The Return to the Wardrobe by Linnea Orians
When I was younger, my dad would read to us from The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. He would gather my sisters and me before bedtime and attempt to keep our attention, while also quieting us down before bed. His voice would dip and turn as he brought the characters to life. While I do not remember how many of the books he made it through, I know it was not all of them. I had the hardest time deciphering the British accent and terminology the characters carried. Eventually, my dad tucked the books away for when we were a bit older.
That memory has quietly remained over the years, leading to a determination to read through the series eventually. Through the gift of my high school English teacher, I found myself reading C.S. Lewis's apologetic works. C.S. Lewis has a way of logically arguing a point while cutting straight to your heart. I tried to hold onto every conclusion and left the margins filled with notes of internal revelation. The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce accompanied me through college and I reread The Four Loves before my wedding day. Yet, in all those years, I never picked up The Chronicles of Narnia. Perhaps it seemed his other books were more important or I began reading books with more “practical” purposes. Not to mention, there were always the movies that could be watched—I know, I know, the book is always better than the movie.
Then, a dear friend of mine nonchalantly mentioned she was listening to The Chronicles of Narnia on audiobook. It brought the desire back to the forefront of my mind. It was something I could listen to right away. And so, the return to the wardrobe began.
Everything about the books is magical. From the imaginative world to the real personalities of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. There is a whimsy within the words that have helped reframe my perspective. The tasks that lie ahead of me seem more light-hearted with room for anything to happen. My mind feels ready to experience everything as if it was new—similar to a childlike view where the possibilities for good and fun are endless—dread is replaced with optimism.
No longer do things seem impossible, for if Aslan (the God figure of the story) can do anything, certainly God can make anything possible too. Narnia is already full of beasts and landscapes that are outside of our earthly knowledge. Yet, Aslan works beyond the natural rules of Narnia. He knows who needs help and how to provide it. When he breathes he brings beasts and trees back to life, who reenter the world with dancing and praise. He overwhelms armies to their knees and elevates children to be kings and queens. Each time Aslan enters the scene I have no doubt he has shown up for a reason, with purpose, and with victory already obtained. And is that not how I should trust God, with confidence and reverence? Seeing it displayed in Aslan provides another way for me to try and comprehend the gravity of God and all he is capable of—part of that is that no one knows all that he is capable of—simply that he is capable.
A common human obstacle is experiencing a hard time without knowing the reason or being able to see a purpose in it. Almost every character the audience comes to know in The Chronicles of Narnia series expresses this at one point or another. Then, every time, Aslan bounds in at the right moment to reveal what it is all for. He proves that the strife was providence and guidance, needed to bring about greater blessing. Trying to comprehend the blessings I have personally missed amongst the hardships, I was brought to tears as I sat in my car listening. Of course, God has used all things for good and has been there the whole time. It is the sweetest reminder.
The lessons C.S. Lewis weaves into the story are easier to swallow when the character you love is learning them too. It was not until I was deep into the first book that I realized the lessons are not only for children.
My heart feels the weight of the lessons Lewis has been leading up to as the pieces start to come together for the characters. I have seen snippets of me in each character as they face trials and uncertainties. When Aslan confronts the characters for their sin, I am being called out by God. Usually, I relate to Susan in these moments and am reminded not to overthink every option, including those which are near impossible. Truth be told, I always want to be Lucy and have the boldness and belief she carries. Lewis captures most human tendencies in the four children (perhaps instead of the enneagram we should all figure out which character we are most like). The beauty of books is that you get to travel with the characters as they learn, repent, and conquer the issue which is holding them back. Once again, I find myself believing more things are possible because I get to witness storylines unfold for characters I see myself in.
Carrying on throughout each book, the character development is strong and the plots interconnect. Viewing the world of Narnia from a bird’s eye view makes it easier to see how everything works together. God knows the whole plan, similar to how C.S. Lewis knows the plan for Narnia as he writes. Everything comes together as it should, for the good, of the characters and the land of Narnia. While the books can be read individually, together the history builds into great reminders. Characters that seemed small at first, are honored greatly later. Gifts given at the beginning save Narnia down the line. Lewis must have written with intentionality—or great memory—to connect so many details throughout the whole series, on multiple levels. Think about how many details God lovingly holds dear to write our story within the story of the world.
As an adult it is easier to see the parallelism The Chronicles of Narnia has to the Bible and specifically the life Jesus lived. Reading through there are times a Bible story will come to mind. Lewis somehow brings Old Testament narrative to meet the New Testament salvation of Jesus. Within the Bible, everything points to Jesus. Additionally, Lewis also captures the idea of the trinity and God as three persons: Aslan can clearly be seen as Jesus, yet he also lives outside of time like God, and is as personal to each character’s deepest needs as the Holy Spirit is.
These are books I will reread for the rest of my life. Listening to them, I have already begun to imagine the audiobook playing as my kids fall asleep—letting the words speak over them to instill hope and whimsy—and reminding me of God’s loving providence through all of life’s circumstances.
Lewis, C.S.. The Chronicles of Narnia. Narrated by Michael York et al., HarperCollins, 2005. Audiobook.
Linnea is pursuing writing and editing to make the world feel a bit smaller and much sweeter. She believes relationships are one of the greatest ways to be a light, and truly loves how God reveals himself through his Word. Linnea and her husband live in Upstate New York looking forward to multiple cups of morning coffee and the smell of snow.