Ashley Thompson Blog 12

C.S. Lewis - Religious Parallels to Narnia
Although CS Lewis claimed to have not be intentionally drawing parallels between the Chronicles of Narnia and the Chritstian faith, but as both a fan and a Christian I find it to be a very interesting topic. I constantly look at the parallels drawn between the two and read about them -- and was very interested when it was the topic of discussion in class. For example, the Lion is some what the leader of Narnia -- in the Bible Christ is referred to as "The Lion of Judah". He goes on to list the parallels himself between the series and Christianty -- the list breaks down to look like this:

The Magician's Nephew tells the Creation and how evil entered Narnia.
The Lion etc the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
Prince Caspian restoration of the true religion after corruption.
The Horse and His Boy the calling and conversion of a heathen.
The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader" the spiritual life (especially in Reepicheep).
The Silver Chair the continuing war with the powers of darkness
The Last Battle the coming of the Antichrist (the Ape). the end of the world and the Last Judgement.

There are plenty of other examples in the stories. For example, Aslan, the lion, in one of the most moving scenes in the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe gives his life for the sinner, Edmund Pevensie. Here, Aslan portrays Jesus, the savior who gives his life for the sinners of the world. And thankfully, like Christ, he is resurrected. Also, the White Witch can be looked at in relation to the devil as she respresents evil. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, when the world of Narnia is in the evil hands of the White Witch --she has Narnia (Earth) in a deep freeze. C. S. Lewis takes poetic license. He portrays the world as freezing cold instead of burning hot.