This past week in class we read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which is the story of Edmund, Lucy, and their cousin Eustace going to Narnia and journeying to the “utter East”, which is the edge of the Narnian world and the beginning of Aslan’s world.  The symbolism throughout this book was interesting—the journey itself represented the journey that we all take through mortality, towards Christ.  There were countless temptations and dangers along the way, but Aslan was always there as a comfort and a reminder to stay on the right course.  And within almost all of the characters you could see a transformation brought about through the mercy and love of Aslan.

       What really stood out to me throughout the book was the personal relationship Aslan had with each of the main characters, shown at various points in the story.  Eustace was the first to experience the change that came through his love—when he accidentally turned himself into a dragon, the process of “undragoning” was only possible through Aslan.  He could not peel back the layers of skin on his own, Aslan had to do it for him.  Furthermore, he was in a sense “baptized” in the healing waters after being stripped of his sinful disposition.  Lucy also had a personal experience with Aslan as he helped her resist the temptation to make herself beautiful by magic.  He also lovingly makes her aware of her mistake in spying on her friends, but forgives her and welcomes her back into his arms.  Caspian and Edmund were at the brink of a fight over the goldwater, but Aslan appeared in the distance as a reminder to not fall into that trap, and later Aslan appeared to Caspian when he wanted to abandon his country.  He appeared to the entire crew as a white albatross when they were lost in the mists of darkness—very symbolic of sin and despair.  And at the edge of Narnia, he appeared to Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace as a lamb who fed them fish, clearly symbolic of the “lamb of God”.

       He also told them that they would know him in their own world by a different name, which we know to be Jesus Christ.  This applies to the characters in the book, but I think also to readers of the Narnie series.  By coming to know Aslan’s character in the book and learning to love Aslan, we learn how to love our Savior Jesus Christ.  While he is not an exact representation of him, reading of the power, mercy, and love he embodies in the book can bring us closer to Christ.