Ben

Kiley, you have done a very good job on your blog. You seemed to have answered you question very nicely. I have learned a lot about the similarities. I have seen the movie, but didn't really notice anything. I guess that you have to read them to notice something. You found a lot of information about this topic, and have really done a great job.

Your Blog

I have never heard of this comparison, this is a really interesting thesis to think about a lot of this is more of your opinions on the book and the bible, I wonder where the sources were that you got the information to back up that it is all related. You could add more about the bible, you have a lot of information on the author of the Narnia books and Narnia, but not as much about the bible, it is good to know about the author though to back up why she would make such a huge connection to the bible.

Conclusion

I have found that there are many similarities between the Bible and the Chronicles of Narnia, a lot more than I expected. I was expecting a few broad similarities that I would really have to dig into, but I was very pleased to find a lot more.
I think that the Chronicles of Narnia do a very good job of hiding their Christian similarities. I also think that C. S. Lewis may have kept them hidden on purpose, for those who would be able to find them and see them for what they were, like Lucy and going through the wardrobe. I don't think that very many children who read them would realize that they were there, which I think is what some parents fear; that their child will start thinking religiously because they read these books that support Christian principles. This is a shame because the Chronicles of Narnia are great books, meant to be read by young people, not just those people looking for the religious material. The people I think the books effect the most are probably those people who feel that they need something to look forward to, and they read the books and see a religion where they can have a kind of family and people that care about them. When you go to church, you form a bond with the people who believe in the same things that you do, and most churches are very open to visitiors and welome them with open arms.
I also think that the Chronicles of Narnia are great for children, considering they are written for them. In the books, it is children who save the day, not adults. I think that is a very good example for children to look up to, because children never feel very important, so it is good to read about children who are, even if it is only fantasy. It's inspirational for people of all ages.

Wow Kiley, I'm impressed at the similarities you've found between these two books. I think it's a great way to learn more about each and deepen your understanding of the concepts behind them. Do you see more of a similarity between this and the Old Testament or this and the New Testament or does it apply equally to both?

Cameron

This is an interesting topic that I have never thought about. I have not read any of the books, but after reading your posts, I have learned about a few of the characters. So far, you have included good information and are coming close to completely answering your thesis question. I like how much of your blog is written from your own experiecnes reading the book, and your own inforamtion and opinions on your topic. This makes it personal for you, and allows the reader to learn about the series if they have not read any of the books. Also, I like how you inlcuded background infromation on the author, I learned alot about C. S. Lewis. I don't see a final conclusioln yet, but I'm sure your working on it. Nice job siting your sources and posting information. Good job so far.

About Narnia

Narnia, as I have said before, is the symbol for the Kingdom of God. It is created by the god-like figure in the story, just like our universe was created by God (again, this is all based on Christianity). Also, it is Aslan's kingdom, even though the White Witch has taken it over. In the same way, our hearts are part of the Kingdom of God, and even though sin is in control, we can still let God 'triumph' over it by letting him into our hearts. In a similar way, the people of Narnia overthrow 'sin' (a.k.a. the White Witch) by following Aslan.
All of the books in the Chronicles of Narnia have small similarities with the Bible, however, The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and The Last Battle have the most and the most obvious similarities. The Magician's Nephew focuses on the creation of Narnia, and is very similar to the book of Genesis in the Bible. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is primarily about the crucifixion and the resurrection, when Aslan is sacrificed for Edmund and rises from the dead. The Last Battle is about how the earthly Narnia, like our Earth, becomes the heavenly Narnia, like God's kingdom of heaven. I think that it is Aslan who brings the similarities to life. Without him there would be stories about cute talking animals and some humans, but by bringing Aslan into the story, Lewis added another dimension to the story that wouldn't be there otherwise. Without Aslan there wouldn't be the obvious similarities between the stories and the Bible. Another similarity is between Edmund and Judas. In the New Testament, Judas betrays Jesus to the Roman soldiers, and because of that, Jesus is crucified. But becuase of Judas's actions, he is also able to prove who he really is through his resurrection. Like Judas, Edmund betrays Aslan and his siblings to the White Witch, and because of him Aslan is killed. However, because Aslan knows of the 'Deeper Magic' he is resurrected. The good thing is that, where as Judas kills himself for what he did to Jesus, Edmund doesn't realize what had happened, and as far as the books go, he never does. Also, the prophecy of two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve coming and saving the people of Narnia from the White Witch is similar to the prophecy of the messiah coming and saving us from our sins.

About Aslan

As I have said before, Aslan the lion is the symbol for Jesus/God in the Chronicles of Narnia. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the White Witch kills him. She uses him as a sacrafice for Edmund, in much the same way that God used Jesus as a sacrifice for all of us (although the Witch isn't in the position of God). Jesus also rose from the dead, and so does Aslan, this is another similarity between Jesus and Aslan. In Prince Caspian, the stories about Aslan are starting to be seen as fiction, just like many people see the story about Christ now. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Aslan comes back as a lamb, just like Christ is seen as the lamb of God (this is another reason that I think the article about C.S. Lewis wasn't exactly corret). Also, the return of Christ is fortold in the book of Revelations in the Bible (I believe, I may have the wrong book). Aslan also created Narnia. He sings it into being in The Magician's Nephew. In a similar way, God created Earth (for those of you who believe in this, I do, however). The difference is, he didn't sing and it took him 6 days.
One discription of Aslan is this: "[T]here came to meet me a great Lion. The speed of him was like the ostrich, and his size was an elephant's; his hair was like pure gold and the brightness of his eyes, like gold that is liquid in the furnace. . . ." This is the discription from The Last Battle, in which the follower of a false god has an encounter with Aslan. God is often seen as a bright, golden light. Moses saw him in the form of a burning buch in a cave of darkness, with the sun shinning through a whole in the roof. Whenever God lets his presence be known, he is a brilliant light, the light from darkness, and I see this as another similarity between Aslan and God.

Great blog!

Hi Kiley,
I think it's great that you picked a topic that you were really interested in. I read the CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, and, at first, I didn't notice the religious correlations. But then my teacher pointed out that Aslan was a symbol for Jesus/God. I began to read the series from a whole new perspective. I think that both understanding the author's life and what connections can be made really enhance the reader's understanding of the book.
Just from reading your blog, I have learned so much more than what I already knew. For example, I had no idea that the White Witch was a symbol for sin. I love books that have these embedded symbols and themes in them. I appreciate the text and craft of the novel so much more.
In your introduction to your blog, you mentioned Narnia being the Kingdom of God. Are you going to have a post on this? Since Narnia is, after all, the major setting of this series, I think you should use its symbolism to tie into the rest of your blog.
This is a very unique issue. I'm so glad that you decided to research this, because it sheds a whole new light on the greatest fantasy books.
Great job!
Chloe

The White Witch

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the White Witch has assumed power by suppression and violence. She has changed the natural order of things. In a very similar way sin makes itself part of us, and is very hard to overcome. It changes who we were supposed to be, in order to make us it's followers. However, when the people of Narnia, along with Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, are able to defeat the White Witch, we are able to see that it is possible to overcome sin.
In The Magician's Nephew, when Digory(he becomes the Professor in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) goes to the garden to get the silver apple, he sees the witch, who had just eaten one of the apples. This tree and the apples symbolize the tree in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve get cast out for eating one of the apples. On the gate to the garden in the story is this verse:
"Come in by the gold gates or not at all,
Take of my fruit for others or forbear.
For those who steal or those who climb my wall
Shall find their heart's desire and find despair...."
Digory sees the truth in the verse because 'the Witch looked stronger and prouder than ever ... but her face was deadly white, white as salt.' He saw that the power and knowledge she had gained had come with a great price. Just like the apple that Adam and Eve ate came with the price of bringing sin into the world.

Mrs. Jewitt

New posts?

Mrs. Jewitt

Kiley - Looking for more posts and more info as you are learning it as well as your assimilation of the material . . .Read and post!!

Mrs. Jewitt

Kiley - Good work thus far - citing sources, thinking about your topic and narrowing to a thesis. I think that you may even decide to modify it further as your research continues. Be sure to look on the databases for magazine articles that focus on aspects of your question. Also, could you ask someone at your church for suggestions as to whom you might discuss this with? I think that as you dig into the answers to this question, the resulting information will be more and more fascinating.

Ben

This seems like a very interesting topic. Its interesting how these two things could be linked together. Also, you seem to be very interested in this topic. I was wondering why C.S. Lewis changed and became a christian? Also, are there any more symbols in the books for people in the bible? This blog looks interesting, and with some more info I am sure it will be great.

Comment

This topic seems like something that you are very interested in. Although I have never read the series of books i have heard they have a lot to do with the bible. It sounds like you know these books very well and enjoy reading them. I do have one question though.........How/Why was C.S Lewis trasferred from an atheist to a christian. I would find it very insightful to find that out, and maybe even someother facts about him. Good luck.


Michael

Comment from Erin

Hey, Kiley!
You have a very interesting topic dealing with the Chronicles of Narnia and Christianity. Finding information will be very tricky, because it might not all be true because it is the internet of course! My advice to you is when finding information about someones life or the way they really are, there is always more than one side. So be logical and I think this should be a very promising blog! Can't wait to see how much more information you get about how important religion is to the Chronicles of Narnia and you just might convince me to read it! Good luck!
Your fellow blogger and friend,
~Erin

About the Author: C. S. Lewis

Learning about the author of a book, or a series of books, is important whem you are looking in depth at the book. This is what the Prisoner of Narnia article told me about C. S. Lewis:

• There is a stained-glass window with Lewis in it in a church in Monrovia, California.
• The Chronicles of Narnia are classics in the fact that they are still being read a full generation after their author is gone.
• Lewis is regarded as a slightly embarrassing polemicist by most Britians, but in America, he is a figure who has been incised on stained glass (literaly), and for the more intellectual and literate reaches of conservative religion, a saint revered and revealed.
• Born in 1898, to a Protestant family (he later became an atheist)
• Very close to his older brother, who later became an alcoholic.
• Very emotional child. Moved to tears by poems and trees.
• He read many books by George MacDonald, and his stories (mainly Phantastes) evoked an emotion in Lewis like a kind of shining sense of goodness and romance and light.
• Felt as if both the world and the words were trying to tell him something, and not just that there is something good out there, but that there is something big out there.
• He was sent to many boarding school, and he was beaten and bullied and traumatized beyond even the normal expectation s of English adolescence.
• The bright, sensitive British boy was turned into a warped, morbid, stammering sexual pervert by public-school sadism.
• However, he was able to keep a bit of his younger, more sensitive self through the books that he read, and he kept an inner life.
• He served on the Western Front, and in 1917 he got a wound honestly come by, but bad enough to send him home.
• He went to Oxford after his departure from the army, and never left, until the end, when he went to Cambridge.
• He became a tutor in English at Magdalen College.
• The sensitive and soft-spoken Lewis took on the part of a bluff, hearty Irishman, all tweed and pipe.
• He kept to the narrow, anti-modern curriculum in place a Oxford.
• He befriended a yound philologist named J.R.R. Tolkien, who had even more severe views on teaching English than Lewis; he thought that literature ended at 1100.
• He had a reputation as a tough but inspiring leader
• It was through the intervention of hte secretive and personally troubled Tolkien that Lewis finally made the turn toward orhodox Christianity
• Tolkien said that the obvious-seeming distinction that Lewis made between myth and fact was a false one.
• Language and the consiousness it reflected was intrinsically magical. One had to become religious to save the magic, not to be saved from it.
• The cutting edge of faith had been the difference between pagan myth adn Christian revelation, but Lewis was drawn in be the likeness of the Christian revelation to pagan myth.
• Lewis thought that Jesus either had to be crazy to say the things he did, or he must be telling the truth. He put this idea into The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in the way that Lucy must be lying, or mad, or she must have really seen the things she clams to have seen.
• Insisted that teh Anglican creed isn't one spiritual path among others, but the single cosmic truth that extends from the farthest reach of the universe to the house next door.
• He was in his late forties when he started writing The Chronicles of Narnia.
• The emotional power of the books diminishes as the religious part intesifies.
• Aslan, the lion, is seen as a very weird symbol for Christ, and not just an un-Christian one, but in many ways an anti-Christian figure.
• The centran point of the Gospel story is that Jesus is not the lion of faith, but the lamb of god, while his other symboic animal is the lowly and bedraggled donkey. For this reason, many think that it is un-Christian to make Aslan the symbol for Jesus.
• The moral force of the Christian story is that the lions are all on the other side.
• The street lamp in the snow, the silver chair, and the speaking horse are as much an escape for hte Christian imagination as for the rationalist, and we sense a deeper joy in Lewis's prose as it escapes from the demands of Christian belief into the darker realm of magic.

I don't fully agree with this, because Christ did become a lion, like Aslan (figuratively speaking). He was adored by most, and only a few thought he was a lunatic. I think that the author of the artical I was looking at, thought only of the journey Christ toook to become who he was, and not who the world saw him and who he saw himself as. I think Lewis focused more on the years when Jesus taught all the people and was performing all his miracles.

Sounds good, Kiley.....

Wow! This is a really interesting topic! I love the Chronicles of Narnia and I have gone to Sunday school as well, but I never made the connection between the Bible and the Chronicles of Narnia. I would be willing to talk with you about the Chronicles of Narnia. Actually, my cousins are both faithful readers of the series and their are very pumped for the movie to come out. I can give you their e-mail addresses if you would like to get their opinion on anything.
Question: Are you doing the entire Chronicles or just The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe?? I think it would be interesting to see the differences in each, but I haven't read them all, and I think it would be a lot to incorporate into your essay. (or whatever)
I personally don't think that the Bible had any effect on me, but maybe because I was eight when I first read it.
Can't wait to see what you find!!
~Sara

My I-Search

What is the link between the Bible and the Chronicles of Narnia, and what effect did it have on the way people who read the books view them after?
I chose this question because I have been very interested in this topic ever since I read the books. My sunday school class (for the older children) is reading this book, Walking Through the Wardrobe; A Devotional Quest into The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and it has made me even more interested in this topic. Another thing about this topic is that C. S. Lewis wasn't a Christian until he was a young adult. He was actually a very strong atheist. I think it's fascinating how he went from atheist to great christian writer.
In the Chronicles of Narnia, and especially in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, some of the characters stand for people out of the Bible. Aslan is Lewis's symbol for Jesus/God, and the White Witch stands for sin, and after the children had overcome the White Witch/sin, Narnia was free, and it seems to me that it is the symbol for the Kingdom of God.
I'm actually very excited (if a little fustrated with the World and I site) to be doing my I-Search on this subject. At this stage in my research, I'm definitly hoping that everything goes well, and I don't encounter any problems. This all looks very promising, and the blogging is pretty fun. So until the next post,
~Kiley