I recently ran through The Silver Chair once again, and reconfirmed my appreciation of it as my favorite volume of the Chronicles. I think it the most mature, the most developed from a literary point of view, and the most subtle. It is the first of the stories to have what might be called a theology of Aslan, primarily expressed by Puddleglum and Prince Rilian.
I notice something new every time through, and this time I got pondering on how the travelers fare after they liberate the Prince from his enchantment and kill the Witch (though they very nearly get re-enchanted in the process.) What I especially noticed was what didn't happen: Aslan didn't appear, congratulate the travelers on the completion of their mission, and blow (or shake, or whatever) them back to Narnia. No, they still had some traveling to do, some of it rather risky. They had to figure out what was happening, then (once they had heard the gnome's story and seen them back to Bism) travel through the dark and gloomy underworld, with the water rising and the lights fading, to a destination that they didn't know anything about. Even their first encounter with Narnia wasn't what it first seemed – Jill was pulled through a hole leaving the others in the dark, alarmed and mystified as to what had happened to their companion. This isn't like Lion, where Aslan returns from death, reanimates the ossified creatures, then dramatically roars onto the battlefield to kill the Witch personally.
I got thinking about how closely this parallels our earthly pilgrimage of faith. When we are liberated from slavery to sin, and “kill” the serpent of rebellion in our own lives, the story isn't over yet – we aren't “home to Narnia.” We still have to travel through dark territory under dangerous circumstances (though, as the gnomes prove, sometimes the dangers aren't as serious as they appear.) We still have to find our way along the path by way of dim and failing lights. Ultimately we have to pass through an opening that we can't see beyond, having to trust in Aslan's guidance. Sound kind of like our earthly life?
One thing that particularly strikes me is how scarce Aslan is while they are in these dire circumstances. He appears at the beginning and end of the story, and once to Jill in a dream. Otherwise they are left to simple obedience and faith in His provision – as are we, more often than not. Face it: visions and special words and other consolations can be very rare during our pilgrimage. Often following Christ is simply a question of recalling the Signs and trudging forward. Even when we know we're free of the enslavement of sin, we still have to “get out” of this life to get home – and that journey is usually far from glamorous.
Anybody have any thoughts on the journey through the Underworld after the Witch's death, and how it compares to our earthly pilgrimage?
I notice something new every time through, and this time I got pondering on how the travelers fare after they liberate the Prince from his enchantment and kill the Witch (though they very nearly get re-enchanted in the process.) What I especially noticed was what didn't happen: Aslan didn't appear, congratulate the travelers on the completion of their mission, and blow (or shake, or whatever) them back to Narnia. No, they still had some traveling to do, some of it rather risky. They had to figure out what was happening, then (once they had heard the gnome's story and seen them back to Bism) travel through the dark and gloomy underworld, with the water rising and the lights fading, to a destination that they didn't know anything about. Even their first encounter with Narnia wasn't what it first seemed – Jill was pulled through a hole leaving the others in the dark, alarmed and mystified as to what had happened to their companion. This isn't like Lion, where Aslan returns from death, reanimates the ossified creatures, then dramatically roars onto the battlefield to kill the Witch personally.
I got thinking about how closely this parallels our earthly pilgrimage of faith. When we are liberated from slavery to sin, and “kill” the serpent of rebellion in our own lives, the story isn't over yet – we aren't “home to Narnia.” We still have to travel through dark territory under dangerous circumstances (though, as the gnomes prove, sometimes the dangers aren't as serious as they appear.) We still have to find our way along the path by way of dim and failing lights. Ultimately we have to pass through an opening that we can't see beyond, having to trust in Aslan's guidance. Sound kind of like our earthly life?
One thing that particularly strikes me is how scarce Aslan is while they are in these dire circumstances. He appears at the beginning and end of the story, and once to Jill in a dream. Otherwise they are left to simple obedience and faith in His provision – as are we, more often than not. Face it: visions and special words and other consolations can be very rare during our pilgrimage. Often following Christ is simply a question of recalling the Signs and trudging forward. Even when we know we're free of the enslavement of sin, we still have to “get out” of this life to get home – and that journey is usually far from glamorous.
Anybody have any thoughts on the journey through the Underworld after the Witch's death, and how it compares to our earthly pilgrimage?
