Favourite Narnia Metaphor

[Galant]

Great to see so many CS Lewis fans!

I also have benefitted greatly from his writings and enjoy them all. I'm currently ploughing my way through 'Pilgrim's Regress'. This Christmas I know what I'm asking for!!

Perhaps the thing I love the most about Lewis is the subtlety and accuracy of his metaphors. I think it is in Narnia that he does this the most beautifully and so this thread is for sharing the gems of wisdom, truth and grace that you've found within the Chronicles or Narnia. Far more than just a fantasy story, if you've not read the Chronicles since childhood, read them again, you've probably missed so much.

Include the original text, your interpretation, and then anything else you think needs adding.

Post away and let's see if we can surprise one another with amazing gems Lewis has hidden in these marvellous works.

God bless.

[Galant]

Well, this seems to have interested no-one - perhaps I need to inject something in here myself - okay, well I don't have a cpoy of the books with me so I'll see about adding a couple tomorrow - if you want a preview you'll need Prince Caspian, and Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Look for a dragon trying to shed its skin and a Lion speaking of entry to his world. Details to come.

[SManBeyond]

Wow, I can't believe I missed this thread topic. I am a BIG Narnia fan, although I like LOTR more. *dodges tomatoes*

But yes, there are lots of metaphors or hidden truths in the series. My favorite is The Silver Chair, so I have to pull one from there...except that since it kind of counts as a spoiler, I'm going to have to spoilerize it.

[SPOILER]I like how Rillian is restrained in the Witch's chair for a short period of time in which he's sane, but the rest of the time he is in an enchanted, Narnia-hating state. When he's sane, though, he can't get out by his own strength because he's trapped by the Witch. That to me is very symbolic of how a lot of non-Christians are. They can appear to think Christianity is stupid, but even they can be receptive to the truth at certain times. Nevertheless, Satan does have a hold on them, and they can only be freed from his bondage by God.[/SPOILER]

[mitsuki lover]

I think one of the more obvious metaphors is toward the end of The Voyage Of
The Dawn Treader where the children meet Aslan disguised as a Lamb and he's
frying fish.It's easy to see that Lewis had John 21 when he wrote that particuliar
chapter.

[EireWolf]

I don't have the exact reference handy, but I love the part that says, "Aslan is not a tame lion."

My interpretation: We humans like to put God in a little box. There are some people who believe God is out to get them with a thunderbolt from heaven, but then there's the other extreme -- those who think that God is nothing but love and cuddles, and nothing ever upsets Him. Well, God is neither. He is so much more than any of us can imagine, and He does not fit in any box of our construct.

[SManBeyond]

I don't have the exact reference handy, but I love the part that says, "Aslan is not a tame lion."

It's a quote from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, specifically when the Beavers are eating dinner with the children and discussing who Aslan is.

It is a very good quote. It's also similar to this quote that I also like that deals with the same subject, when Lucy asks if Aslan is safe:

"Safe?...'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

[ClosetOtaku]

I'm very much a reader of Lewis. As for the Narnia books (which I do not have with me here overseas), I thought the whole stone table metaphor for the Law was creative, and who could forget Aslan's response to Susan's question: "Yes!... It is more magic."

Many of his other books contain metaphors or allegories as well. A couple of my favorites:

In Screwtape Letters, Lewis envisions Hell as a bureaucratic hierarchy. His reasoning is solid: today such settings are the true incubators for Evil. "The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid 'dens of crime' that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice." (from the Preface of The Screwtape Letters)

In The Great Divorce, almost all of which is allegory, I particularly enjoyed the story of the young man with the dragon on his shoulder; the Teacher's explanation to the amazed narrator about the truth of the Bus Ride; and the whole concept of "This moment contains all moments".

And, finally, though a metaphor, I found very powerful his description in The Four Loves about the difference between "nearness by likeness" and "nearness by approach" of how we sometimes confuse different types of love for the Real Love that is the nature of God.

Thanks for bringing this thread up. Always nice to go back through Lewis' writings.

[Galant]

Voyage Of The Dawn Treader:

Having arrived at the very end of the world and standing with a view into Aslan's world Lucy puts a question to the Lion:

"Oh, Aslan," said Lucy. "Will you tell us how to get into your country from our world?"

"I shall be telling you all the time," said Aslan. "But I will not tell you how long or short the way will be; only that it lies across a river. But do not fear that, for I am the great Bridge Builder..."

- An amazing passage, because is that not the cry of us all? How do we get into God's country? What is the way? What is the key, the secret? Aslan's answer was, "I shall be telling you all the time." Life as a Christian isn't about buying a ticket, it's nothing so impersonal, it's about following Jesus as He leads us along a path. For all of us the path is identical yet for every one of us it is different. There is no formula of behaviour, actions, speech or anything that can be replicated only the confession of faith and a humbled submission to your new Lord which is lived out in obedience. No-one can tell you the way to God and salvation, except that we should listen to God and do what he says.

It also speaks to me of how many of us separate the 'spiritual' parts and acts of life from the earthly, mundane things. Yet Aslan's words still ring true. In every avenue and activity of life God speaks to you, in everything He can direct you. Have you ever come across someone is just immersed in and fascinated with a subject? Their enthusiasm for and knowledge of something becomes infectious and what before seemed a bit dull or two-dimensional suddenly has become and whole new world of interest. Such it is with God. He knows every detail about all of creation and life. He is enthralled with His creation, loves it beyond description and sees so much value in every little thing. As you come close to God, if you ask Him He'll start to share His passion and compassion, His knowledge and His perspective. From physics to philosophy, art to archaeology, and biology to behaviour God can and longs to inspire and rejuvenate. To give life it's full meaning and see it lived out to the maximum. To quote Dead Poets Society, "To suck the marrow out of life". On this journey with God nothing is beyond His scope for inspiration, teaching and growth, and everything holds an opportunity to know Him more and to walk further down the path towards Him. All of life comes alive and becomes spiritual when lived with God.

As he continues on he speaks of not giving all the details of the journey, but that it will cross a river. How true that statement is and how it highlights our need to stay close to Him and listen carefully to and for His words. God does not give a complete road map with all the details of your life, instead He gives waypoints, steps, by which we follow Him in faith. And though Jesus' sacrifice was the prime example of God's building bridges to overcome difficulties in our coming to Him, yet He does not then leave us to walk alone but as He guides us along His sometimes confusing path He brings us to problems and trials but then provides what is needed to overcome those problems, and where there seems to be no possible way past or through, He brings in exactly what is needed to forge a new way.

Oh what it is to live the adventure of life with God! It requires humility, obedience and trust, yet it offers an infallible course through life, with the great Bridge Builder preparing even in advance the solutions to the greatest challenges this world can muster.

[bigsleepj]

A bit off subject, but here's a place for Narnia / CS Lewis fans. :-) "Into the Wardrobe" is possibly the oldest CS Lewis website on the web. The on-line forums are fun to visit (I frequent it a lot). If you want indepth discussions on Narnia, CS Lewis and the likes, then come here. Currently we're busy with a discussion on "Perelandra", a study taking it chapter by chapter. (Earlier the year we did "Out of the Silent Planet"). Just look into the forums if you want to. The Perelandra study is very interesting.

http://cslewis.drzeus.net/

Forums:
http://cslewis.drzeus.net/forums

[Gypsy]

I can't remember the exact quote, but in The Silver Chair, Puddleglum is talking to the Green Witch after she had just charmed everyone into thinking that Narnia and the upper world was only a dream and her world was the only one that truly existed. He says something to the effect of "So what if we have only dreamed and made up these things like sun, sky, stars, and moon, and Aslan himself. In that case, it seems to me that the made-up things are a good deal better than the real ones."

When I think of that part, I'm reminded of the verse "Though none go with me, I will follow." For a few short moments, Puddleglum thought that he was the only creature that believed in Narnia and Aslan, but he refused to back down even though he was completely alone. I've often wondered how strong my Christian resolve is. If every Christian in the world stopped believing tomorrow, science proved Christianity to be a worldwide mental dependency condition, all the churches closed, and I was the only Christian left on earth, would I still believe and follow Christ? I hope that I would react like that silly marshwiggle.