The Curious Case of C.S. Lewis

"The Chronicles of Narnia", seven books about an enchanted realm ruled by a benevolent lion, is a fine sample of Children's literature. The semblance to the Biblical tales is hard to ignore. But Clive Staples Lewis, commonly called C.S. Lewis, is not a believer. Say that again?

Most novelists based their story from their own lives. After all, fiction is about imagining things. Then there are cases when it's about their beliefs, which is a result of their different upbringing. Lewis's case is not unique, as it's about coming to terms with his conflicted feelings towards religion. Film enthusiasts should know this, as some of Ingmar Bergman's works question the existence of a supreme being. (But he resorted to psychoanalysis.) The Englishman, who was born on November 29, 1898, used a familiar device in children's books, which is creating another world. As for the characters, they're so disarming that one forgets to read between the lines.

A series of events worth repeating

"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" is the first to be published. However, if one would arrange the seven books according to the sequence of events, then it would fall on the second. This is the best in the series, about the Pensevie brood who escapes the Blitz for the countryside. It's a typical estate, with hardly no one around and only rainfall to break the monotony. It happened one rainy afternoon, when boredom prompted the siblings to play hide and seek. Lucy, the youngest of four, find herself in an empty room. There was only a huge wardrobe, which had a tale to tell (if it could talk).

The owner of the wardrobe was Professor Diggory, who got the wood from a tree of unknown origin. Actually, it was the professor himself who got it from another realm. He was a laddie back then, where his uncle's magical ring transported him from one world to another. He ended up in Narnia, an Eden-like realm ruled by Aslan, a lion who was the ruler in that universe. It was paradise, if not for the White Witch. She's the most memorable character in the series, the reason why children and adults are drawn to the books. Literature don't have many female villains, so she surely captured everyone's attention. She may have perished in "The Lion. the Witch, and the Wardrobe", but she reincarnated in "The Silver Chair". Her malevolent spirit seemed to live on, as shown in "The Last Battle".

Heavenly creatures

Aslan's death and resurrection would stir Christian followers. As for the White Witch's fall from grace, they must look at the Book of Genesis. There are more comparisons, but these tend to oversimplify the series. It may be what Lewis intended. It's hard to tell if the books turned Lewis into a believer, which a non-believer would dismiss immediately. Lewis had an open mind. He could have attempted to be positive, as he witnessed the war. Despite the bleak tone, "The Chronicles of Narnia" tried to find that voice to believe. The Pensevie children did.