are viewed in this era. When Father Christmas gives away the gifts to the sons of Adam and the daughters of eve, he does not want the women to fight. The weapons the woman are given are for them to defend themselves. The traditional ways of looking at the roles of women are well kept in C.S. Lewis' views when he wrote the Chronicles of Narnia.