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Madeline's Reviews > The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #3)
by C.S. Lewis, Pauline Baynes
by C.S. Lewis, Pauline Baynes
My favorite Narnia book so far. Lucy, Edmund, and their cousin ("called Eustace Clarence Stubb, and he almost deserved it") get accidentally transported onto King Caspian's ship, which is starting a journey to the eastern sea. The book is mostly just little episodes where they visit different islands, all of which are very different and very interesting. As I drew closer to the end of the book, I was fully prepared to give it five stars. BUT THEN came the ending. Specifically, one thing Aslan told Lucy and Edmund. Brace for impact.
Okay Lewis. I put up with the allegory, the symbolism, your oh-so-subtle hints that these wonderful stories are actually just Christian propaganda. I tolerated it, because you kept it to the sidelines and didn’t let the allegory overwhelm the cool stories with all the magic and swords and stuff. But then you had to ruin it. Just when I’d finished a fun book about a sea voyage with almost none of your usual blatant symbolism, you dropped the bomb:
"'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 knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.'"
Let me get this straight. All that amazing, magical stuff with the White Witch, the Christmas gifts, the swords and archery, Caspian, Tumnus, becoming kings and queens, Calormen, the sea voyage, REEPICHEEP… All of it was just. So the kids. Could learn. To love. Jesus.
Lewis, you manipulative SON of a BITCH.
Okay Lewis. I put up with the allegory, the symbolism, your oh-so-subtle hints that these wonderful stories are actually just Christian propaganda. I tolerated it, because you kept it to the sidelines and didn’t let the allegory overwhelm the cool stories with all the magic and swords and stuff. But then you had to ruin it. Just when I’d finished a fun book about a sea voyage with almost none of your usual blatant symbolism, you dropped the bomb:
"'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 knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.'"
Let me get this straight. All that amazing, magical stuff with the White Witch, the Christmas gifts, the swords and archery, Caspian, Tumnus, becoming kings and queens, Calormen, the sea voyage, REEPICHEEP… All of it was just. So the kids. Could learn. To love. Jesus.
Lewis, you manipulative SON of a BITCH.
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| 05/29/2016 | marked as: | read | ||
Comments (showing 1-11 of 11) (11 new)
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I just re-read the whole series about a month ago, and this is EXACTLY how I felt about this book. Nicely done.
Since writing the review yesterday I've calmed down a bit, but I'm still really upset that Lewis had to take the allegory that far. Imagine a little kid reading this, not getting the symbolism, and spending the rest of their childhood trying to figure out what Aslan meant when he said he had another name in the human world. And then figuring it out, and realizing that these amazing stories they loved are basically just a creative Sunday School lesson. And now I'm angry again.
I'm not sure that kids are that impressionable. I read these books when I was a kid, and I also read a children's bible and a book about Christian heroes. I was baptised and reconciled and communised and confirmed, and I attended church every Sunday. By the time I re-read these books, I had forgotten almost everything about them and I am an atheist. I would imagine most kids would just skim over the bits they don't understand, like that part you mentioned about Aslan. I was so focused on the whole lamb-symbolism thing that I didn't even pick that up when I read it a couple of months ago!I am curious as to whether this is the same for other people, though. In general I seem to have been monumentally unmoved by the books I read as a child, but people are always worrying about their effect on 'impressionable minds' or whatever. Maybe I just have a bad memory?
I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a kid and didn't get the Christian parallels at all--even though I went to Sunday school regularly and all that. And I was a strong reader.
Madeline/All,Not to be crass, but "Hello, the book is written by a Christian Apologist, what did you think?" Lewis isn't insidious, he is just who he is, and he can't change that. I, for one, don't see it as bad that there are allegorical/allusive elements with Christianity (which I have a very hard time saying is a bad thing to begin with). The books (Narnian Chronicles in general) can be read without the sub-text, and aside from this last chapter piece of this text, as a child you wouldn't catch it. At least Lewis was honest enough in his work to acknowledge the subtext directly, something most authors don't (and (no pun intended) the lion share don't).
I enjoy these books as a great way to teach values and provide a fantasy land for me to go back to time and time again. I see them both as great fantasy tales and allusive messages, in equal measure, simultaneously. To me this doesn't detract from either, nor does it make them less enjoyable for one to see each individually.
Final thought: Sunday school lessons are not the dearth of the earth. I admit the organized church is a highly imperfect part of society, but if one learns such messages as "love your neighbor as yourself" I don't think society suffers from the teaching that happens most Sunday mornings in churches in America (or synagogues on Saturday, or mosques on Friday). I would even be as bold to say if we learned these things and took them seriously, we wouldn't have half the problems we experience in our daily lives.
I am glad Lewis made these principles as approachable as he has, your anger might better be used to simply accept things are what they are, and use that as a force to do the good.
Not to be crass, but "You're kind of a self-righteous douchebag and I specialize in verbal castration, what did you think?"Okay, that was extreme. But I thank you for your post, because it was a perfect demonstration of Lewis's writing style: you start out logical, easy to follow, and amusing. ("the books can be read without the subtext" - it's cute that you think that) Sure, everything's a little too preachy for my taste, but I can tolerate other people's viewpoints. But then at the end, the self-righteous condescension begins.
"...your anger might better be used to simply accept things are what they are, and use that as a force to do the good."
I'm going to avoid pointing out the obvious flaw in your logic there (accept things as they are while still trying to do good? That didn't even work for Gandhi), and will also try not to get upset at the way you trivialized my anger over Lewis's book.
Instead, I will simply make the observation that you are the second commentator I've had this month who appears to have joined Goodreads simply to troll my review, and have only a basic grasp of the English language. Are you people all in a club or something?
I couldn't read through the entirety of this series because of the religious undertones. I've got that whole "religious differences caused half of my country to die off" chip on my shoulder and even as a kid, I couldn't stand people trying to force it into my life in any way, shape or form. I don't think I was the only kid who caught them. Something good should come of the fact that all of these folks are signing up for GR because of you. Though I must say, they're quite entertaining.
I have to admit, I kind of enjoy responding to them. They're just so cute. And so far they've each just left one comment and then never come back, which means I always get the last word. But at the same time, I find myself wishing one of them would respond again. Nothing like a good old flame war to angry up the blood.
Madeline: I have to agree. I'm not a Christian, and I don't have anything against Jesus, but I feel quite cheated, ridiculous as it seems to think about of an author long dead, of the pleasure the innocent and magical fantasy gave me. It like finding out those church people who I went to as a little kid were just trying to convert me, they didn't really care bout giving me presents for easter and my b-day, just to please me and my parents to change ourselves. And in the 21st century too.
Nonetheless, Narnia is one of my favourite stories ever, and I've learnt people and their talents are very different things.
I love this review and I completely agree. But have u seen the film? It's really funny and they added different parts in again.
This is my favorite, as well. I used to want to have a pet named Reepicheep.