Sexism in Narnia

• Throughout the Chronicles of Narnia. There is a consistent air of sexism, that boys are inherently better than girls when it comes to matters in Narnia. This is especially evident in the last book “The Last Battle” where Susan, unlike the rest of the Pevensie children, does not return to Narnia to participate in the last battle and final judgement. Susan is deemed no longer a friend of Narnia due to the fact that she has grown up and has renounced Narnia saying it does not exist. Jill even comments saying, “All she (Susan) is interested in now is lipstick and parties”, which is why she is being excluded from the final judgement. Also, since she was not on the train she is the only surviving Pevensie, losing all of her siblings in one fell swoop and they discuss the situation as though she should have been there and died alongside them. So, brings the question, is Susan now irredeemable since she abandoned Narnia in its time of need? I believe that’s the message Lewis is trying to convey that being interested in things other than God or religion, or in this case Narnia and Aslan means that you are not longer of entering Heaven or Aslan’s Country which Is the end goal for a life well lead according to Christianity and in Narnia. This is sad for Susan losing her entire family and now being left alone, a severe punishment for reneging on Narnia and the belief in Aslan just for growing up and into adulthood, where for her lip stick and parties were her concern. Though we know her character is redeemable as in Christianity the teachings dictate that to get into heaven we lead a good life and believe in God, but if we fall out of faith we can come back through confession and rededicating ourselves to our faith. Susan could follow these steps and potentially make it into Aslan’s kingdom but, we will never know as the book ends before her redemption. While this in my opinion, is the major scandal of sexism in the books there are also other aggressions against femininity such as saying Jill was “better than Lucy, and just as good as a boy” meaning, being a girl in Narnia like Lucy who is known for being gentle and kind, is not good enough.