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The Chronicles of Narnia (view source)
Revision as of 20:48, October 28, 2009
, 20:48, October 28, 2009no edit summary
==Book 7: [[The Last Battle]]==
==Book 7: [[The Last Battle]]==
(7th in chronology) The end of Narnia comes in this book. A evil ape, Shift, convinces a gullible donkey, Puzzle, to dress up in a lion's suit and pretend to be the great lion Aslan. The beasts of Narnia are thus deceived and enslaved by Shift, allowing the Calormenes to invade Narnia. Tirian, the true king of Narnia, is imprisoned but is freed by Jill and Eustace, who help mount a last ditch attack on the ape and the Calormenes. They are outnumbered and the evil Calormene god, Tash, enters Narnia, and takes in a stable where Eustace, Jill and the King are thrown. Fortunately Tash is cast out by High King Peter, who has appeared with Edmund, Lucy, Diggory, and Polly (Susan no longer being a friend of Narnia) to witness Narnia's end. Aslan ends Narnia and leads all good creatures to a new Narnia, and out of the shadowlands. The children then learn that they all died in a railway accident and that they will remain there happily ever after. <ref> [[The Last Battle]] by C.S. Lewis, Macmillam Publishing Co. 1970.</ref>
(7th in chronology) The end of Narnia comes in this book. A evil ape, Shift, convinces a gullible donkey, Puzzle, to dress up in a lion's suit and pretend to be the great lion Aslan. The beasts of Narnia are thus deceived and enslaved by Shift, allowing the Calormenes to invade Narnia. Tirian, the true king of Narnia, is imprisoned but is freed by Jill and Eustace, who help mount a last ditch attack on the ape and the Calormenes. They are outnumbered and the evil Calormene god, Tash, enters Narnia, and takes in a stable where Eustace, Jill and the King are thrown. Fortunately Tash is cast out by High King Peter, who has appeared with Edmund, Lucy, Diggory, and Polly (Susan no longer being a friend of Narnia) to witness Narnia's end. Aslan ends Narnia and leads all good creatures to a new Narnia, and out of the shadowlands. The children then learn that they all died in a railway accident and that they will remain there happily ever after. <ref> [[The Last Battle]] by C.S. Lewis, Macmillam Publishing Co. 1970.</ref>
==Conservative Themes==
While the series is fantasy, there are clear references to real-world issues. Most of these references reflect conservative values.
*'''Criticism of atheism''' - In ''The Last Battle,'' the protagonists encounter a group of dwarfs. When Puzzle the donkey is revealed as a fraud, they reject the entire concept of Aslan, denying that he exists. They stubbornly refuse to accept even the most blatant evidence of his existence; when he growls at them, they claim that it's "done with a machine," echoing the liberal tendency to idolize technology and science over God.
*'''Criticism of public schools''' - In both ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' and ''The Silver Chair'', Lewis describes Eustace Scrubb's school--a "progressive" school where the students are allowed to run wild and disrespect for rules, traditions, and faith is encouraged. Needless to say, the school is not presented in a favorable light; Scrubb's fairly despicable personality in ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' is presented as being largely a result of his time at this school (and his atheist parents.)
*'''The value of faith''' - On numerous occasions, the elder Pevensie siblings ignore Lucy, confident that their "superior knowledge" will lead them to the correct decision. Almost invariably, they turn out to be wrong; Lucy, with her unwavering faith, turns out to be correct time and time again. Fortunately, the elder Pevensies are usually humble enough to admit this when it happens.
*'''Distinct gender roles''' - It is repeatedly made clear that the expectations are different for the male and female protagonists of the story. Susan and Lucy are both told that Aslan "does not mean for them to be in battle." On the other hand, both Peter and Edmund are expected to defend their sisters, if need be. However, this does not mean that Susan and Lucy are regarded as worthless; the series simply acknowledges that their role is different, but equally valuable.
== Religious Criticisms ==
== Religious Criticisms ==