Barry-Chronicles of Narnia 2—Innocence of Children

In our discussion of The Chronicles of Narnia, the innocence of children had been discussed at some length—particularly as to whether it exists or is just a supposition which has developed over time. We often think of children (before the age or 12 or so) as innocent, pure and unintentional in any wrong they may do. It is a nice thought that children to not harbor any malice before they age past childhood years, yet Lewis’ books seem to suggest that the later may not be true. As can be seen in the Narnia books, children are often the cause of trouble—including Digory and the White Witch, as well as Edmund in Narnia.  There is an irrational innocence at play which, perhaps, guides the mind of the child. Theologically speaking, I would not suggest that children are somehow any less pure than anyone else. If anything, they would be more innocent since they have not been exposed to the same world experience. The idea of “losing one’s innocence” reflects the idea that we are born with a purity which, after life experience, gets tainted (sometimes lost). Jesus often speaks in the New Testament to model one’s faith like that of a child’s. The innocence of children is carefully protected in our society. This can be seen in the lengths to which parents will go to not only protect their child, but to ensure their playful years are full of innocent fun. Whether children are truly innocent or are inflicted with an inborn irrationality remains to be seen. Still, it is evident through Lewis’ works that children play an  important role in both story-telling and stories themselves.