The Things You Miss in Your Childhood - A Second Look At Narnia

Ok, so, for fun, I decided to re-read some of the Narnia series (I say some, because I really hate some of them and find them rather pointless). About 2 chapters into the first book, The Magician's Apprentice, I realized just how much I had been missing out on as a child. The clever illusions, imagery, and tiny details I didn't pick u on as a child are now clear to me and make the books that much more enjoyable because i can't wait to find out what else I missed the first time through. I guess this is the appeal of the old Disney movies to parents, the reason why, when watching them now, we see why our parents wanted to watch them with us. After reading the first three I can already tell I'm going to give the series a 5 out of 5 for all ages and for any number of times re-reading it.

Ok, so the first three books are just riddled with Christian references that one might miss as a child. On first glance, it appears that C.S. Lewis has made a direct correlation to Christ in the form of the Lion Aslan. However, me being the inquistive person I am, searched for answers, and found that Lewis actually did not mean for Aslan to represent Jesus, but rather, to create a world in which God interacted with the people in a unique way (statement taken from interview i found on google). This poses an important distinction in that all the symbolism in the book is not just an illusion to Christian references, but also a commentary on life and the nature of the universe (however, Lewis is a Christian, so he fundamentally believes that nature is Christian and good, which is an important note to begin on). Many of the symbolisms are obvious, such as the breaking of the stone table representing Jesus conquering death, or Aslan's breath representing God giving the Holy Spirit to us. However, when reflecting on Lewis's actual meaning, the illusions become quite different. Lewis is trying to say that true unlimited love doesn't just come in one form. That anyone can find that love and extend it to others. Lewis tells us that love can be found anywhere and in everything if only we know where to look. Now, we might not have a mystical trip to a far away land and a tlaking lion to show us that. However, Lewis takes us on that journey through his books. The imagery and illusion only help to illustrate his point and help us to make connections to things which we already know to help get his point across. The important Bible illusions help readers to understand that which they already know, the Christian teachings, and apply and think about them on another level.

I think that Lewis is a genius, especially after realizing the series was not just a big illusion, but actually a way to get us to think. I can;t wait to read the rest of the series again!

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