At the conclusion of “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” Lucy and Edmund realize that their journeys through Narnia have come to an end; they will not be returning to Narnia or Aslan. Aslan explains to both why this must happen:
"You are too old, children," said Aslan, "and you must begin to come close to your own world now."
"It isn't Narnia, you know," sobbed Lucy. "It's you. We shan't meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?"
"But you shall meet me, dear one," said Aslan.
"Are-are you there, too, Sir? said Edmund.
"I am," said Aslan. "But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there." WIT, Chapter 16, p. 541)
This whole exchange between Aslan, Lucy, and Edmund left me confused me in multiple ways. First, why are Edmund and Lucy too old? Are they too old to live in a fantasy world like Narnia? If they cannot return to Narnia because they “must begin to come close to their own world,” why be brought to Narnia in the first place? During their time in Narnia, Edmund and Lucy learned of Aslan, but what more did they learn during their time spent within this fantasy world? Couldn’t they have learned of God and important lessons back in their own world? Aslan himself says that they will “know me better there.” Doesn’t that statement suggest that they would learn more about God while spending time in their own world?
Another big question to ask about this conversation is: why did Aslan have Edmund, Lucy, and Peter return to Narnia when they died? If he had told them previously that they needed to know of him (as God) in their own world, why wouldn’t they remain with their parents?
No comments:
Post a Comment