When I first read the books I was about 8 or 9. I know I was still in elementary school by 5th grade I had read all of them except for Prince Caspian. I read them completely out of order too. I read The Last Battle first. During the summer, one of the bookstore by my house (I think it was Barnes and Noble) had a deal going where if you read ten books, and your parent signed off on you reading all ten books, you got a voucher for a free book. Now, the free book had to come off a specific table in the back. So I went to the table, all excited to get my free book. There weren't a lot lot of options, and in the end I stood there, debating between the The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Last Battle. When I read the description for the former, I thought the story sounded really familiar to the BBC movie I rented a few times from Blockbuster. The latter, had sounded interesting and I though "you know what? The other sounds like that movie and this sounds pretty intense. So, I think I will try this one!" I lovedthe book, and realized it was part of a 7 part series. After that, I pretty much just went to the library and checked out whatever was available and sounded interesting along with any other books I wanted to read. It wasn't until later that I realized that they told a complete story when all together. It wasn't until later I learned C.S. Lewis was a Christian and wrote these books with Christian morals and Messianic figured. I had never even heard of this type of allegory until much later anyway.
So, after the new movies started coming out, my husband confessed to wanting to read the books. I think he had read them before, but just wanted to read them again. Either way, we found a box set and bought them. I started reading them before he did, and I still am not sure if he has actually picked up any of them or not. i did notice something on this read through though. I NOTICED THE ALLEGORIES!!! More specifically, I noticed all the little messages also hidden in the book.
For instance, Lucy was the only one able to see Aslan when they returned to Narnia in Prince Caspian. A lot of this had to do with her faith, and possibly even her age. I thought it interesting to note, that the nest to see Aslan was Edmund, only a little older than Lucy, but younger than Susan. I can't remember who saw Aslan next, but I know Susan and Peter were the last to see Aslan. At the end, they were also told they they had grown too old. I wonder if them growing older in the year since they first entered Narnia has caused them to be more jaded. Perhaps even thinking of Narnia as nothing more than a very vivid game in which they used their imaginations? I'm not sure, but it sure was interesting seeing Lucy's childlike faith in comparison to theirs.
Another part that i found interesting, was how the girls found Aslan was bigger than they remembered. When they voiced this to Aslan, he told them that he was indeed bigger. For as they grew, he grew also. I thought this was a great analogy for our faith. When we are children, we have a faith in God that while it isnt questioned, we havent truly started to learn about God's nature. We know Him as the Creator of all things, who made each of us. Yet, as we grow older, our faith is given the chance to deepen. As our faith deepens, and we study more about God and grow closer to Him, our faith in Him grows too. He becomes a bigger and bigger part of our lives.
There is so much more, and I'm so glad my eyes have been opened to these bits of the story that I hadn't seen before. Definitely makes you think a bit more when you read them
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