FF Thursday October 20

On Thursday, October 20th we discussed the novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The first part of the class discussion was based on comparing and contrasting Narnia with the fantasy world of The Hobbit, Middle Earth. In Narnia none of the good characters die permanently whereas in Middle Earth good characters do die. The most that happens to the characters in Narnia are that they are frozen but they are eventually unfrozen. Humans in Middle Earth have to struggle with the other species for their place whereas in Narnia when humans are needed in the world to right all of the wrongs. Compared to Middle Earth, Narnia is relatively smaller. Narnia is obviously a separate world from the real world. The children transporting through the wardrobe show this. Middle Earth is the only world that exists in The Hobbit.

The next part of class was the student led discussion. We discussed how some characters in Narnia showed forgiveness. Examples of this included when Lucy forgave Edmund for making her seem like a liar and when Aslan gave Peter the opportunity to redeem himself. Another topic that was discussed was how gluttony played a role in the story. When the White Witch gives Edmund the enchanted Turkish delight he becomes obsessed with it. Because of his greed the White Witch keeps him under her spell and has control over him. Edmund is easily influenced because of his want to be special. He is very easily corrupted and the witch knows exactly how to do it. Another example is shown with the wolves and dwarf that drives the White Witch’s sleigh. They have been given power so they feel like they are above the other creatures. A major character that was discussed was Aslan. In the story he is seen as a powerful godly character. He is loyal, respectful, and represents the forces of good in the story. Aslan may also be seen as Christ figure in the way that he sacrifices himself and is resurrected. When he is sacrificed he is still feared by the witch. She has the other evil creatures tie him down and cut off his mane to take his power. One important part of Aslan’s character is that he is not all-powerful. Aslan has to wait on the prophecy to be fulfilled before he comes back to Narnia. He also tests the characters. He is not always there to help them but when they really need it he shows up to help. In the Article that the discussion group read they found that Carol put a lot of Christian influence into the story in the way that he incorporates different biblical situations and characters. Another topic discussed was Carol’s view on women. Women are not seen as equal to men in the way that men are given the authority. When the children meet the beavers the men go out to hunt and the women stay in the house to cook. Tom Hudson

8 am class

C.S. Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland. He was a professor of medieval and renaissance literature at Oxford, and held strong religious beliefs. He wrote the Chronicles of Narnia from 1950 to 1956. Many people see the novels as religious allegory, with Aslan representing Jesus. People also believe that the White Witch represents Lilith, the first wife of Adam, who was considered evil and dangerous in a sexual nature. Narnia was often compared to JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit, but they also had many differences. The heroes in Narnia are children, while those of Middle Earth were all adults. Narnia has both a primary and a secondary world, while Middle Earth has only a secondary. This causes Narnia to be less believable. There is also less race hierarchy, with races at mostly equal footing aside from Aslan. Narnia also has smaller limits, while Middle Earth appears to go on forever. Good and evil are much more defined, with less grey areas, and Middle Earth has a much larger history. Peter and Susan represent the average reader as skeptical young adults. When each of the children grows up, they cannot return to Narnia. Middle Earth seems more organic, while Narnia is more relatable yet mysterious. Over the course of the novel, all four Pevensie children grow, but some more than others. Edmund’s growth was the largest. At the beginning he was very confused and childlike, but then he gained enough cleverness to take the witch’s wand and even suffered a serious wound. Both Lucy and Peter on the other hand, are fairly consistent. Peter starts basically as an adult, and remains so throughout, while Lucy is constantly childish. Contrary to the Hobbit, the hierarchies are very black and white in Narnia. Humans are much nearer the top in Narnia, below only Aslan. There is also classic seasonal representation in Narnia. Winter represents evil, and the witch, while spring represents good and Aslan. Father Christmas is the bringer of that spring, yet his gifts are mostly weapons, representing the childrens’ growth to adulthood. The cleansing of Narnia is external destiny, aided by human and animal agency later on. Deep magic was planned at the beginning, but deeper magic was pre-existing, and natural destiny of un-planned magic. Someone even more powerful than Aslan controls this. The White Witch represents Circe and Lilith. Good and evil in Narnia are polarized along gender lines. The deity is masculine, while the witch causes the fall of mankind. All the powerful females are considered corrupt or evil. It seems as if Lewis was trying to sanitize them. In the Odyssey, Circe turned men to pigs, yet eventually submitted to Odysseus, her male superior. Lilith was the bringer of danger and the destruction life. She was considered the equal of Satan, as a temptress and seducer, much like the White Witch, who seduces Edmund with food and drink. The White Witch is very similar to Satan as well in her crucifixion of Aslan. In the end the White Witch is a warning about female sexuality and power. Lucy and Susan are different from the White Witch in that they are non-dominant, and always subservient, while Jadis is dominant and in power. Susan and Lucy sought no power, and were therefore good. There are few major male characters who are evil. And even those have more redeemability. Yet males are considered weaker, and more susceptible to temptation, while women are considered innocent. In Narnia, youth equals a greater imagination and greater faith. Edmund needs this to help teach him. Children are also often considered closer to God. According to Lewis, we are unknowingly susceptible to desire. Once you have some, you want even more. It usually starts small but the problem grows. Yet you can be forgiven for it. Susan and Lucy are not supposed to fight in battle because they have a different task. Women are supposed to be more nurturing, and Lewis was adhering to the traditional gender roles. Lewis is also saying that humans are more important than animals, because all the humans speak and act like humans, yet most are unable to achieve the same as humans. Edmund is abused after his betrayal because while he can be forgiven, betrayal is the lowest sin, and he must be punished first. In all its religious allusions, Narnia’s most prominent theme is faith. Its protagonist Lucy, is the most faithful, and always rewarded for it. Julia Michels