As we’ve come to find out, there are many possible verdicts we can arrive at when it comes to our interpretation of gender in the world of Narnia. Where do you stand? Is Lewis sexist? Misogynistic? Is his treatment of men and women in The Chronicles of Narnia fair and equal, and do they serve as accurate representations of people journeying through their faith, or is he wrong to depict them so? There are—as we’ve discussed—many possible outlooks on the topic. But, ultimately, we are all subject to our own interpretations. For me, personally (and as a Christian myself), I think Lewis nailed the struggles of a Christian young person, and the journey of faith and relationship with God, through the struggles of all the children, both male and female, and their encounters with Aslan the lion. Personally, I don’t think he is misogynistic. I think that if it were Edmund instead of Susan, who was lost to Narnia because of his (for lack of a better example) jealousy over Peter, I would see it no differently. Gender—in this case—has no correlation with evil or susceptibility to temptation, but rather, it was a matter of happenstance. My grandfather always says “there are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the right side.” Is it fair to take Lewis’ depiction of Susan’s loss of faith as an example of a sexist worldview? I don’t believe so, but it’s not entirely up to me to decide. But what do you think? Where do you stand? Leave me a message below if you want to further the discussion.
Thanks for reading!
Bibliography:
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Videos Accessed:
“Narnia Edmund vs Trumpkin.” YouTube, YouTube, 9 Feb. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=SgsdtRr2KFA. “Lucy's Dream and Aslan's Words to Her.” YouTube, YouTube, 21 Nov. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch? time_continue=194&v=w4AvyHMJ7TE.