The Lion
Lewis' choice of the Lion to be the Christ figure seems like an easy choice. The image of the Lion as King is an easy train of thought to follow. However throughout the Narnia series the reader finds Lewis playing with this choice, showing all the complicated ways that the image of the Lion works well. A few examples can be found below.
- In the Magicians Nephew, Aslan is seen as the creator of Narnia. Narnia is world inhabited by talking creatures so it makes sense that the "king of the jungle" is their creator. Aslan's behavior sets him as the bridge between the animals and the people who stumble into the newly born world.
- In the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, the image of the Lion being shaved helps to convey the absolute shame of his death. This harkens back to the abuse of Jesus being wrapped in fine clothes, beaten, spit on, and crowned with thorns. A maneless Lion just seems to be something against nature. In this moment Aslan was submitting his kingship to the Witch in the same way that Jesus submitted to human authorities (John 18:37)
- In the Horse and His Boy Aslan hides himself and behaves as a wild lion in order to move the two heroes towards their goal. This lion behaves in a seemingly natural (wild) way, but behind it is the much deeper pool of reasoning of Aslan's will. A lion can be just as wild and "ordinary" as it can be majestic and kingly.
- In the Silver Chair, the fear of God is displayed in Jill Pole's fear of Aslan standing by the river. Like the Christian understanding of God, Jill is both afraid of Aslan and irreversibly drawn to the river he guards. To get the benefit of the river, Jill must deal with God. Christianity teaches similar doctrine: Salvation comes from Jesus alone.
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