Glimpses of Primary World in Narnia- Heidi Naylor

As J.R.R. Tolkien talks about in “On Fairy Stories”, authors of mythology become ‘sub-creators”. A sub-creator is someone who creates a secondary world, which can be entered through the mind. This world, which is run by it’s own laws, is a presentation of something new and gives the reader a glimpse of the primary world. Taking this into consideration with Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, it is interesting to observe the secondary world in which he created, and what it shows about his view of the primary world.

For one, it is important to note that Lewis is a Christian. He has often been quoted saying that he never intended to create allegorical religious meaning within his works, but that it had flowed through him. Whether or not this is completely accurate, there were a couple scenes in which this Christian symbolism truly imprinted itself in my mind.

One of these scenes occurred when the Penvensie children learn of Aslan for the first time from Mr. Beaver: “he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of the Beasts? Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion” (146). Shortly after this, Lucy asks if he’s safe, to which Mr. Beaver responds: “’Course he isn’t sage. But he’s good. He’s the King I tell you”.

This scene made me instantly think of what Jesus said in John 16:33: “"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." From Mr. Beaver’s words, it can be known that Aslan has much power within Narnia, and even more importantly, he’s good. Yet, Mr. Beaver makes a distinction between being good and being safe, claiming that while Aslan might not be safe, he is good.

The same can be said about Jesus; He never said life in this world would be easy or safe, but He did say He has already overcome it. In Romans 8:28, Paul states “and we know that all things work together for good to those that love God”. On a societal level, we often like to believe that being safe and being good have to coexist, however, it seems as though Lewis understood that Christ’s goodness is better than our perceptions of “safety”.