Reading Lewis' Book through the Christian Lens

I already watched the movie adaptation of C.S. Lewis fantasy series about Narnia. I liked how the movie “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” because of the fight scenes. I can still imagine myself ordering a battalion of centaurs to unleash deadly arrows to the hordes of the White Witch. However, I have some thoughts after watching the movie adaptation of C.S. Lewis' book. Purists said that the movie adaptation diverged from the book and focused more on the action. Others said that the book is quite simple and many things were added.

What attracted me to read the book are the Christian elements injected by C.S. Lewis to the Chronicles of Narnia, which includes “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”

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(Source: Wikipedia)

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the second book to the fantasy series written by C.S. Lewis. The first book of the series is “The Magician's Nephew.” However, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” was published first before the “The Magician's Nephew.”

The book is about the four Pevensies (Lucy, Susan, Peter and Edmund), who discovered the magical world of Narnia after entering a wardrobe inside the mansion of an old professor, who kept them during the duration of the World War.

In the story, it is Lucy who first discovered Narnia. She met the Tumnus, a satyr, in her first visit to Narnia.

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Lucy and Tumnus having tea.

The next visitor to Narnia is Edmund who coincidentally met the White Witch. The White Witch ruled the whole Narnia, which she placed under the curse of winter and prevent Christmas from occurring. The witch fears the coming of the “Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve” to Narnia because it spells the end of her rule. The witch placed Edmund under her curse by feeding him Turkish Delight, which makes anyone who partakes of it to eat more and more even if it cause his/her death.

Edmund returned to the real world but denied the existence of Narnia to Peter and Susan and made Lucy look like a liar to the older siblings. Eventually, the four Pevensies reached Narnia where they met the Beavers. Edmund betrayed them to the White Witch by giving them information that all four of them are already in Narnia. Peter, Susan and Lucy met Aslan, the Lion and the true ruler of Narnia. Aslan sacrificed himself to redeem and Edmund by letting himself be executed by the White Witch. A great war ensued between the White Witch and her troops with those who are loyal to Aslan. In the end, Aslan returned and finally defeated the White Witch. The Pevensies were installed as Kings and Queens of Narnia and they ruled wisely and made the Narnians happy.

That is a brief summary of the book. The book is quite simple to read and it really fits the mental capacity of young children. There is little detail in the way the story was written and some people commented that this is good because it let the imaginations of the children roam while reading the book.

What gave a strong impact to me is this book's obvious Christian elements. People who understands the teachings of Christianity understands that “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” is full of Christian imagery and themes. The obvious Christian theme is the war between good and evil, wherein in the good triumphed in the end through the deliverance of Aslan, who is used to symbolized Jesus Christ.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe can be read as the summary of the “Salvation History” of Christianity. The entrance of “sons of Adam and daughters of Eve” to Narnia signifies the creation of man and the their entry the world. The Devil hates human beings because he hates the fact that God created them in His image, while was not given that privilege.

The Turkish Delights resembled the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Anyone who tasted the Turkish Delight will want more and more and more. Turkish Delight in the story symbolizes sin and many people keep on doing sin even if they know that it is wrong to do so.

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The resurrected Aslan and the broken table.
(Screenshot from the movie)

Aslan, sacrificing himself for the sake of the traitor Edmund is similar to Jesus Christ's sacrifice for the sake of all human beings who sinned. When Aslan submitted himself to the White Witch, he was maligned, insulted, and abused and in the end executed. In the end, however, Aslan was resurrected and the stone table (where he was executed and the representation of Death) broke in half. In Christianity, Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself for our sake and through His death and resurrection, Death lose its grip on us all.

The Pevensies fought a bitter war against the forces of the White Witch. Many of them had fallen but the people who are loyal to God never surrendered. This war is similar to the war that we are waging today against the forces of evil. Many of our brothers and sisters had fallen but we still continue this fight because we expect our God to return and finally end the war decisively, like the way Aslan defeated the White Witch in the story.

Reading the Chronicles of Narnia and ignoring the obvious elements is like reading the book with your eyes blindfolded. I like the way C.S. Lewis written the book because he was not afraid to show the beauty of Christianity.

I recommend that you read “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” because aside from being a literary masterpiece, the book is a great Christian book.

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Movie Review: Prince Caspian

(Source: Fanpop)

“Uber-good!” that is how I describe the second installment of Disney’s The Chronicle of Narnia series. From the story, the set, the actors and actresses, the fight scenes, the creatures, the cinematography ----- they are so stunning. The Chronicle of Narnia: Prince Caspian now ranks as one of my favorite movies of all time.

The kings and queens of old: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy returned to Narnia just to find their kingdom in ruins. The Narnians are literally hiding under the rocks. In place of the Narnians, the Telmarines ruled the land. For three centuries, the Narnians were leaderless and the effect of this is very devastating. The trees that once danced now turned deep unto themselves and just became ordinary trees. The talking animals, now forgotten how to speak, just turned into normal animals. Other magical creatures like the minotaurs, centaurs, and fauns were dispersed and their conquerors, the Telmarines, thought they were extinct. The castle of the two queens and two kings lay in ruins.

Prince Caspian, after escaping death from the hands of his uncle, discovered that the Narnians still exist and became the hope for all the Narnians. His key to their trust was the horn owned by Susan, which he blew while he was being pursued by his uncles' soldiers. This same horn brought the four children back to Narnia.

The four children were not they used to be in the end of the first movie. They had forgotten the lessons that Aslan taught them. Apparently, Lucy was the only one who retained her trust to Aslan, thereby making her see him. The final battle scene happened near Aslan’s How, wherein the remaining Narnians made their last stand against the war machine of the Telmarines.

Stunning Scenes

As a fan of large battle scenes, my favorite scene in this movie is the battle near Aslan’s How. It is like the battle scene in “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” times ten. The caving in of the How’s underground complex is excellent. The fighting, the swordfight, the strategy used by the opposing forces, the war machines of the Telmarines, and the rescue of Aslan of the beleaguered Narnians by the aid of the trees were totally stunning. I couldn’t help but remember the siege of Jerusalem by Saladin in the movie “Kingdom of Heaven.” This battle scene ranks as one of my favorite.

The attack on the Telmarine castle is also worth watching. The sequence has comedy (thanks for the three mice lead by Reepicheep), action, and drama. I was really moved, especially when the Narnians were forced to leave their friends inside the castle. Seeing your soldiers and friends being murdered helplessly will surely break your heart.

The scene of temptation by the Ice Queen is also excellent. The tension is there and the threat of the return of the evil queen is real. Caspian and Peter fell to the temptations of the Ice Queen but Edmund save them all by breaking the ice of the Ice Queen.

Favorite Characters

The mouse, err the great knight of Narnia, Reepicheep is my most favorite character in the movie. He is a good swordsman, courageous, and had lot of respect to himself. Reepicheep served as the comic relief in the movie. It would be fun to team him up with Puss in Boots of the movie Shrek.

My second favorite are the minotaurs. I do not know why, but I like their hard knack for battle. Very dependable creatures. Their shining moment is during the lone minotaur’s heroic stand in keeping the gate from closing while Narnian forces were retreating from the Telmarine castle.

Of the four children, Lucy stood out. I like her innocence and her love to Aslan. She represents what I wanted to be with respect to my Christian faith, innocence, and undying faith.

Aslan is another of my favorite. He is a lion and a very kind one. And I really love to have a lion.

Underlying Message

C.S. Lewis is the author of the book series “The Chronicle of Narnia.” Lewis is a member of a circle of great authors that includes J.R.R. Tolkien. The series was the product of the their project to come up with a great work that could be a start of English myth. In this project, Lewis created Narnia and Tolkien created Middle Earth.

Both works have underlying Christian message. The elements of Christianity is much more obvious in Lewis’ work than that of Tolkien’s. The war between good and evil is the central theme in “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Christian elements like courage, humility, and faith are all present. Some analysts say that Aslan represents Jesus Christ and leads the good creatures of Narnia. The sacrifice and resurrection of Aslan in the first book is an imitation of Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection.

The movie adaptation of “The Chronicles of Narnia” is worth watching. An example of a good a movie that never aims to waste the time of the audience. The hardworks of the Narnia team is well spent. They really created one hell of a movie that may make Lewis smile.

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Read my review of CS Lewis' book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.