Tuesday, January 4, 2011

The Chronicles of Narnia

So I've finished reading all seven books in the Chronicles of Narnia for the third time.  What a great series!!!!! =D  I must say though, the ending didn't quite get to me as much as it had before, but it felt good being able to finish it all.  The Christian allegory isn't lost on me though.  One of my favourite quotes comes near the end.  It is Aslan talking to a Calormene named Emeth who had served his god Tash his whole life.  I'll write the whole paragraph, though it is long, but it is all needed to fully grasp the idea in it.  Emeth had found Aslan, and here's the conversation that happens:

"I fell at his feet and thought, Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honour) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him.  Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be Tisroc of the world and live and not to have seen him.  But the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, 'Son, thou art welcome.'  But I said, 'Alas, Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash.'  He answered, 'Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me.'  Then by reason of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, 'Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one?'  The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, 'It is false.  Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites - I take to me the services which though has done to him.  For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him.  Therefore, if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him.  And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then, though he says the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted.  Dost thou understand, Child?'  I said, 'Lord, thou knowest how much I understand.'  But I said also (for the truth constrained me), 'Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days.'  'Beloved,' said the Glorious One, 'unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long and so truly.  For all find what they truly seek.'

Wow.

Another couple quotes I found interesting come from the fourth book, "Prince Caspian."  One is from the book, the other is from the movie.  Interestingly enough, they both come from the same place in the storyline: when Lucy speaks with Aslan for the first time, after she saw him and nobody else believed her.  It is a beautiful piece of dialog when the two first meet up:

"Welcome, child," he said.
"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
"Not because you are?"
"I am not.  But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."

Is this not true in our own spiritual walks?  As we get older and learn more about God, the bigger he seems to become.  I know that's true with me.

My next favourite quote is a line from the movie - not the book itself - but it is also very true:

"Aslan!  I knew it was you!  The whole time, I knew it!  But the others didn't believe me..."
"And why would that stop you from coming to me?"
"I'm sorry.  I was too scared to come alone."

How many times are we so sure about the Truth (notice the big-T Truth, not small-t truth...), but are afraid of what the others would think, and so we don't follow that Truth?  And that Truth is trying to lead us in a better way, but because we're so afraid of what other people would do, we choose such a harder path...

Well, that's about it for now, my eyes are getting sore from looking at this computer screen for so long... My next books to tackle are the Left Behind series.  I think with those ones I will update after each book.  I have 15 in total (2 prequels, the 12 in the series, and the sequel), though I'm sure there's more out now...

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