by Guest » November 9th, 2004, 5:22 pm
It does seem strange that Jill fights in a battle. There is also Lucy, who fights in the battle at the end of 'The Horse and His Boy'. All the same, I doubt if it shows a progression in Lewis' thought because of his relationship with Joy Davidman. Weren't all the Narnian books written, though not published, before he even met Joy? (Perhaps I've got that wrong, though.)
I wish someone had asked Lewis about women fighting. Perhaps he would have said "Father Christmas is not necessarily right about everything." I hope so.
I think you are right that Lewis' attitude towards women is partly explained by the teachings of Christianity. Lewis took his religion very seriously, after all, and Christianity has always relegated women to second place. (I mean no offence here. I know most of you in the Wardrobe are Christians.)
I have been reading the new volume of Lewis' letters. In one letter he says that he hopes that, when Muslim women meet English women in India, the Muslims will teach the English women 'wifely obedience.'
Lewis attitude to women is hard to understand, though. In spite of his view that women should obey men he himself seems to have been happiest in a household where a woman was in charge. At least, I think neither Mrs. Moore nor Joy Davidman were shrinking violets.