And finally, Reepicheep. Reepicheep, perhaps is the most unique out of all of these characters, because he possesses something very rare in the human spirit [perhaps, now that I think of it, this is why he is, in fact, not a human]: undying faith. The rest of the characters who symbolize the ideal male all have faults, and seem to struggle in one aspect of their lives; they are all human (for lack of a better term). But Reepicheep, has an unextinguished desire to follow Aslan to the ends of the world. This is best represented in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, when Reepicheep leaves the Dawn Treader (and the rest of his companions) to go to Aslan's country:
"This," said Reepicheep, "is where I go alone." They did not even try to stop him... They helped him to lower his little coracle. Then he took off his sword ("I shall need it no more," he said) and flung it far away across the lillied sea... then he bade them goodbye, trying to be sad for their sakes; but he was quivering with happiness... (540) All three of these characters embody the ideal spiritual and humanistic qualities in a Narnian male--and, conversely, in a Christian male, as Lewis implies, allegorically. They must posses the following qualities: wisdom, strength, strong leadership skills, maturity, bravery, righteousness, and--above all--an undying faith. |
BOYZ II MEN
Now, let us discuss the growth of a Narnian male from childhood to manhood. The most prevalent examples of the journey to manhood are that of Edmund and Eustace. First—for chronological purposes, let’s look at Edmund.
Edmund, from the beginning of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, poises himself as a very cynical character, and one who is stoic in his disbelief of Lucy’s suggestion that there is another world beyond the Wardrobe. Not only does Edmund’s cynicism reflect the attitude of an older brother trying to be more rational than his younger sister, but it also reflects the notion of C.S. Lewis’ former atheistic worldview. Edmund, shortly after, faces many temptations in the rest of the novel, which symbolize the temptations every young boy faces while growing up. Taking the Turkish Delight from the White Witch, eventually, results in him following down a path of wrongdoings: selling out his brothers and sisters and helping the White Witch in her quest to be Queen of Narnia. Edmund’s redemption ultimately leads to him becoming a righteous, bold, and courageous character. Take a look at the scene below, I think it exemplifies Edmund’s new-found adulthood and his completed transition into adulthood—note how Edmund followed in Peter’s footsteps, and became a righteous character just like him. |
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Lastly, we have Eustace Scrubb, who has perhaps the most visible growth and redemption as a male character on the whole. From the start, Eustace is—let’s not be frank—an arrogant brat. The tone Lewis uses in the first chapter of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader allows the reader to react in dislike for the character from the very beginning:
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