The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

Although The Chronicles of Narnia have been around for a long time and I’ve read the books many times over, I find myself continually going back to reread C.S. Lewis’s beautiful words and illustrations in these novels. C.S. Lewis believed in embedding powerful theological truths and principles in fiction books for young minds. He fully believed that fairy tales stick in the minds of children and if the stories contain characters that are representative of good and evil, or Jesus and Satan, then the readers begin to understand the philosophical ideas at a young age. Good and Evil are classic themes in many of today’s works, but no one portrays the truths reflecting the Gospel in such lovely, flowing words like Lewis does. The four children Lucy, Edmond, Susan, and Peter represent the broken sinners, like the people in our world. They are separated from their parents due to the world war, and being sent to a rich benefactor far from home, they find refuge in a magical world that lies behind the doors of a chestnut wardrobe. The world of Narnia is currently in a deep winter that has stricken coldness and fear into the Narnians. The four children find out that this fear and coldness is due to the rule of the evil White Witch, who is representative of Satan. Each of the children feels the temptations of the witch’s sinful traps, especially Edmond. Upon meeting the White Witch, Edmond chooses to follow her, and he helps her by giving valuable information as to where his siblings are and their purpose in Narnia. The Narnians tell the other three children that the witch has ruled for the past few decades and they are all waiting for the return of their beloved king, Aslan, who represents Christ. Eventually Aslan returns, and a war ensues, involving Aslan and his Narnians versus the White Witch and her evil minions. However, before the war begins, the White Witch accuses Edmond of his treachery to the Narnians. She declares that Edmond must die, because that is the consequence for traitors. Aslan offers his body as a sacrifice to the witch in the place of Edmond and the other Narnians who would undoubtedly die in battle. The scene in which Aslan is cruelly murdered on a stone alter is my favorite scene from the book. Lewis uses the imagery from this scene to show the reader the endless compassion and mercy Aslan had for those he loved in contrast to the evil hatred inside the White Witch’s heart. When children read this, it is obvious which side they would be rooting for. Lewis created the great contrast in this scene so that children are able to understand the true meaning of a sacrifice. A sacrifice is a gift of mercy which is undeserved by those receiving it, but it is given in love in order to save the otherwise hopeless people. There is no way the Narnians could have won the war against the White Witch alone, just as there is no way we sinners could win the battle against Satan and his temptations. But Aslan, like Jesus saved His people because He is the only way to have life. Although the life that Aslan offers is a physical life, Jesus gave the world eternal life. If we know that we are sinners, believe in His perfect sacrifice, and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we are offered more in eternal rewards than this earth could ever give. Aslan’s sacrifice is followed by great sorrow but also a promise that he will rise once again in his glory. A few days later, Aslan does return from the dead, as a true king, and he defeats the White Witch. This is reflective of the truth in the Bible that Jesus was resurrected three days after His death, and He will be back once again to defeat Satan on Earth.

This book was amazing when I was in elementary school, it’s amazing now, and I will hopefully be able read it to my children in the future. I think C.S. Lewis is an awesome author and I would recommend this book to people of any age.