The Children as Aslan's tools

PrinceOfTheWest

PrinceOfTheWest

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The Chronicles are mostly told from the perspective of the visitors from our world, who are without exception children. Thanks to Lewis' engaging style, it's very easy to get caught up in these magical (and sometimes difficult and terrifying) things that "happen to" the children.

But stepping back, we realize that in Lewis' imaginative framework of Narnia, nothing happens in that world without Aslan willing it (for that matter, Lewis would say that would be true of our world as well.) Looking from that perspective, we see that the children never just "stumbled into" Narnia. However they found their way there, it was because Aslan wanted them to be there. Aslan says this to Jill Pole explicitly at the beginning of The Silver Chair, and implies it when speaking to Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace at the end of Dawn Treader, but it's always implicit.

So if we understand that the children are always drawn from this world by Aslan's will, and always end up doing something pivotal (the exception being Shasta/Cor, who wasn't brought from this world, but we can talk about that as we go), then we're faced with the inescapable conclusion that the children are used by Aslan as tools to effect His ends.

I think this idea is most explicitly expressed in my favorite of the Chronicles, The Silver Chair, but it's found throughout. So I ask for comments and thoughts on the idea of the children being Aslan's tools in the Narnian world. Let me prime the pump a bit by asking a few starter questions:
  • In each of the Chronicles, what is the most obvious ways that the children are used by Aslan to effect His ends?
  • How does the children's will play in? Are they passive tools in Aslan's plan, or do they have a choice in the matter?
  • What happens when they choose poorly? What are some examples of this? What kind of consequences result?
  • What do you think might be the significance of the "age limit" on the children visiting from our world? Why do you think Aslan has that?
That'll do for starters. Anyone want to jump in here?
 
Perhaps in a way the rings of Uncle Andrew were the knowledge of good and evil. Once mankind availed itself of their powers, it changed the rules forever. It established a covenential relationship between the Pevensie family and Aslan, and the promised land he gave them, much along the lines of "I shall be your God and you shall be my people." He blessed them, and they served him, even suffering for him.
 
Hmm, that's a thought, Magister. I'd think the Rings might represent the Knowledge of Good and Evil illicitly obtained, like the Forbidden Fruit in Eden. Aslan might have wanted travel between the worlds, but not that way - willy-nilly, at the whim of whoever wanted to come. Recall how Lewis contrasts travel by the Rings with Aslan's call to Queen Helen.

With that in mind, one way that Aslan used Polly and Digory was to collect the Rings and put them "out of circulation" - as well as to curb Uncle Andrew's lust for tampering with things he shouldn't. That wasn't all there was, of course, but it was one thing.

Any other thoughts? Taking The Magician's Nephew for a springboard, how were the humans making it into Narnia used to advance Aslan's plan? (Come to think of it, that was the only time adult humans made it into Narnia - and two of them stayed.)
 
Would that be TELL-MAR-EEENZ, too?

You're right - there were other times adult humans made it into Narnia - which opens entire other cans of worms. The Chronicles aren't clear how the Calormenes got in, but I suspect there was a gap of some sort that let a bunch of Persian-types through.

What might these other humans mean, in Aslan's grand plan?
 
As for what "the other humans" could mean: in the course of writing my own story, which does guess how the Calormenes might have "gotten in" (plug-plug! read it now before I finish it and it fades to the rear of the Writing Club!), I have pondered what purpose they would serve in Aslan's design.

We see in HHB that the Calormenes are aware of the existence of Jadis; but she obviously never invaded them. I speculate that God/Aslan used Calormen as a counterbalance to Jadis' power. By the time Jadis took possession of Narnia, Calormen had already grown so strong that even Jadis would hesitate to assault it; its armies would be big enough and well-disciplined enough to offer serious opposition even to Minotaurs and Evil Giants--and in a pinch, Tash might even have intervened to make Jadis keep her hands off his dupes. Therefore, Jadis would have settled for an isolated Narnia, and NOT tried to root out every human being even from Archenland, let alone everywhere on the whole quasi-planet. Thus the Calormenes, no thanks to them, would have HELPED Narnian-descended humans to survive, someplace, during the years when they had to stay out of Narnia.

As for the free will of the children: I am reminded of Esther. Everyone inflates Esther into a superwoman, to please the female audience; but in fact, plenty of men in the Old Testament did things much braver than walking up to a king they already knew was fond of them. (Can you say "burning fiery furnace"?) When Esther admitted her fear of even doing that much, Mordecai's pep-talk included a mention that God could rescue the Jews by some other agency than Esther's, but that it was better for Esther to choose to be God's instrument herself. So Esther did choose to be God's "tool."

If Digory Kirke had for some crazy reason actually refused to go after the apple that would produce the Tree of Protection, Aslan could have sent someone else--or even terrorized the boy into obedience; but it pleased Him that Digory went voluntarily.
 
Well...I think in some ways he made it clear to the kids, their reasoning for being there...the quote is in my siggy. He had plans for Narnia and allowed the tone to be set with the first humans there on the first day. They changed things when they brought Jadis in and Aslan said that they'd have to make things right if I recall correctly. He planned on the others coming later. The reason for the kids coming though I think is in my siggy...kids are still impressionable. Of course Frank, Helen, the telmarines...they went to Narnia as adults. Hmmm...
 
There was no "influence" of Aslan before they discovred him in MN. We see that with Uncle Andrew's actions to trick Polly (also her own interest) into taking the ring and convincing Digory to go after her.

They also went into Charn, seemingly with no "influence" of Aslan. Just as Edmund had been tempted by Jadis and Polly by the ring, Digory also was tempted to ring the bell. Finally, it was Digory and Polly that brought everyone to the creation of Narnia.

Ultimately, it was due to two children that evil came into Narnia during its creation. Polly's temptation of the humming of the rings and Digory's temptation of the bell. But it was only after Digory and heard the song of creation by Aslan that they finally came under his influence. Suddenly, they did no wrong, even after being tempted.

MrBob
 
I still think that Aslan was in control and in charge when the kids went to the Wood between the worlds. He allowed things to happen the way they did in my opinion.
 
Aslan is Lord of all Creation - and all worlds. Though He doesn't explicitly show up until late in Nephew, He's behind the scenes of all of it. He wasn't taken by surprise to have the crew there in Narnia at the moment of Creation - He was expecting them.

Of course, this doesn't negate the fact that people acted of their own free will, even when they rebelled (e.g. Digory in the Hall of Images). The wonder and mystery is that their free will - even their rebellion - was wrapped into Aslan's plan.

So, in what way were the children Aslan's tools in Nephew? The obvious one is bringing King Frank and Queen Helen. Do any others strike you?
 
Aslan is in charge the way I am in charge when I drive to the store. I see that my preferred route has a closed road due to construction. I detour around it and still get to the store. Aslan had to do a lot of that in LWW, Silver Chair, and VOTDT.

As for The Magician's Nephew, there were short term and long term consequences brought about by the children....

1) (Eventually) Jadis was brought to justice for murdering her entire world of Charn.
2) The rings of access were taken from Uncle Andrew
3) English became the language of Narnia
4) Digory's mother was healed
5) The raw materials for the magic wardrobe were brought to Earth
6) Uncle Digory was uniquely primed to properly advise the Pevensies about Narnia afterward.
7) The first Royal Family was established: Frank I and Helen.
8) The tree of protection was planted

There.
 
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"The wonder and mystery is that their free will - even their rebellion - was wrapped into Aslan's plan."

Ah, now we have the free will vs. fate (G*d's/Aslan's plan) debate POTW. Is everything fated to happen around the will of a deity, do we choose what to do without a plan, or do we have free will within the construct of a divine will?

So did Aslan have Uncle Andrew find the rings? Was he made evil so that he would choose to have two children be the first to leave Earth? Was it in his will that Narnia, in its infancy, would be infested with evil?

MrBob
 
I honestly dont see the value of arguing the whole "free will vs fate" question in this thread. We have a predestination vs free will thread if those kinds of questions need to be addressed.

As far as the ways in which the children were used by Aslan in Magician, it seems like ES pretty much hit the main ones I can think of.

This is a bit more of a tangential point, but is related in a way: one question that I've thought of was would evil have entered into narnia if not for the children? For example, from the animals or other creatures (given free will?) instead? And come to think of it, how did Tash get into narnia? Isn't the first mention of him in LB? (or am i overlooking something...) The children didnt have anything to do with Tash did they?

(I hope i'm not bringing the discussion off track. Feel free to take it in a different direction if you think so, POTW)
 
Charn Tim, your question is not off track; rather, it proves that addressing the higher questions IS WITHIN the scope of any discussion of Mr. Lewis' fiction.

Just as Satan himself did not need any PREVIOUS devil to corrupt him, so Narnian creatures could have gone wrong without any Jadis OR Tash to influence them. But it could be that, by allowing Jadis to be a known threat from Narnian Day One, Aslan was giving all Narnians an external foe to be united against, so that among themselves they would have that much more incentive to be mutually supportive.
 
It is a good question, and some good thoughts, CF.

The interesting thing about it seems to me how the fates of Narnia and Earth (particularly England :) ) were intertwined. Narnia's first king was a Victorian cabby, and the children were the "Adam's flesh and Adam's bone" that sat on the thrones at Cair.

Another thing seems clear: Narnia, like Earth, is peopled with morally accountable beings on their way to being perfected. They have free wills and can choose evil; hence Aslan's instructions to them on Narnia's creation day. In this respect they're not like the obedient angels and humans who have passed to glory. Angels and saints are "confirmed in grace" (I think that's the term); they have free will but cannot sin (a concept that seems alien to us).

But for those of us still walking the dust of this earth, or of Narnia, perfection is a goal we're reaching for. Some (e.g. Shift) don't make it, but many do. This may play a role in why humans are so involved in Narnian history - as the "elder race" in this process, would they be more better to guide the "younger" Narnians in their quest for holiness?
 
Having free will yet never sinning may become less mystifying if we think of the complete sinlessness as a _destination_ arrived at. Humans reaching Heaven have made the journey with God's grace, and in Heaven they can see just what the gradual purification of their wills on Earth was leading to; so henceforth the consent of their wills to eternal goodness is irrevocably given, and they continue for eternity in the holy state they have consented to. As for the righteous angels, they do not seem ever to have been in sin to need to be saved from it; but it must have been possible at some time for them to have sinned, since many DID fall with Satan. The angels who did not fall might have drawn the right lesson from those who chose to go wrong, so that the good ones in their own way made that _permanent_ choice to remain good.

I like the idea of US being an "elder race." It is so commonplace for us to imagine Elves and similar people being older and wiser than we are; but the reverse can also be imagined. In my own story (plug, plug), since the action takes place less than twenty years after Narnia was created, I have Narnian characters being aware that King Frank and Queen Helen have a depth of life-experience which no one native to Narnia can possibly have when Narnia is still so young.
 
Very well put, CF! That's a succinct and understandable an explanation of being confirmed in grace as I've ever heard! And I think you're right about the angelic/spiritual beings - at some point in time (however they relate to time) each was given a choice. Those who chose obedience were immediately confirmed in grace.

Also, good observation about the maturity and experience of redeemed humans being very useful in a sin-damaged Narnia.
 
Copperfox said:
Charn Tim, your question is not off track; rather, it proves that addressing the higher questions IS WITHIN the scope of any discussion of Mr. Lewis' fiction.
Click to expand...

yeah, that's true. I guess it must be addressed...

So I guess Tash doesnt need to have been present in narnia from the beginning in order for evil and corruption to exist?

CF, I found your explanation of being confirmed in grace helpful as well, although there would be much mystery still in how that works with angels, because it's not clear to me if time (as we know it) has meaning for angels.

Does anyone else have any more comments about the children being tools of aslan in Magician?
 
Back to the question again: (another answer)

Children are always seen as incapable of sin. Digory and Polly, therefore really could not have been truly responsible for any "sin" they committed. Yet, they were the ones who had control during every aspect of what happened from exploring Charn, to ringing the bell (after their major fight which Digory immediately regretted), bringing Jadis back to Earth, to bringing everyone back to the Wood and into the Narnian Pool.

They were the ones with the rings. They controlled their travel. They were the only ones who could bring anyone anywhere.

In the end, it would be Digory, as he was the one who rang the bell, to have to go on the first mission to retrieve the apple and have to resist temptation again. But it was not to be him who would be the one who would eventually resolved the problems his own actions created. That fell to Frank and Helen, who were made king and queen to protect all of Narnia from Jadis and, of course, the Pevensies who finally took care of the job.

And in response to Tash, he existed then,too. Maybe not with that name or look, but since he is the opposite of Aslan, he existed then too.

MrBob
 
"Children are always seen as incapable of sin"? By whom? Certainly not by Lewis - at least with any of the children he wrote into his stories. They may not be fully culpable for their actions due to immaturity and inexperience, but they know enough right from wrong to be at least partially responsible for their actions.

Thus Digory was responsible for his actions in the Hall of Images - though I think you're correct to point out that he was given the opportunity to make the quest to the Garden to correct it (something Aslan explicitly states.) But Digory was not wholly responsible for how things turned out - for instance, Uncle Andrew bears some of that responsibility for messing with what he shouldn't have.

It wasn't Frank and Helen who protected Narnia against Jadis - it was the Tree of Protection, without which the young land and its inexperienced royalty would have been helpless against the Monster of Charn. The Tree provided the protection so that Frank and Helen could get the new country established without interference.

Also, it is by no means certain that Tash was in that world yet. What nature of creature he was, and where he came from, is never said. But whatever he was, he was certainly not the "opposite" of Aslan. Nobody is the "opposite" of Aslan in nature, power, or ability - He stands above all.
 
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