Danielle Hawkins: Making connections

    While reading Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, I wanted to make connections between Lewis' story and truth I had read from the Bible. 

A few of the connections that I made included:

  • Aslan being murdered on the stone table --> Jesus being crucified on the cross (Matthew 27:32-56)
  • Aslan's resurrection --> Jesus' resurrection (Matthew 28) 
  • Lucy being the only one to see Aslan at first in Prince Caspian --> Jesus saying that those who become like children will enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:1-4) 
  • Aslan separating the animals in The Last Battle to his right and to his left --> Jesus separating the sheep and the goats on the day of final judgment (Matthew 25:31-46)
  • Eustace trying to take off his dragon skin and Aslan having to do it for him and Eustace transformed into a new person --> When people become believers, we leave behind our old lives in pursuit of a holy life that reflect Christ  (2 Corinthians 5:1-5, 17) 
  • Once everyone enters the stable in The Last Battle everything in that land seems more real and the children keep running further up and further into New Narnia (the Pevensies are able to go back because it is not the original Narnia) --> The book of Revelation references a New Heaven and New Earth for those who's names are written in the Book of Life (Revelation 21) 


Questions I had concerning this 

  • Did Lewis intentionally draw a connection between his work and the Bible? 
  • Does presenting biblical stories in a more story like way produce a greater sense of understanding/ ability to have a greater sense of emotional connection to the message behind the Bible? 
This question can be answered through the use of myth it self. Myth allows a reader/listener to have a greater understanding of the meaning behind the thing itself. By creating these stories, I believe Lewis was trying to use a the readers emotional appeal while writing these books. I was deeply captivated by his use of imagery when explaining Aslan's death and resurrection and when he described New Narnia. This allowed me personally to better connect with the Bible and have a greater sense of emotional tie to it. Reading this whole series of books connects me in my relationship with God in a way that is really unique and special. While the Bible, to me, is a really beautiful book, at times it can be a structured in a way that does not appeal to the emotions and does not allow one to visual the happenings. Lewis was able to take these happenings and bring them to life in a way that captivates me and draws more emotion from me. 
  • What other references to the Bible/relationship with God does Lewis make? 

Comments

  1. Regan FliegNovember 9, 2020 at 5:24 PM

    I think your reflection on how Lewis's stories expand the reader's understanding of the Bible is really relevant and insightful. I think that, for Christians, drawing connections between the Bible and works of fiction better prepares us to draw connections between the Bible and our own experiences as well. I think sometimes it can also be valuable to look at the ideas and messages of the Bible in a different setting - like in Lewis's stories - because it can provide a broader perspective that allows us to approach a more wholistic understanding of the original message.

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