Accounting
for 
THE LION,
THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE
The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis is one of the world's most beloved books.
It is the first book in Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. While the style
and structure are aimed at
children, the book is nevertheless enjoyable and captivating to people
of any age. The story involves four English children who face magical
and physical dangers, intrepid heroes and cunning villains. For that
reason, among others, Lewis' Narnia series has been compared to the
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. The first time I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
I was
in my 20s and a new
assistant professor at Ole Miss. That was in the early 1980s. Many
years later, I read
the book to each of my three children. Professors, for the most part,
focus their writing on technical issues, of interest only to
like-minded and highly specialized colleagues. Professors rarely write
books of great interest to the general public; although, there are a
few notable exceptions. C.S. Lewis, a distinguished Oxford University
professor, is arguably
the
most notable of exceptions.
The brief, initial setting for the story of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
is England during
the Battle of Britain in World War 2. In 1940, the Germans are bombing
London and other cities in England in efforts to break the country's
will to keep fighting. Europe is dominated by the Nazis and America
hasn't yet decided to enter the war. For their safety, four London
school children are sent by their parents to live at the country home
of an eccentric professor. While there, the children find a magical
wardrobe, which is actually a doorway into another world, a world
called Narnia. In Narnia there are talking animals and mythical
creatures such as
giants and centaurs. The land is dominated by the cruel and
diabolical White
Witch. Like other great stories, the ancient battle
between good and evil is the central theme. The children find
themselves in the middle of that battle. On the side of good is the
noble and mighty
lion, Aslan.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
is a moving story of good
versus evil, deception, treachery, honor, valor, and
self-sacrifice.
The basic elements are simple and powerful, which is what makes the
story so compelling. The book is an allegory of the Christian story of
Jesus Christ, which essentially is that the Creator God became a human
being and
gave His life to save undeserving human beings from the penalty of sin.
The ultimate message of Christianity is that God loves all people and
seeks a spiritual relationship with each person individually. Humility,
compassion, and putting the welfare of others ahead of self are
important Christian virtues. Christians regard Jesus as the ultimate
example of self-sacrifice. Jesus became the "propitiation" for human
sin when He allowed himself to be crucified. Referring
to His
crucifixion, Jesus said: "And when I am lifted up [on the cross], I
will draw everyone to me" (John 12:32). The Apostle Paul explained the
mission of Jesus Christ in this way: "When we were utterly helpless
with no way of
escape, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners who
had no use for him" (Romans 5:6). That's a compelling story. Of course,
everyone must personally decide whether it actually happened or not,
and if it did, how that might change their life.
-Dr. L. Murphy Smith
Sources:
Lewis, C. S. The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe. New York: Macmillan, 1950.
Barlowe, Byron. The
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe & the Genius of C.S. Lewis: The
Book, the Series and the Movie. LeaderU.com, 2005.
Colson, C. Lions, Witches, and
Wardrobes: Narnia Comes to the Big Screen. BreakPoint
Commentary, December 8, 2005.
Images:
Links:
The Lion, the
Witch & the Wardrobe Official
Movie Site
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe &
the Genius of C.S. Lewis
Is there a
God? (everystudent.com)
Quotations
on Ethics (cool quotes & movie clips)
How do you measure
success?
Scientists and
Their Gods
Christian Faculty Network
at Texas A&M University
LeadershipU
Dr. Smith's Homepage
THE LION,
