Katelyn Joyce- Questions on Lewis' Relationship

 In class, I had the pleasure of watching the beautiful movie about C.S. Lewis’ relationship with his wife, but also with coming to terms with what it means to suffer. I have never been much of a cinephile. Movies have never really been of much interest to me as I’d much rather read a book than stare at a screen. But, this movie really captured my attention. I was really intrigued by the dynamic between Lewis and Joy. I loved watching how their relationship grew, guided by the shared passion and curiosity they had for writing and the pursuit of knowledge. I did have a couple questions regarding the movie. Did I miss a point where it expressed her conversion to Christianity? I remember there being a slight emphasis at the beginning about her being an atheist. If she did convert, at what point did this occur? Was it before their “fake” marriage? I do remember the mentioning of God as they were getting married in the hospital. As Joy was a very strong, opinionated woman, I cannot foresee her going along with that if she did not believe herself. This leads me to assume conversion happened before their “real” wedding. The reason I ask those questions is because I would be curious to see how differently Lewis might come to terms with suffering if Joy was an atheist at her time of death. Without any reliance on seeing her again in an afterlife, how might he respond differently and would this impact his overall understanding of suffering. In my opinion, I could see him associating anger with suffering. I think her not sharing the same beliefs would result in him experiencing the suffering in an even more intense manner. I have seen many people in similar situations become angry both at God and the world. I wonder if Lewis would have reacted in the same way.


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