the Chronicles of Narnia, a seven-volume saga for children by CS Lewis, reveals a world that exists parallel to our own, populated by men and women, dwarfs and talking animals, giants and mermaids, centaurs and fauns, and ruled by a kind but staggeringly fierce lion. giant named Aslan. Lewis, who died on the same day as JFK, on ​​November 22, 1963, combined the three passions of his life: classical mythology, medieval tradition, and Christian-based philosophy, to create in Narnia a microcosm of our moral struggles. . faces of the world

characters and plot
Along with Aslan himself, the heroes of the Narnia books are the four Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. Pulled from their London home to avoid Nazi bombing, they are housed with an elderly undergraduate professor in his rambling country mansion.

While playing hide and seek, Lucy, the youngest of 8 years, hides in an old closet full of coat hangers. Moving further back to escape detection, she weaves her way through the coats, expecting to bump into the back of the closet at any moment. Lucy, on the other hand, feels the branches of the evergreen trees, hears the crunch of the snow at her feet and sees in the distance the glow of a street lamp like the ones she had seen many times in London.

This marks the beginning of the four brothers’ many adventures in Narnia. Each of the books, though loosely connected to the others, can also stand alone. We eventually learn where the lamppost came from and how the wardrobe became a portal. We also learn more about Aslan, what it takes to be his friend, and who his enemies are.

the deeper meaning
For those who know how to stay tuned, Lewis has filled Narnia not only with interesting characters, majestic scenery, and exciting action, but also with Christian allegories. Aslan himself represents Jesus Christ, “the lion of the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 7:14). The Pevensie children finally feel so comfortable in Narnia that they see it as their homeland and this world as the place where they are visitors. Lewis, in his books on Christian apologetics, describes the spiritual world as a parallel existence to the physical world, having the quality of being, not gloomy and insubstantial compared to the physical, but more real, more colorful, and much, much more alive. .

As Paul explains,

…many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. His destiny is destruction, his god is his stomach, and his glory is in his shame. His mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await from there a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ… –Philippians 3:18-20 (see also Hebrews 11:13-16).

the disney movie
The first book of the seven, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, is now the subject of a major motion picture produced by Walt Disney Pictures & Walden Media and directed by Andrew Adamson. At the climax of the story is a beautiful sacrifice, Lewis’s images of Christ’s death.

If you go to the movie, watch the breaking of the Table of Stone, symbolizing how Christ’s death and resurrection brought about the end of the Law of Moses by fulfilling its demands for blood atonement. Also look out for the role Susan and Lucy play in witnessing Aslan’s death and revival, which corresponds to the historical role women played as mourners at the death and burial of Jesus and as the first witnesses to his resurrection.

The Professor helps Peter and Susan decide how to receive Lucy’s testimony about Narnia: if she is not a liar and she is not crazy, then logically she must be telling the truth. This corresponds to the testimony that Jesus gave about his own identity, and the testimony that his followers gave about him, which Lewis describes elsewhere as the trilemma about Jesus: Is He Lord, Liar, or Lunatic? ?

Another significant parallel is this: Aslan’s loyal followers play an important role in the battle against the White Witch. Like our own spiritual warfare, Christ assures final victory, but calls his followers to personally participate in the fight. For passages relevant to that conflict, see Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 1 Timothy 1:18-20; 1 Timothy 6:12; and 2 Timothy 4:7).

Plans are for six more films to follow this first one, in which the rest of the Narnia story unfolds. If they’re as true to the books and well conceived and produced as this one was, all of us die-hard Lewis fans greeted them as a Narnia introduction to a jaded world. We hope viewers will grasp and appreciate the allegorical features as much as the surface story. The goal is not only to know about Aslan and Narnia, but to become his friend and subject and live in his kingdom forever.

Do you want to go deeper?
You can search for documents that go into more detail about the Narnia allegory, including these three: “The Lion, the Witch, and the Allegory,” “The Wardrobe as Christian Metaphor,” and “The Myth Made True: The Origins of Narnia.” chronicles of Narnia.”

If you wish to purchase and read your own copy of the Chronicles of Narnia, are available in a variety of editions, from the one-volume paperback edition to the seven-volume hardcover or paperback box set. Also available is the Illustrated Movies Official Companion by The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobewith photos from the film and interviews with the director and cast members, as well as EJ Kirk Beyond the Closet: The Official Guide to Narnia. (My blog provides links to all of these, allowing you to access substantial discounts, from 24% to 33% off retail prices.)