March 24, Narnia Entry
One of the most interesting conversations in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is between Uncle Kirke, Peter, and Susan over Lucy’s behavior and her alleged experience in a wardrobe. The question posed, is whether it is possible that something ostensibly irrational could in fact be the most logical explanation. Can reason indicate something outrageous is the truth? In this story, it turns out such is the case, but could this be the case in our own world?
Based on Lewis’s discussion with Tolkien in the chapter Mythopoeia from Carpenter’s the Inklings, this was a manner by which Lewis himself came across particular truths. Myths are something which appears entirely irrational, but there is something about them which draws the reader in and provides the reader great benefit. The quest for understanding the value in myths is a logical one: an analysis of what myths are, and what they communicate. Yet the results of this analysis regard ideas which are not logical, they are entirely irrational: joy has no foundation in reason. I think this is an illustration of a “leap of faith”. Reason can take an individual to the ledge, but they have to make the jump on sheer faith that the truth lies beyond. The Pevensies have the benefit of experiencing truth (Narnia & Aslan) but once they return to the real world they are left with only memories, or abstract notions of real and true experiences they once had. Susan ends up “rationalizing” these memories, and denying their truth, which indicates that despite the experience they were given, a continual leap of faith is required to remember those memories accurately.
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