Christianity and Narnia

The parallels between the Chronicles of Narnia and Christianity are uncanny, they were written to be a representation of Christianity which is why the lion (known as the king of the jungle) represents Jesus in this anthropomorphic world, the most respected animal represent one of the most important figures in Christianity. As detailed in the article on brief summaries of the Chronicles of Narnia novels one by one, I also listed the religious relevance for each novel according to Lewis himself, I’ll list them again here:

• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, in the novels Aslan is sacrificed by the White Witch and her cronies but, comes back at the end of the novel to aid the animals in winning the war.

• Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia: The restoration of faith to Narnia, it has been 1300 years since Aslan was last seen in Narnia and the animals there are beginning to lose faith until Lucy sees Aslan and convinces the others to stay on the path of Aslan.

• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: Leading a spiritual life.

• The Silver Chair: The war on darkness, the war against the green lady.

• The Horse and His Boy: The conversion of a person from their religion to Christianity.

• The Magician’s Nephew: The creation of the heavens and the earth, how evil entered society. Akin to the story of Adam and Eve, there is even a “forbidden fruit” aspect included in the novel.

• The Last Battle: The coming of the antichrist, and the final judgement day.

The novels are written to reflect different parts of the bible, and to represent the choices made by those who in The Last Battle are accepted into Aslan’s country (all of his followers). These books teach you that if you are brave and do the right thing you will be rewarded with an afterlife in heaven, Lewis wrote these novels to exemplify these Christian ideals to children.

Part of the Christianity element I find interesting is the anthropomorphic animals involved in these stories. Following in Christianity it is believed animals do not possess a soul, but how could that be true in Narnia? Where animals fight for what’s right and are accepted into the heaven in Narnia. I think it’s an interesting aspect of Narnia, but Lewis explains the does not believe in this element of Christianity, saying that pets and their humans create a bond so strong that no one dare separate them even in death. So, the animals of must have soul since they are accepted into Aslan’s country in the Last Battle.