A Very Brief Overview
With the recent release of the movie The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe, the public fascination with all things "Narnian" has once
again been raised. But what are we to make of this wonderful story? What deeper
truths might it contain?
In order to answer these questions, we must begin with a very
brief overview of the story. Four children--Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy--are evacuated
from London to the house of an old professor during World War II. Once there,
they soon discover a magic wardrobe that leads to another world! First Lucy,
then Lucy and Edmund, and then all four of the children find their way into the
enchanted land of Narnia. The country is ruled by the White Witch, who has
placed it under a spell so that it's always winter but never Christmas.
Once in Narnia the children learn of Aslan, the great lion
and true king of the country. After a long absence, he's now returned. He will
deal with the Witch, they're told, and put everything right again. They also learn
of an ancient prophecy, that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit
enthroned at the castle of Cair Paravel, then the Witch's reign (as well as her
life) will be over. It's believed that the time for this must be near, since
Aslan and the four children are now in Narnia.
But Edmund threatens to ruin everything. Unbeknownst to the
others, on a previous visit to Narnia he'd met the Witch, eaten her food, and
come under her power. Although he really knows that the Witch is bad, he
nonetheless betrays his siblings, hoping the Witch will one day make him king. Knowing
about the prophecy, however, she eventually decides to kill Edmund. But before
she can do so, he's rescued by forces loyal to Aslan!
Not to be outdone, the Witch then appears before Aslan,
demanding the traitor's life. Aslan acknowledges the validity of the Witch's
claim on a now repentant Edmund, but gets her to renounce it by offering to die
in his place. The Witch agrees, and that night she slays Aslan on the Stone
Table. She believes her rule in Narnia is now assured. But with the rising of
the sun, Aslan rises from the dead! He leads his army to victory against the
Witch and her forces. After personally dispatching the Witch, he installs the
four children as kings and queens of Narnia, thus fulfilling the ancient
prophecy.
This, in a nutshell, is the story. But did the author, C. S.
Lewis, intend some deeper meaning? And if so, what is it?
The Search for a Deeper Meaning
It seems that Lewis had at least three objectives in writing
his famous Chronicles. First, he simply wanted to tell a good story. And
almost everyone who's read the Chronicles will agree that he succeeded
admirably here, for they're among the best-loved books of all time. Second, Lewis
also aimed at using his stories to communicate moral truth, both by precept and
example. In this regard, Paul Ford observes that Lewis is something of a
Christian Aesop. Like Aesop, he's more than just a storyteller; he's
"also a moral educator."{1} As Gilbert Meilaender notes:
Lewis . . . believes that moral
principles are learned indirectly from others around us, who serve as
exemplars. . . . . the Chronicles of Narnia . . . are not just good stories . .
. they serve to enhance moral education, to build character. . . . To overlook the
function of the Chronicles of Narnia in communicating images of proper
emotional responses is to miss their connection to Lewis's moral thought.{2}
Finally, Lewis also purposed to communicate important truths
of the Christian faith by translating them into the imaginary landscape of
Narnia. But here we must be careful. Lewis insisted that the Chronicles
should not be read as Christian allegories. Paul Ford observes that in an
allegory there are "one-to-one correspondences between philosophical or
religious concepts and the characters or events or objects in a story."{3} The Chronicles,
said Lewis, are not allegories. They're rather what he called "supposals." He
explained the difference in a letter, with special reference to the great lion
Aslan:
[Aslan] is an invention giving an
imaginary answer to the question, 'What might Christ become like, if there
really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise
again in that world as He actually has done in ours?' This is not an
allegory at all. . . . The incarnation of Christ in another world is mere
supposal.{4}
So while the Chronicles should not be read as
allegories, it's still quite true that they're informed throughout by Lewis's
Christian faith and imagination. They are Christian "supposals"--and Aslan is supposed
to be what Christ might look like if He became incarnate in a land like
Narnia.
Having discussed Lewis's purposes in writing the Chronicles,
and having seen that they do indeed contain a deeper meaning, we're now ready to
look more closely at the most famous of these: The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe.
Temptation and Sin
Two of the major themes developed by Lewis are temptation
and sin. By carefully weaving these into his story, Lewis is able to address
issues of importance both for basic morality and for the Christian faith.
When Edmund first stumbles into Narnia through the wardrobe,
he finds himself alone in a snow-covered wood. Cold, and not much liking the
look of the place, he almost decides to go home when he hears the sound of
bells in the distance. Shortly thereafter a sleigh comes into view, and in it
sits the White Witch.
The Witch stops the sleigh and questions Edmund. She knows
of the ancient prophecy that, when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve
sit enthroned at Cair Paravel, then her reign (and life) will be over. When she
learns that Edmund is human, she raises her wand as if she intends to turn him
into stone. But she changes her mind and with feigned friendliness invites
Edmund to sit in her sleigh. She asks if he would like something to eat and Edmund
requests Turkish Delight (which she magically produces).
As he devours the sweets, the Witch continues to question
him. She learns that he has a brother and two sisters. Together, the siblings
could fulfill the prophecy that would spell her doom! But the Turkish Delight is
enchanted; whoever tastes it will want more and more. Knowing this, the Witch tempts
Edmund. She says that if he will bring his siblings to her house, then she will
give him more Turkish Delight--something Edmund desperately wants. She also says
that she would like to make Edmund a prince. And later, when she's gone, he
will even be king! So the Witch tempts him by appealing to his desire for power
and pleasure.
And it works! Before Edmund returns home, "he [is] already
more than half on the side of the Witch."{5} Later, when all four siblings get
into Narnia together, Edmund slips away from the others and goes to betray them
to the Witch. His desire for Turkish Delight and to be king leads him to yield
to temptation--and sin. It reminds one of what James says in the New Testament:
"But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and
enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when
it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (1:14-15).
Though we might not like to admit it, there's something of
Edmund in all of us. Like Edmund, we've all sinned (Rom. 3:23). And unless
Someone intervenes who can change both us and our circumstances, then like
Edmund we're also doomed to die (Rom. 6:23; Rev. 20:14-15).
Sacrifice and Redemption
Lewis claimed that the idea for his story, The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe, "all began with a picture of a Faun carrying an
umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood." "At first," he wrote, "I had very little
idea how the story would go. But then suddenly Aslan came bounding into it. . .
. [and] He pulled the whole story together."{6}
It's a good thing He did. For without Aslan the traitorous Edmund would have
met a very different fate than that which actually befell him.
You see, Aslan's Father, the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea,
put some Deep Magic into Narnia at its beginning. The Witch, who accuses Edmund
before Aslan, is quite knowledgeable about this Deep Magic. "Every traitor,"
she insists, "belongs to me as my lawful prey. . . . Unless I have blood as the
Law says all Narnia will . . . perish in fire and water."{7} Aslan agrees that
her claim is valid.
Although it looks like Edmund is as good as dead, Aslan, in
a private conversation with the Witch, gets her to renounce her claim on
Edmund's blood. It's only later that we learn why. The great lion made the
Witch an offer she couldn't refuse. He offered to die in Edmund's place. True
to His word, He arrives that night at the Stone Table and there He is slain by
the Witch.
But that's not the end of the story. Early the next morning,
as the sun peers over the horizon, the Stone Table cracks in two and Aslan is
raised from the dead. He's conquered death through an even Deeper Magic, unknown
to the Witch. As Aslan explains, "Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of
Time. But if she could have looked . . . into . . . the darkness before Time
dawned . . . 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."{8}
It's a beautiful picture of substitutionary atonement. Aslan
willingly lays down His life for the traitorous Edmund, thereby redeeming him
from the just demands of the Law. It reminds one of what Christ did for us.
Paul told the Galatians, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by
becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on
a tree'" (Gal. 3:13). Just as Aslan gave up His life for Edmund, so Christ gave
up His life for each of us, dying as a substitute in our place so that we might
forever share in the life of God!
Reflections on the Movie
As many fans of Lewis's classic story The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe have already observed, the movie is really quite good and
well worth seeing. It is a generally faithful rendition of Lewis's beautiful
and imaginative original. Indeed the film is really at its best when it adheres
most closely to the book. It was reported that at one time another group of
filmmakers was planning to produce a very different version of the story. Supposedly
their plan was to set Lewis's wonderful children's classic "in present-day Brentwood. Instead of a White Witch wooing young Edmund with Turkish Delight, a cool
Californian would win him with cheeseburgers."{9} If this is really true, we can
all rejoice that such an absurd retelling of Lewis's famous story never saw the
light of day. All those involved with bringing The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe to the big screen are to be commended for adhering so closely to
Lewis's original vision.
But of course no movie is perfect, and The Lion is no
exception. Possibly two of the biggest disappointments for fans of the book are
the diminished role given to some of Lewis's most important dialogue and the
diminished importance of the great lion himself. For example, compared to his
counterpart in the book, wise old professor Kirke has precious little to say in
the movie.
Even more troubling, the extended conversation which the
four children have with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver about Aslan lacks many of the
Beavers' most important declarations. Unlike the book, the movie never refers
to Aslan as "the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea." And Mr. Beaver is also
denied his famous response to Lucy's question about whether Aslan is actually
safe. "Safe?" he asks, "Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe.
But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."{10} Not only was such important
dialogue cut, but as Jeffrey Overstreet noted, Aslan's appearances are "painfully
brief." He doesn't "have the time onscreen to earn our affection and awe the
way we might have hoped."{11}
In spite of such shortcomings, however, the movie still
possesses much of the book's magic. What's more, it retains the crucially
important themes of temptation and sin, sacrifice and redemption. Aslan still
dies as a substitute for the traitorous Edmund, thereby redeeming him from the
just demands of the Law. Finally, as Overstreet observed, "Those who respond to
the movie's roar by running to Lewis's book will find Deeper Magic in its
pages. Meeting them there, Lewis himself will lead them 'further up, further in'."{12} If the movie leads a new generation of readers to tackle this classic story,
then it will indeed have served as a fitting tribute to its author.
Notes
- Paul F. Ford, "Introduction," in Companion to Narnia (San Francisco: Harper, 1994), xxviii.
- Gilbert Meilaender, The Taste for the Other (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), 212-13, cited in Ford, Companion to Narnia, xxxi.
- Ford, Companion to Narnia, xxv.
- C. S. Lewis, Letters of C.S. Lewis, ed. W.H. Lewis (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1966), 283, cited in Ford, Companion to Narnia, xxv-xxvi.
- C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (New York: Collier Books: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1970), 39.
- C. S. Lewis, Of Other Worlds, ed. Walter Hooper (New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1966), 42.
- Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 139.
- Ibid., 159-60.
- Andrew Coffin, "The Chronicles of Making Narnia," World, December 10, 2005, 21.
- Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 75-76.
- Jeffrey Overstreet, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe," www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/lionwitchwardrobe.html, posted December 8, 2005.
- Ibid.
© 2006 Probe Ministries
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About the Author Dr. Michael Gleghorn is a research associate with Probe Ministries. He also serves as an instructor at Grand Canyon University where he teaches Christian Worldview. He earned a B.A. in psychology from Baylor University, a Th.M. in systematic theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Theological Studies (also from Dallas Theological Seminary). Michael and his wife Hannah have two children. They are active in a local church in Surprise, AZ. |
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About Probe Ministries Probe Ministries is a non-profit ministry whose mission is to present the Gospel to communities, nationally and internationally, by providing life-long opportunities to integrate faith and learning through balanced, biblically based scholarship, training people to love God by renewing their minds and equipping the Church to engage the world for Christ. Further information about Probe's materials and ministry may be obtained by contacting:
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