Interpretations
Many claimed that Lewis set out to write a children’s book in which he would use allegory to teach children about the Christian values that Lewis discussed in his other books (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe C. S. Lewis and Christianity”). Individuals had different reactions to this.
Parents who want their children to grow up with Christian values saw The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as an introduction to the Christian faith for their kids. The way it laid out a Jesus character, a Satan character and Christian morals such as good defeating evil gave the children an experience that could better prepare them for their own encounters with Jesus, Satan and the choice between good and evil (Bell, “Inside the Wardrobe”). Children love the adventure of the story, the wonder of Narnia and the connection the reader feels with the characters while the parents love the lesson teaches their children.
Though there is a definite relationship between Christianity and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe it is not necessary to be a Christian in order to enjoy the story (Williams 4). As the audience is mainly made up of children, they often do not pick up on the Christian undertones of the story and merely experience it as an exciting trip to a magical land. Though people who relate to it on a spiritual level may hold the story most dear, the story teaches morals separate from the spiritual lessons (O’Rourke, “The Lion King”).
Criticisms
J. R. R. Tolkien was a close friend of C. S. Lewis, but Tolkien did not like Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. He believed that the Christian symbolism was too blatant, the mythological creatures were from an assortment of origins that would not exist together and the story itself lacked the level of detail a fictional world should possess (Long, “Disparaging Narnia“). Symbolism is a way of adding depth to a story and if the story simply parallels Christianity it doesn’t leave much up to the reader’s imagination.
Although Tolkien made it clear that he did not like the books, he also stated that he did understand why the books are cherished by some. Despite his own negative opinions on the book series, he still saw value in them for other people (Long, “Disparaging Narnia“).
Many have pointed out that Edmund is a flawed portrayal of Judas. If Edmund had symbolized Judas, he would not have been taken back in and made a king of Narnia as Judas did not return to being a disciple after betraying Jesus (“Religion in The Chronicles of Narnia”). While this is a very good point, it appears that the basis of the criticism is at fault rather than the writing. Edmund is a much clearer symbol of the sinfulness of human nature as a whole as opposed to being a symbol of Judas specifically. Jesus’s death and resurrection was to atone for the sins of humanity so that all people could be forgiven for their sins and live in the kingdom of Heaven. Aslan died in place of Edmund so that Edmund would be pardoned from the consequences of his mistakes and he could continue to live in Narnia (Perry, “Christian Parallels in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”).