Overflowing with Christian symbolism, The Chronicles of Narnia has enriched the lives of children of all ages for over half a century. C. S. Lewis revealed the origination of his "Masterpiece of Christian Allegory.” "The whole Narnian story is about Christ. That is to say, I asked myself ‘Supposing that there really was a world like Narnia and supposing it had (like our world) gone wrong and supposing Christ wanted to go into that world and save it (as He did ours), what might have happened?’ The stories are my answers. Since Narnia is a world of Talking Beasts, I thought He would become a Talking Beast there, as He became a man here. I pictured Him becoming a lion there because (a) the lion is supposed to be the king of beasts; (b) Christ …show more content…
He went on to receive three first-class degrees from Oxford (Baehr). C. S. Lewis was a well-educated atheist, who converted to Christianity at age 33 saying, "You must picture me alone in that room at Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England" (Surprised By Joy 266). After his conversion to Christianity Lewis devoted most of his life to writing about his faith, living up to his statement that "watered down Christianity is nothing at all.” Even though Lewis was mainly known for his work, The Chronicles of Narnia, he has many other Christian inspired books that have been read by over 100 million people (Baehr). Even though he was very successful during his life-time, he was said to have thought that he would be forgotten soon after his death, but that was not the case. In a survey, in 2008, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was voted the best children's book of all time
Aslan is the King of Narnia. Lewis tries to resist any recognition that Aslan is Jesus Christ. When readi...
The Chronicles of Narnia are enticing books, which offer a wonderful fictional plot line, but also a deeper philosophical importance if one analyzes the series. Many religious allusions can be found between characters in Narnia and biblical people. Deeper understanding can be found throughout the stories even in many overlooked aspects of everyday life. “The Chronicles of Narnia” is a piece of literature filled with religious symbols and allusions, such as the actions of Aslan and the personality of Peter, that enhance one’s perception and understanding of the books.
The novels of Harry Potter, written by J. K. Rowling are constantly in debate among Christians whether Harry Potter is preaching sorcery and paganism or that the books have a spiritual meaning deeper than most care to look at. It is easy to look through the books and find sources of witchcraft but one could say the same for sources of the gospel. Author, J.K. Rowland has stated that her own Christian faith has in fact informed her writing of the popular series. Many Christians say Harry Potter is incomparable to Christ, being far from perfection while Voldemort seems to strike a different chord of response as far as his character representing The Devil himself.
C.S. Lewis was a brilliant philosopher, theologian, and author. Many things influenced Lewis throughout his life, and inspired him to write over 30 books. Even 50 years after his death, he still continues to change people’s lives. He believed there were many dimensions to fantasy and imagination. He stated that, "Great stories take us outside the prison of our own selves and our presuppositions about reality. Insofar as stories reflect the divine maker in doing this, they help us face the ultimate Other--God himself, distinct as creator from all else, including ourselves." (Morrow). Lewis inspires people to believe in God, be creative, and never lose their imagination.
Lewis’s views on Christianity were very insightful through out the book and the way he broke up his thoughts were structured and organized. The information was fair, well thought out and it felt very fact based. C.S Lewis is an intelligent man and I feel that I learned quite a bit about social and moral laws and how they play into
Lewis did not intend for The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe to attempt to strike at moral standpoints. Lewis stated in an interview, “’I don’t like stories to have a moral: certainly not because I think children dislike a moral. Rather because I feel sure that the question: ‘What do modern children need?’ will not lead you to a good moral”’ (Sadler). However, his use of the innocence of children evokes the essence of purity and good. This purity conflicts with the cruelty and scorn displayed through the White Witches actions, resulting in her becoming an evil figure. The archetype of good vs. evil that writers use throughout literature has proven to be a successful means of striking intrigue in an audience. This combined with the magical setting employed by the mysterious Narnia allows Lewis’ work to be so interesting to readers through decades and generations.
Ryken, Leland. “Reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with C.S. Lewis.” In Pursuit
“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it” (Lewis, “Mere Christianity”). C.S. Lewis, a renowned broadcaster, essayist, lecturer, novelist, theologian, and Christian apologist, used his writing to create a significant effect on the Christian movement. During his lifetime, Lewis went through an amazing transformation from an avid Atheist to a strong Christian, and dedicated his career to sharing the truths of Christianity in his writing. Lewis utilized Christian apologetics to explain and defend his views of Christianity, and made the idea of Christianity more accessible to
On its surface, Martel’s Life of Pi proceeds as a far-fetched yet not completely unbelievable tale about a young Indian boy named Pi who survives after two hundred twenty-seven days on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. It is an uplifting and entertaining story, with a few themes about companionship and survival sprinkled throughout. The ending, however, reveals a second story – a more realistic and dark account replacing the animals from the beginning with crude human counterparts. Suddenly, Life of Pi becomes more than an inspiring tale and transforms into a point to be made about rationality, faith, and how storytelling correlates the two. The point of the book is not for the reader to decide which story he or she thinks is true, but rather what story he or she thinks is the better story. In real life, this applies in a very similar way to common belief systems and religion. Whether or not God is real or a religion is true is not exactly the point, but rather whether someone chooses to believe so because it adds meaning and fulfillment to his or her life. Life of Pi is relevant to life in its demonstration of storytelling as a means of experiencing life through “the better story.”
Nowadays, children books are full field with morals and lesson to teach children how to behave and react in real life situations. A classic subject that teaches children is the rivalry between good and bad, where good defeats bad after a battle. An example of a children novel that explores in different ways the good versus the bad is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, written by C.S Lewis. The author of this novel uses literary elements to demonstrate the idea of good and evil, an example of which would be characterisation. Aslan and the White Witch embody the characteristics of the good and the evil, two of which are their physical and psychological descriptions and their actions in the novel.
Few authors have been able to demonstrate the incredible scope of different genres that Clive Staples Lewis, better known as C.S. Lewis, wrote in his career. Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind upon hearing his name is the mythical land of Narnia. Narnia is the fictional world that the widely popular series “The Chronicles of Narnia” takes place in. This series, enjoyed by adults and children alike, hosts talking animals, a God-like lion, an ice queen bearing many similarities to the Devil, and many other things. This series, like most of Lewis’ other works, is essentially a metaphor for the story of the Gospel as well as lessons for living a Christian life. In much of his writing, Lewis made an excellent and relatable argument for Christianity by his ability to write captivating stories relating to many aspects of Christian life.
...c child who is an innocent and has no place in the world of the wicked. His troubled self’s resolution comes at the end after Edmund has spoken to Aslan, the true ruler and god of Narnia. Both Edmunds own initiative and, less directly, religion lead Edmund back to before he was spoiled by the school he went to and the enchantment of the witch’s candy. Lewis therefore is following the Romantic tradition of innocence as a part of childhood since it was not Edmund’s fault he performed the incorrect behavior and was drawn to the side of evil.
C.S. Lewis was the 20th century’s most popular proponent of faith based on reason. As a child, he created an imaginary world where personified animals came to life, and later, he wrote the book, Chronicles of Narnia. How did he transform from a boy fascinated with anthropomorphic animals into a man of immense faith? His transformation to the Christian religion happened as his fame began to flourish. People wrote him, asking him about his claims about the truth of Christianity (Belmonte, Kevin). As I attended the drama of Freud’s Last Session, I was engrossed into the plot of the play and was constantly thinking about how it pertained to the objectives of the World Literature class. I not only connected the content of the play to its context, but I also reached out to apply the context to a discussion on a broader scale. I then discovered why the context of literature is imperative for true understanding of the w...
C.S. Lewis created a story of a fictional world called Narnia that was inside of a wardrobe. There were four siblings who found this world, once inside they saw numerous creatures like witches and centaurs that were symbols for something bigger. C. S. Lewis uses Christian symbolism in The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe through the characters of Aslan, Edmund, and the White Witch.
Lewis, was a book which changed children’s fantasy metaphorically and literally. In the book, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie stumble upon Narnia, a frozen land under control of the White Witch, through a wardrobe inside the house. Levy and Mendelsohn describe how the fantastic is contained in the sense that “the true fantastic is found at the heart of the home” (41). This book follows that same idea that there is a separation between the real world and the alternative world Narnia. When Lucy finds Narnia and rushes back to tell the others about it, they do not believe her at first because it sounds made up. It is not until the others stumble upon the alternative world themselves that they are blown away by the fantastic elements and characters. In Narnia, there are many fantastic characters including the faun Mr. Tumnus, the White Witch, talking beavers, dwarves, centaurs, minotaurs, and Aslan the talking lion who represents a godly figure. These four siblings have to learn who to trust and who they cannot trust. Levy and Mendelsohn point out that “Lewis changed the mood and direction in ways that have endured, although other forms were to emerge in the 1970’s … understanding that much children’s fantasy would be otherworldly, either physically or spiritually” (106). In James E. Higgins, A Letter from C. S. Lewis, Lewis describes how "[t]he Narnian books are not as much allegory as