by Sheroo of Stormness Head » June 2nd, 2010, 1:38 pm
Hi Peeta! That's a great question. I am of the opinion that the books are not an allegory. While they have pictures/illustrations that represent, or picture different things, they are not allegories. If you want to read an allegory, read John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress in which almost everything pictures something in the Christian journey to Heaven. In Narnia, there are extremely valuable nuggets of truth in the characters and circumstances (the famous and most obvious example is Aslan dying on the Stone Table for Edmund...Is like Christ dying on the cross for us.) I do have a quote from C.S. Lewis himself, "If Aslan represented the immaterial Deity in the same way in which Giant Despair represents Despair, he would be an allegorical figure. In reality however he is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, 'What might Christ become like, if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?' This is not an allegory at all." One thing I think that is important to note is that while the death and resurrection of Aslan is the most famous example, there are so many other examples, not only confined to Aslan's "incarnation" but also includes many doctrinal statements about God. For example, in The Silver Chair, Aslan and Jill have the following conversation, "'I daren't come and drink,' said Jill. 'Then you will die of thirst,' said the Lion. 'Oh dear!' said Jill, coming another step nearer. 'I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.' 'There is no other stream.' said the Lion." In this excerpt we see Lewis making the point that there is only one way to Life. "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me, " Jesus says in the Gospel of John.
Another thing about the Narnia stories is that there are pictures of other points in the Christian life, not only related to Aslan. In Voyage of the Dawn Treader, They travel to Aslan's country, and this could be viewed as the journey from this life to heaven. HOWEVER, unlike Bunyan's allegory, where everything represents something in the life of the Christian, the VDT does not. For example, when the voyagers stop on Death Water Island, I am positive that C.S. Lewis is not trying to say that Death Water Island represents a certain point in a Christian's life. However, it does teach a principle. When Caspian and Edmund start arguing over who owns the Island, they are blinded by greed. But, as soon as they see Aslan across the lake, they forget entirely about the gold and why they were arguing at all. This is like when the Christian has his eyes on Christ, all worldly desires fade away.
So, to recap. (Sorry if this has been confusing) No, Narnia is not an allegory, but it does have points in the book that have a deeper Biblical meaning than other parts of the books. Some are references to Christ and His incarnation, others about Christ's nature, and others about how Christians (and non-Christians) relate to Christ.
If you have any questions, I'll try to explain myself further. I love this topic. :-)