Religious Symbolism In The Chronicles of Narnia

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the first book written by C.S. Lewis. He fully acknowledges the fact that his books are an allegory to the story of Jesus Christ. He even suggests a strategy for better understanding of his books. He says that to gain the best understanding, you must read the story for the sake of the story. After that it will be easier to understand religious and other symbols that are in the books. Even though this is an older book, I think it is a perfect example of religion in our modern day lives.

Their are many characters in the entire series, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Arguably the most important one is Aslan. He is the Lion and he represents Jesus and God. Aslan was the one who created Narnia and the entire world that they live in. His counterpart is Queen Jadis also known as the White Witch. (We now have the Lion and the Witch from the title). She represents the Devil who rules over Narnia. Finally, we have the four children who are portrayed as the main characters in the book. All four children represent things associated with Christianity. The first is Peter, who is the same as the Apostle Peter. The Apostle Peter was the one who led the church after Christ. Peter in Narnia becomes the King of Narnia at the end of the book. Susan is the second kid and she is Mary. Susan becomes the Queen of Narnia. Edmund is the third child and he represents mankind. Edmund is tempted by the White Witch and her “Turkish delights”. This is much akin to mankind seeking money and power. Jesus talks about being virtuous and to not be tempted by evil. The last child is Lucy. She is most closely the representative of all children in the world. She believes deeply in Aslan, much like all kids believe in god. Lucy does not question the ways of Aslan similar to the way that kids do not question what they learn from their Sunday school teachers. Their is also a stone table in the book upon which Aslan is killed by the white Witch. This is the same as when Jesus was crucified on the cross. Both Aslan and Jesus did it so that others would live and learn.

This is only one specific example of the things that we are exposed to. Religion plays roles in almost everything we see or read. Recently J.K Rowling divulged that her books, specifically her last, “The Deathly Hallows”, are about Christianity. Until then she did not want to say anything regarding a connection between her books and Christianity because she did not want people to be able to predict the ending of her book. Whether we know it or not, religion is everywhere. It dictates the way people act and the way that people treat one another. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a book and movie that can be directly linked to the story of Christ. Not only are may people linked to characters in the Bible but, their are many other objects and instances that can also be seen in the “Good Book”.

http://www.jonathanselby.com/Narnia.html