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The Might of the Heart

The might of the heart centres around the idea that physical strength doesn’t always translate to being a better Christian. What is important in belief in God and that through God strength will be given. This is a theme constantly repeated in the realm of Narnia.

First seen with the fact that the saviours of this world are children. Aslan himself is a lion and yet at the end of the day it comes down to four children to save the day. This continues with the choice for the Pevensie’s to come back to Narnia as children in Prince Caspian. The last time they left Narnia they were well into their 30’s but the laws of Narnia chose to bring them back as children because with their belief in Aslan their physical strength is of less importance.

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
Isaiah 40:29

Lucy and Aslan prepared to take on the Army of Telemarines

The second film further illustrates this point with Lucy and Reepicheep. Reepicheep is arguably the greatest warrior and yet he is a mouse. His strength and power come from his heart and his spirit not his size. Similarly with Lucy, she is sent on the most important mission, to find Aslan. After completing this she stands at the end of a bridge with little more than a dagger in her hand to defend against the approaching army. This image is striking because she isn’t scared, she knows that as long as Aslan, or God, is beside her she can take on anything.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

Seeking God

The theme of seeking God is very prominent in the second film, Prince Caspian. All the characters chose to follow their internal voices above seeking God which leads them into peril. The first time this happens is when Lucy sees Aslan across the gorge and instead of following him and seeking him she and her siblings go a different way that fails. Eventually they return to the spot Lucy saw Aslan and discover a pathway across.

Lucy finding the new path down the gorge

This is symbolic of the Christian theme and teaching of seeking God. Christians believe that only by actively seeking the presence of God can you find him. This theme is echoed on the gorge in the fact that if the Pevensie’s had sought Aslan actively they would have been through it much quicker.

Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!
1 Chronicles 16:11

They seem to forget this lesson multiple times throughout the movie and constantly go against what Aslan had told them until the final scene when they begin to practice his teachings and have Lucy and Susan go out in active search of him.

Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Psalm 34:10

Good Vs. Evil

Aslan forgiving Edmund for falling into temptation

The idea of a clearly divided Good and Evil is also a Christian idea that is present in Narnia. Aslan is representative of all that is good and his opposition represents evil. The Christian version of this is the constant battle between God and Satan.

Another element of this is idea of forgiveness of sins. Just as Aslan died on the table and was able to to forgive Edmund for his treachery in the first film Christian’s believe that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of their sins.

Christian Knighthood

Christian Knighthood is a concept that has existed in literature for hundreds of years. One of the earliest examples of it is in the stories of King Arthur and his round table. Service to God was an expected part of a knight of Camelot’s duty. This idea translated to the real world events of the Crusades and the Knights of the Templar. This duty to fight for your God is less visible in our modern day society but may have been very prominent in the post WWI world that Lewis wrote these books in.

Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9

Peter and Edmund with the emblem of Aslan on their armour

This ideal begins to be represented in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe through the medieval world Narnia attempts to replicate and by Peter being given a sword by Santa Claus. It continues in this film as we see the characters train for battle against the Witch.

Prince Caspian further examines this point in the fact that Caspian, Peter, and Edmund all feel that fighting Miraz’s troops is the only way to defeat him. It is also shown in the first part of the final battle where they challenge him to a dual, a convention of knighthood.

Strength of Faith

Aslan and Lucy finally meeting in *Prince Caspian*

The idea of the strength of faith is seen in both films but especially in the second film, Prince Caspian. The four Pevensie’s return to Narnia with varying strengths of their faith in Aslan. It doesn’t take very long for them and the audience to realize that this loss of faith is not just with them.

Lucy, whose faith is the strongest throughout the film, is almost attacked by a bear because she believes all the animals can still talk. She is surprised and saddened to learn that many of the animals have forgotten how to talk and many of the trees have forgotten how to dance.

For we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7

Trumpkin kneeling before Aslan when he finally sees him

The other element of this theme is a lack of proof. Trumpkin has lost faith because he has no tangible proof of Aslan. This is similar to many people who have a hard time believing in God without physical evidence. Christianity teaches to believe in God despite this, a lesson that Trumpkin also learns when he is confronted with Aslan at the end of the movie as Lucy asks him if he can “see him now?”. This is also exemplified in Peter’s journey as he has a hard time dealing with the fact that Aslan has yet to show up in person to help them.

Now Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1

These instances serve as a Christian metaphor to the audience about Christian’s and how many of them have lost their true faith and belief in God.

Temptation

Temptation is a theme that appears in the world of Narnia and in the bible. In Christianity it is commonly believed that all people will be tempted and that temptation is a fact of life, what is important and what makes a good Christian is the response to this temptation.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
1 Corinthians 10:13

This idea of temptation can be seen in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe when Edmund is tempted by Jadis, or the devil. Tempted by the promise of riches, kingship, and turkish delights, Edmund goes with Jadis and stands by while she exerts her reign on Narnia and on his siblings. At the beginning he falls prey to this temptation but eventually turns against it and to Aslan, or God.

Edmund being given Turkish Delights, the first of his many temptations

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
Timothy 6:9

In Prince Caspian Caspian is first tempted when he and the Narnians go to storm the castle of his evil uncle Miraz. Instead of following the plan he allows himself to be drawn in by the temptation of revenge and goes to kill his sleeping uncle. He is unable to do so and this momentary lapse in judgement is one of the reasons the raid is unsuccessful.

Caspian blinded by his temptation for revenge

Temptation and Jadis go hand in hand in the world of Narnia as she appears after this loss to tempt Peter and Caspian. This time she presents herself as the lesser of two evils and promises them the ability to defeat Miraz if they resurrect her. Both men almost give in and bring her back until Edmund slices through Jadis’ spell.

Edmund destroying the White Witch’s spell

There are other instances of temptation in Narnia as well. The actions discussed and the other actions in the Narnian stories reaffirm the Christian belief that temptation will always be there but that good Christians will turn away or make up for their past misdoings. This also ties into the Christian belief of forgiveness as all characters who fall prey to temptation will be forgiven by Aslan, an echoing of the Christian belief that God forgives all sins.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Books and The Movies

The Books:

The Chronicles of Narnia are a series of seven books written by C. S. Lewis between 1950 and 1956. The books tell the story of a land called Narnia and feature talking animals, dancing trees, and other fantastical elements. Many people refer to these works as Christian allegories or fables due to their many Christian elements.

Although they were not written in this order the intended reading order of the books is The Magician’s Nephew (1955), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950), The Horse and his Boy(1954), Prince Caspian (1951), The Voyage of the ‘Dawn Treader’ (1952), The Silver Chair(1953), and then finally The Last Battle (1956).

The Movies:

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was released in theatres in December of 2005, to be followed up by Prince Caspian’s release in May of 2008. The fifth book in the series, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, was also adapted December of 2010.

The film series follows mostly the same plot as the books with a couple necessary adjustments to translate it to the silver screen.

Following the less successful release of Dawn Treader the movies were put on hold for a couple years. In October of 2018 an announcement was made about the partnership with the C.S. Lewis company and Netflix, and that they would be producing films and television series in the world of Narnia. It has yet to be stated if these will be a continuation of the existing movies or a reboot.

C. S. Lewis

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
C. S. Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland on November 29th, 1898. He was raised in a Protestant family. Although he was raised going to church he described himself as having lost his faith a a teenager. He attended Oxford until World War I broke out at which time he joined the British army.

After his experience and injury in World War I he was left with many questions about God and Christianity. He also returned to Oxford and became a part of a group called the “Inklings”, with members like J.R.R. Tolkein and Hugo Dyson. Eventually he returned to Christianity, a theme that is present in many of his works.

He is well known for his series The Chronicles of Narnia, but also published many other novels including The Allegory of Love and The Screwtape Letters.

For Further Reading:

Works Cited

Adamson, Andrew, director. The Chronicle of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Walt Disney Productions, 2008.

Adamson, Andrew, director. The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe. Walt Disney Productions, 2005.

Bennett, J. A. W. “Lewis, Clive Staples (1898–1963).” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 4 Oct. 2019, http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-34512.

“C. S. Lewis: The Official Website for C. S. Lewis and His Works.” Official Site | CSLewis.com, HarperCollins, 2019, http://www.cslewis.com/us/.

Coogan, Michael D., et al. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Oxford University Press, 2010.

McAndrew, Colleen Anne. “Knights in Shining Armor: the Ideal of Christian Knighthood.” Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!, Emily C. A. Snyder, 3 May 2000, members.tripod.com/Snyder_AMDG/Annie2.html.

Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.

All images are screen caps from the films sourced on kissthemgoodbye.net, 2018.

Reepicheep

Reepicheep is a warrior mouse featured in Prince Caspian. He is seen commanding a whole troop of other mice but is shown as the greatest fighter of them all, perhaps even of the whole movie. He offers another perspective about strength and Christian knighthood in the film.

He also demonstrates the fact that even the greatest Christians sin. His sin is his pride as seen when he asks Aslan to grow back his tail upon their first meeting. Aslan chastises him for his vanity but does grow back his tail. He does this not because Reepicheep asked but because his troop of mice were willing to sacrifice their tails if their leader didn’t have one.