I felt that Susan married, had kids and overtime became a loving grandmother. Then on her deathbed she thought about Narnia and wished to see her brothers and sister one last time in Narnia. Aslan appeared before her and allowed her to rejoin her family in Narnia because in the end, she believed again.
@Jessey Lawson actually the book specifically stated that Susan lived, and Lewis himself said that he hadn't decided what happened to Susan but that the reader could. I think he may have intended Susan to be a sort of reflection on his own journey from being an atheist to a Christian
I personally don't want Susan to go to Aslan's Country because she grew up; she forgot about Narnia and will never return. In my view she doesn't deserve or belong in the same world as her siblings.
I'm with you on this subject. Reading the books, I was so sad about Susan, knowing what she would've gone through, but I think it's because of the tragedy that makes her realize what's important in life. Also, I can never forget Aslan's words - "once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen" - and I think that implies that she will join them one day, just not yet.
perhaps we all are not good at a time in our lives, even getting into nylons and lipstick, but what is inside is revealed and we discover we are all really royalty
+Glumpuddle But I don't think we needed to too. People can change unpredictably and this was the perfect example. The retrospective red flags allow to put the pieces together. The only thing I really hate about this is that we didn't get a conclusion to her story. I suspect Lewis' intention was to make one.
+xyZora Asked by a child in 1958 if he would please write another book entitled "Susan of Narnia" so that the entire Pevensie family would be reunited, C. S. Lewis replied: "I am so glad you like the Narnian books and it was nice of you to write and tell me. There's no use just asking me to write more. When stories come into my mind I have to write them, and when they don't I can't!..."
Yeah, people can change unpredictably, but in fiction, it means sloppy writing. At the end, they say she was always shallow, so why wasn't it shown earlier? Why wasn't this set up, and why was her punishment so horribly out of proportion? Again, I think it's about the magical number seven. Also, the Narnia books weren't exactly character studies. People sometimes had arcs in that they had bad sides that were redeemed through salvation/Aslan. Mostly though, characters were good or bad, and you didn't really get any impression of their personalities, or if they developed. Maybe that's too much to expect from children's books, still, you don't suddenly invent personality traits and pretend they've been there all along. Sorry, but that's just sloppy (and in this case, also pretty mean; an awful loose end not to tie up).
Mon, it is also said lewis DID have a decent ending for susan one that wasn't sloppy and well-written but, like all bright stars and the world he created he faded. He DIED before he could finish he MEANT to finish. This isn't meant to be mean just respect Lewis and know it wasn't his fault.
Honestly, the books do make it clear. Aslan says at the coronation of the golden age that once you're a king or queen of Narnia, your always a king or queen of Narnia. Susan fell, and it's incredibly sad, but she will be in the "real Narnia" with the others someday. And personally, I think that it took the death of her family to make her remember who, and what she was and drive her back to Narnia.
Agreed. I believe that after receiving the news of it, it would have devastated her and made her look at life differenty. Eventually coming back round in the end.
I know this is an old post but I find it interesting that the real life Lucy that Susan is based on did go back to fantasy and doubled down on it once she Lost her parents. She had the chronicales of Narnia read to her over and over again and she was a inspirational believer in Christ. She became very sick in her later life that progressed throughout her life.
The Horse and his Boy was always one of my most favorite books, partly because I was a horse crazy girl, and partly because of the glimpse one got of three of the four Pevensies as grown rulers of Narnia, in which Susan has become the most desired "catch" by rulers in several realms around Narnia, which puts Edmund, Lucy and Susan in peril of being killed or imprisoned with Susan to be forcibly married off to a spoiled prince of Calormen. I think Susan fell in love with the head-rush that being one of a world's most powerful and desirable women can give you, and found it harder than any of her siblings to be suddenly spilling back out on the floor of the professor's house, back in the summer of her childhood when they had lost everything they knew and loved and were essentially powerless to change that fate, only how they lived with it day to day. To me it is no wonder Susan became driven to become a queenly adult again as soon as possible, and then, just as she is getting more mature and has the attention of boys at her new school in London, they get dragged back to Narnia again by her own horn, and then once again, sent back to her own world before she could really get to enjoy being a queen again, though that time she is told she will not be going back to Narnia ever again. To have that door to her queenly aspirations closed on her permanently, it is not surprising that she turns away from her childhood fantasies of being a queen, and sets to work on becoming a powerful and desirable woman in her own world, even if that means pursuing silly things like fashion and the admiration of boys. There are few of us that would be able to deal well with everything we have achieved as adults being swept away in a moment and being stuck in the bodies of children again, yet still remembering what it is to be grown and able to determine the course of your own life to some extent. But she is not a wicked person in any of the books, she just needs to remember what it is that really matters.
I like that, it's interesting and feels like a plausible development. I mean, who wouldn't be affected by being adored like that? I always wished Lewis had explored more what it most have been like for the adult kings and queens to suddenly become kids again. What could that have been like? The movies explore it a little more. Back to Susan: I like it, but it wasn't there. That character arc wasn't there in the books, it was never hinted that it got to her head or that she became shallow, she just wasn't as brave as Lucy and was a more typical "damsel in distress". So what happens at the end still feels like it's out of left field.
don't forget of the siblings she had little or no desire to be in narnia again. peter went to spend time with professor. lucy and emdund went back. susan was on the out of it. so she choose to forget narnia.
Did she really have "little or no desire" to go back? I never got that impression at all. Peter HAD to spend time with Diggory because he was prepping for his university entrance exams, Susan got carted off to America with her parents because she wasn't doing well in school and they thought it would do her good. Both, whether they wanted to go back or not, had been told in no uncertain terms that they wouldn't be returning to Narnia. My impression of Susan is actually the opposite: she was the MOST affected by the loss of their kingdom when they went back to England at the end of the first book. In Prince Caspian when they're camping in the ruins of Cair Paravel, she is by far the most wistful and emotional about the good old days while the other three are all business. Her sense of loss is palpable. This could also explain her poor performance at school: if you were a queen one day and a junior high kid the next, can you be quite sure you'd have any interest in bothering with your studies? Based on that, I believe Susan's loss of faith in Narnia was a coping mechanism. When she knew - at age 13 or so - that the most wonderful part of her life was gone forever, she opted to deal with the inevitable pain by pretending the whole thing had never really happened anyway. But since her life in our world wasn't over with that train crash, there's every reason to believe she will come to believe again, and that she'll rejoin her family in Aslan's country when the time comes.
in my opinion, c.s lewis was giving happy ending for everybody. susan is still having tasks on earth, to continue living her life, having children to continue their family line, and to spread her kindness to the world and story about narnia to her children. i mean all of those pevensie childrean are wonderful children and they didn't deserve their family line extinct without any descendant on earth, as we knew peter, edmund and lucy died in young age. this was a happy ending for susan. meanwhile among those four children, peter, edmund, and lucy are the ones who can not move on from their life in narnia. it would be a suffering for them to continue lived as adult people while still dreamed about narnia. so their happy ending was living in narnia forever in eternity. afterall, after susan's task on earth is finish, she will come back to narnia with all her family, as once kings and queen of narnia, forever kings and queens of narnia.
I was agreeing with you right up until you said susan would come back to Narnia. Would you trade Heaven even for a beautiful land like Narnia? I wouldn't and I don't think Susan would either. Instead of looking at Susan missing out on this fairy tale, think more about her in a grand Romance. She may have drifted away from Aslan, but she is pursued by the Prince of Peace.
@@rockandsandapologetics7254 so in that sense Susan eventually does come to her siblings again? Because Aslan IS Jesus the prince of peace, as proven in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader and other books
Aslan hinted that those told they would not return to Narnia were informed that they needed to know Aslan as JESUS, WHICH WAS HINTED AT THROUGH ALL SEVEN BOOKS. No reason Susan will not find Jesus later on.
But there was no indication in the 7th book that the children who stayed forever in Aslan's country knew him as Jesus in their world. No indication of Jesus or church or the Bible.
@@ChaosPod but isn’t that assumed if Aslan said they NEEDED to know him by his other name? The book is an allegory, so it’s not going to ruin itself by actually describing the children’s conversions or anything. Should be understood that through their adventures, they learned his other name and then went home when their work was done.
The Pevensey parents are there with Lucy and co., and they never went to Narnia, so Susan definitely has a chance. Plus, Aslan takes the true believer of the other faith too - who did good deeds in the name of the opposing deity. If Susan has faith and is a good person she will find her way to rejoin her family eventually
There are hints to it earlier in the series too! In Prince Caspian, she told Lucy that she really believed her when she said she saw Aslan, but just didn't want to, so she denied it. She also said in PC that she had got used to being in England & had no desire to return to Narnia. That definitely seems like for-shadowing for what's later coming. Does anyone see what I mean here?
I saw lots of signs throughout the books. When it came to "The Last Battle" and Susan's fate, I just thought, "Well, I'm not particularly surprised." But also, given that CS Lewis wrote the books with major Christian themes in them, Susan's fate is just one of someone who believed once, but gave up on it.
I always felt like Susan would grieve for a long time, go through the anger and depression of that kind of loss but then come back ground to Narnia again, finding Aslan again.
I think that the constant switch of identities (girl/queen/girl/queen/girl again) was too much for her. The time when she first came to Narnia, she already was the most grown up of them all. Books instead of games etcetera. I think she wanted one identity (Real world Susan) which she could rely on. I think it's not a black and white story here.
Definitely. Plus, they're growing up in Britain in the 1940s, during war and rationing, when those small pleasures she's derided for being too interested in were still rare luxuries. She went from London in the Blitz as a teen, to a country manor, to a life as royalty, then back to the British countryside and the end of the war. Rationing carried on for years after, during which times they were moved back to London, then off to boarding school, the professor fell on hard times and had to leave his manor, and another visit to a totally different Narnia... All in the space of a couple of years! Of course she wanted to be a grown woman and getting into a relationship with a man who might provide her with a bit of stability for a secure future (as would have been dictated to, and expected of, her). Lucy and Edmund don't start at the boarding schools until at least a year after the older siblings, so Susan potentially went straight to school after the war, while the younger two had each other to reminisce with, and Peter could continue a lot of his Narnia hobbies/skills at school - even if they didn't have fencing, fighting and competitive sports and public speaking and leadership skills were all far more acceptable and available for boys than girls. I always think the characters' time back in our world between the various adventures would be just as interesting - perhaps moreso! Definitely from a psychological perspective.
My imagination always transferred me to Susan's role. Even though I know that I'm more like Lucy by character and life values. But I couldn't help myself but feel for Susan. It's like, I don't know, I just was impressed by her actions and kindness. And also, I thought : 'Woou, queen Susan the Gentle, it's so sweet it's so about her!'. The way that she cared about her siblings so much, the way that she was fighting, the way that she was able to solve a problems. So when I fould out about her fate, just like you, I was shocked and speechless. One of my favorite charachters that I admired were turning into a 'no longer a friend of the Narnia'. And that railway crush... It hurts me so much to realize what she is about to go through. She is the only one who has to identify the bodies, bury them and live with it further. I just hope that she no longer stayed in our world and headed to Aslans land. Because as I see it, it's not a life for her anymore just an existance
I feel like C.S Lewis also made a point throughout the series to let people have their stories. Like the dwarf who shot at the horses but was let in to true Narnia. Susan's ending is really between her and Aslan. In the problem with pain, Lewis points to suffering as a clearing of the air to find priority and morals. Susan has lost her family, maybe that's what she needed to get back on the right path.
But she wasn't in a bad path to be honest, like, if we get rid of the religious intentions of the book Susan did nothing wrong, of course she had interest on shallow things just like everyone else and that doesn't mean any treason to Narnia that just mean she had more than one interest in life, and about the not believing in Narnia... Everyone has different ways to cope with life and probably it was easier for her to assume she wouldn't step on Narnia anymore by turning it into a child's game, also, it's very solitary to know something like Narnia as a secret while being perfectly aware that nobody else would believe you, so, to me it makes totally sense she wanted to keep on with her life, even if it was different from the way her siblings did
@@shiroro7695 yes but she let her interests rule her life and became so focused on materialistic things that she forgot her family her brothers and sisters in narnia. If the last few years with covid have taught us anything. It is the value of relationships, happiness, joy and peace. As well as the small things in life. Of course not all the things Susan or us are interested in are bad but we have to have the right balance of materialistic things such as money and the true happiness in our lives through love fun and time with loved ones. It Is not putting Susan and us down for having interests but for letting materialistic things become more important to her and us and rule our lives. When we are gone what will we be remembered by. How does our legacy live on? In our clothes or objects or in the memories others have of us.
@@Em_Rose_ this is correct. Also her not doing anything wrong if we are "getting rid of the religious intentions" is kind of a moot point. It goes against the moral of the story. In the world lewis' build he intended the struggle for a higher purpose, something bigger than oneself, to be what is considered good. The value of selflessness, willingness to make sacrifices, loyalty, protecting the vulnerable no matter the apparent cost or how futile it seems are main themes of the whole thing. Susan was corrupted by hedonism and materialism and it is important for the story that she does not just get a pass for that. Obvioulsy redemtion is also a major theme, like when was deceived and tempted by the witch he betrayed his siblings and everyone else suffering under her rule but he saw the error of his ways and atoned and rightened the wrongs. Therefore he was welcomed back and crowned. Lewis wanted to show that "being good" isn't a one and done kind of deal but a lifelong duty. The other siblings were "good" so he ended their story in Narnia. Susan turned her back so he ended her story on a path to the sad destiny she deserves, with the implication that redemtion for her is always possible but not a given.
He couldn’t have written her story to its end because Susan’s story is his story. He is Susan. Raised in faith, surprised by joy, fallen in adolescence. We know how her story ends because we know how his did.
It has been a WHILE since I've read the stories, but I can't help but think of a Bible passage when I consider this point... “Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will certainly not enter it” (Mark 10:13-16). Maybe Susan's fascination with adulthood resulted in her losing the innocence she possessed, and therefore the ability to experience Narnia. Though Peter also grew up, he retained his beliefs, and was able to participate in the battle with everyone and join them in the afterlife. The passage from Lady Polly might mean that in growing up, Susan's mind became clouded, distracted by worldly things, and so, she lost sight of what was really important. Maybe, like 15_of_me said, Susan is a metaphore for a Christian that turns away from Christ.
Yeh, she's supposed to represent Atheists. At least CS Lewis' idea of one. Since apparently he "was" one before, and then went back to Christianity lol.
I do not know when Lewis said this, but this quote is quite interesting: "The books don't tell us what happened to Susan. She is left alive in this world at the end, having by then turned into a rather silly, conceited young woman. But there's plenty of time for her to mend and perhaps she will get to Aslan's country in the end... in her own way." -C.S. Lewis Very nice point about the dedication by the way! Also, quick question. So everyone dies in the train wreck and the other five of the seven friends of Narnia immediately go to Aslan's Country, but Jill and Eustace go to Narnia because Narnia needs them. So my question is, did Jill and Eustace die in the train wreck, too? While they are with Tirian in Narnia are they dead and just don't know it? Or did the train wreck transport them to Narnia before they died and then those two die during the last battle at the end of the book? This questions been really bothering me for awhile and no one seems to have a good answer.
The whole company gathered with Aslan in the New Narnia at the story's conclusion has, in earthly terms, died. They were all on their way to a sort of conference, including all who had been in Narnia, if I remember correctly. This is what brought them all to the same place (notably without Susan) and involved them in the same catastrophe. So, yes, they all died in this world. And if I remember correctly, the Pevensie parents were waiting for them on the platform and also got killed in the wreck.
"Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia." To me, that says it all. Susan can return to Narnia any time that she chooses. I feel confident that she can change her mind even after she dies.
I begin to see my own daughter in Susan. She wanted to be grown up too early, she lost faith to a great extent and even became estranged from me for several years. She wanted to be like a teenager once she had passed that time, and I couldn't really be the mother of a teen because she wasn't one. The future remains to be seen.
Are you serious?! I never knew that! My favourite out of all the books btw was the magicians nephew. I still hold onto that feeling of the wood with pools in that hold brand new worlds. The magicians (Tv show) took heavily from Lewis’ work & their interpretation of that scene was 💜
I thought that Lewis wasn't going to write Susan's story, when she was an adult, because it wouldn't be like the 7 Chronicles, which were written for children? A grown-up lady's story with no Narnia and no magic in it would have bored me as a kid. Also, it would ruin the "Planet Narnia/ Narnia Code" theory of Michael Ward and necessitated a total re-write of the cosmology of Narnia that Prof. Lewis built into his world from its creation. I trust Aslan to take care of Susan. There are enough hints in the books to suggest He will, in this world or Another.
First, the people who criticize the Susan arc not only get it badly wrong, they generally reveal more about their own lack of depth or flawed psychology than they do about the story. Second, I think we see something of Lewis' own journey in Susan. He was an imaginative child who loved fairy stories, but eventually became a materialist. He never stopped loving poetry and fairy stories deep down, but he thought that love was at odds with his adult reality of atheistic materialism. As a result he was always conflicted over it. He once expressed that conflict by referring to poetry (and especially epic mythological poetry) as "lies breathed through silver". In other words, 'they are beautiful and I'm attracted to them, but they are lies and I ultimately can't believe them' It was only later, after long talks with Hugo Dyson and JRR Tolkien that he came around to realize that there was truth in mythology and poetry, and that his former "grown up" attitude wasn't grown up at all. Then he was able once again to fully embrace his love of the stories that had shaped his younger self and as he put it "baptized my imagination". I have also wondered from time to time, if Susan's response was not partly motivated out of bitterness and loss at having been told she can't come back to Narnia. Perhaps she resorted to pretending that Narnia never really happened, that it was all a silly game, because she didn't want to face up to the reality of loss in knowing that Narnia existed but she could not return to it. Back to the Susan critics. Lewis was well educated in philosophy and the like, whereas most of his critics are not. As such there is frequently depth to his work that goes completely over the heads of the 'critics'. Basic classical-medieval philosophy (which Lewis knew well) holds that everyone is seeking goodness and happiness. Whatever they pursue in life, they pursue because they think it is good and it will make them happy. In the case of Susan, when she was a child she was able to recognize the goodness of their Narnian adventures, and they made her happy. Now that she has become an adult, she is no longer capable of recognizing the goodness of Narnia, and she no longer believes she can find happiness there. Instead, she believes that what's good is being desired and popular. That people find her attractive and that she is invited to social gatherings. She thinks this is what will make her happy. Polly's lament shows the truth. That Susan's quest for happiness in these things is a fool's errand because those things will never last. If those things are truly what will make you happy, then you are doomed to most of your life being unhappy. Another foundational tenet of classical and medieval philosophy is that all things are inherently good. It's just that somethings are more good or higher goods than others. The point is not that lipstick and nylons and social events are bad. The point is that they are a lower good. They are less important than truth, family, and God. One might ask the question, why is Narnia so important? Is adventure such a high good? The ultimate reason why Narnia is so important is not because of the adventure (though that makes it fun for us as readers) it is because in Narnia all of the main characters came into direct contact with the transcendent. They discovered truths about reality, about the worlds, that literally change everything. To encounter that and NOT be dramatically changed by it is astounding. The change that occurs in all the others is a dramatic re-ordering of their priorities. What sets all the other friends of Narnia apart is that they no longer care much about the 'normal' life of the modern world. The things that concern most people, don't really mean that much to them. They have more in common with the medieval world, than with the modern world in some ways. Because their priority and interest is not in the trivialities of the here and now, but in a transcendent reality that they have personally experienced. Can you imagine directly experiencing a transcendent reality, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that other worlds exist, that God exists and having literally talked to him face to face, and then being obsessively concerned about going to parties, and being a socialite? Especially given that the people you would be interacting with would be completely oblivious to the earth shattering reality that you have first hand experienced. The concerns of fashion and gossip ought to recede to the level of uninteresting drivel.
"Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia." She'll return. I think Lewis wanted to stress that it is possible to lose one's 'first love', i.e. Aslan, i.e. Jesus.
I'm sad for Susan. It was really hard for me to read after I learned the three siblings were killed in a train accident. But it shouldn't be seen as a punishment to her. Aren't we all like Susan, we all grow up learning about fairy tales just to learn as we become adults that there's something more than to it? What I believe as the line says "once a king or queen of Narnia, forever a king or queen of Narnia" and it doesn't need land to call home but the people, it's the people who make a home, a country. Narnia or real world, she is the Gentle Queen. Her gentleness and her radiance don't fade away with the change of place. It takes only her to be called a Narnian not the land of Narnia. I have only loved the Chronicles of Narnia for the idea of trusting and loving the family. Maybe the story is better left incomplete cause Susan's purpose was to spread the idea of gentleness and kindness in her world, build another Narnia, a land of peace and prosperity. And her job wasn't a full stop, it's the next part of the story. Like Susan, after we learn about the world of Narnia, it is our duty to spread its goodness around. It's never an end but a never-ending journey
Susan's nurse helped her into the chair for her morning BBC routine. The anchor was talking of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Susan drifted to memories of another battle...
One thing everyone seems to miss, and which your video (which is excellent, by the way!) doesn't mention: the two characters who make the sternest denunciations of Susan are Jill and Polly. Neither of them could have known Susan very well to begin with! We know for certain Jill didn't meet any of the Pevensies until after the events of The Silver Chair. It is possible that Polly met them somewhere along the line, but this is never mentioned in any of the other books. While the end of LWW implies that the professor has been to Narnia himself (and we learn in The Magician's Nephew that he has), it doesn't say anything about him having a friend who was also there. We do know they all get together at some point between The Silver Chair and The Last Battle, maybe several times, but if Susan has lost her faith by then, it's unlikely that either Jill or Polly ever got much of a chance to know her. My best guess is we're talking about a single Friends of Narnia meeting at the Pevensie family home where they tried to get Susan to join them, but she was more interested in getting dressed up to go to a party and accused them of engaging in make-believe. I can see why that would make a bad impression on Jill and Polly, but it wouldn't be enough for either of them to really get to know her all that well.
If you look at Susan's attitudes all throughout the series, her "default" position is worldly, "common sense" and somewhat negative. In earlier books, she accepts correction. Her "growing up" is, of course, not about sex, but about "conforming to the image of this world." Paul (Ephesians 3) tells us to seek things above. Ooops, sorry Susan. (also - I like your Narnia chats. Good job).
This also bothered me, too, so much that I actually started writing Susan's story, about what happened to her after all her family were tragically killed. What I am sure is that Aslan never stops reaching out to her, whether as his Narnia self or as the he is known in the world where she lives now. Her fate is unknown in the books but she is not forgotten - ever.
I didn’t read the books but, out of a curiosity I went to wiki to see what becomes of this family. THIS WAS THE WORST THING I’VE EVER DONE. I read it and was in shock for hours and then out of nowhere I broke down and started crying why I was in the shower. THIS HURT SO MUCH. I actually morning this family. They gave me so much joy as a kid in the movies and to find out is this their ending, I AM CRUSHED.
Every time I think of it, I'm like, "Susan is gonna get a phone Call!" "Hey, I've got some bad news, Your Family are dead." Susan: *eyes wide open* "What?!" "Yes, you're parents, your brothers and sister and your cousin r dead, so is your cousin's friend, the professor you stayed with and his friend. They were in a train and it crashed. They're all dead, I'm sorry" Susan: *gasp* 😧 That's all I can think of.
And, after that phone call, she MIGHT learn to think about things besides fashion and makeup and boys ... she JUST MIGHT have to change, as a person ...
Sure, Aslan tells them "Once a king or queen...", but he also tells them to "bear it well" and not forget it. Susan forgot. Whether she ever remembers it and goes to New Narnia or not remains to be seen, and we probably won't, and I'm glad for that. There's ambiguity in her fate that people in the real world can relate to. You need to "actively remember Narnia" in order to be welcome to it, as opposed to "passively having been there twice before." Going with Christian allegory, there are sects which believe that being saved requires lifetime activity, while others believe that one only needs to accept Jesus once and that's it. The Chronicles follow the former.
I'm not convinced that she forgot it. I believe she's chosen to believe it never happened because that's easier than accepting that she'll never get back to Narnia. (Remember that none of the children had any way of knowing they would end up in Aslan's country; he didn't tell them that, only that they wouldn't be coming back to Narnia. Which is really kind of splitting hairs in light of what did happen.)
I feel like susan was just in denial and purposely held a grudge against narnia after she forgot what her dwarfs name was. It's really sad and unfortunate that it took her siblings death to try & force her to look down the right path again. I really hope she did find her way back to the light & back to narnia.
How could she have forgotten when she had grown up there for 15 years? There’s no way growing up again, this time in our world, could make her forget all that and think she was “playing pretend” with her siblings.
@@stephenking5852 I don't think she really forgot. I think she tried to forget, told herself it hadn't really happened, because that was easier than accepting that it was gone forever. She was in denial.
You have to remember that Lewis was deeply religious, and deeply Christian, and it doesn't take anyone withe even a room temperature IQ more than 15 seconds to figure out that the LWW is an alagory of the Christian life. And one important warning in the Gospels is that of allowing "the cares of this world" to choke out faith in the Gospel, in God and Jesus, and in eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. From Genesis to Revelation there are warnings, starting with Adam and Eve, Lot, Esau, and down through the Biblical story of people who traded the eternal for the temporal, that which had true value for that which only gave short-term, illusory value. Susan wasn't a person. She was a symbol, and a warning, that we could so easily trade a throne in Narnia for the temporary lure of riches, beauty, and worldly power and become Susan. And the pain we feel at the loss of Susan is the pain that others who love us will feel if we sell out our eternal salvation for nylons and lipsticks. At the same time, my personal faith in God (represented by Aslan) is in His absolute and limitless Mercy, Love, and tender lovingkindness for His Creation. Whatever happens at the end of time to Susan, I'm sure that God will show her His unbounded mercy and love. Therefore, I"m not worried. I think the Kings and Queens of Narnia will all be reunited at some point. If Aslan could forgive Edmund, and give His life to save Edmund from the White Witch, I do not believe He will forget about Susan or fail to forgive her childish immaturity and lack of faith.
No, actually there are a lot of parallels in Susan's character to Lewis himself. If you understand his story and his journey from hard core atheism to faith, you begin to understand his Characters better.
Did you notice that Lewis set up a scenario that easily hurtles Susan on _some_ kind of adventure after the tragic death of her entire family? Think about it: Peter was waiting at the station with Uncle Andrew's magic rings on his person. Digging those up seem like a *huge* detail that ultimately goes nowhere, besides serving as a plot devise to make everyone meet up at the station. Really, that''s some _powerful magic_ just left there in his pocket when he dies. So, does some lucky policeman, or the coroner, touch it and get wisked away on the wings of destiny? Possible, but their job requires gloves. So wouldn't the rings ultimately be sent to Peter's last surviving relative, Susan? I think this is key to why Susan can't forever maintain the delusion that their adventures in Narnia were just kid games - even if the grief doesn't snap her out of it, a magic ring taking her to any number of other worlds certainly would! Unfortunately, the Narnian pool will now be dried up and gone like Charn's, but regardless it's a great framework for a redemption story and I believe it was deliberate setup by Jack for...something. I just wish he had written it, but at least we have our imaginations. I hope the movie makers are smart enough to allude to it too, maybe even for the final scene of the chronicles - it would help smooth the whole business over with audiences.
I suggest that leaving Susan's story unfinished was deliberate on Jack's part, a reminder to the young woman that Lucy has become that she has to write her own fate now - will she have the courage to grow up from the "silliest time of her life" and choose to serve Aslan in her own world, or does she want to take Susan's path until it is too late?
I agree, it is deliberate for The Last Battle for sure, but I seem to recall some quote from Jack saying that he also left Susan's fate a bit uncertain as a potential lead-in to another book - should he feel the inspiration to write one that is. It'd be nice if I could find that quote to confirm that my memory is working. Wouldn't you agree that a cool set-up is there though? Aslan thought the rings were dangerous enough to bury - now they are dug up...in a railway collision. What happens next?
Perhaps, though Aslan also says the magic never works in the same way twice when Lucy asks about using the wardrobe again. If the rings did work again for one of the Friends of Narnia, it would be the first time that rule was broken.
When does Aslan say that? It seems like an amalgamation of Professor Kirke saying the wardrobe won't work again and when Aslan says " *things* never happen the same way twice" in Prince Caspian (chapter 10). Am I missing something? Also, I'd say the rings and the wardrobe did work more then once - albeit only within one book respectively - and the rings couldn't go to shadow lands of Narnia again, but to a _wood between worlds_ and who knows to what from there! Well, I can dream anyway, unless the Lewis estate finds a hidden manuscript. :)
I never thought of that, that's fascinating! Someone should really write that book! I would read it :) Who's Jack? Was that the nickname of C.S. Lewis or something?
I think its really important that Susan wasnt in New Narnia (yet) when the book ended, and we don't know what happend to her. The spiritual level of the story was very important to Lewis, and i believe he wanted to make it clear that not everybody will end up in heaven, not even every "good guy" 'cause thats not what counts. Though "once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen" does give you hope, i personly dont think Lewis has nessasarily ever made a decission about wheather susan gets to narnia in the end. He's not the kind of author how plans every little detail before he writes. you can tell how the chronicles of narnia "grow" as he writes them. So lets just keep it as open as Lewis intended.
tho i have to admit i did write a fan fic where she finds Aslan in our world again as a grown-up, through her daughter. So yeah, i too dream of them getting reunited.
its german and not public (hasnt even been digitalised yet :( ) Also its not that good.. xD I was like 14-15 when i wrote it.. but i still kinda like the idea, the exicution was just horrible. here is the rough storry: it was called "Chronicles of a Narnian Princess" and the main character was Susans daughter Joan. (daughter of a narnian queen=princess..) Susan had always told Joan the Adventures she had in Narnia as bedtime storries, just having dimm memories, not believing it was true. (still thinking it was "funny games they used to play as children") But Joan starts to visit Narnia in her dreams, and has different adventures every night (i always made her visit people and places that where mentioned in the Chronicles of narnia, but you didnt know too much about. like Olivin of Archenland and Landy Liln, Camillo the Hare, etc.) sometimes she would just visit very shortly, and most of the adventures werent that epic, she was kindof there in the inbeween parts and didnt even meet Aslan for a long time. Anyhow, you kinda watched her grow, and slowly figure out, that it wasnt just dreams she had, you could watch her in our world and in Narnia mature spiritually and without it really ever being the topic, you learned, how Susan and her husband where finding Christ. If anyone more talented than me, wants to give this storry another chance, i'd be glad to read it. :)
I think a few things are going on. -On the level of Christian allegory, many of us know what it's like to grow up talking to our friends and family about God and stuff, only to find one day that they think all that's pretty silly. And you feel like you kind of "lose" them, as to that part of your relationship with them. -I think this was Lewis failing to resist hopping on a soap box here. It reminds me of my least favourite bit of The Screwtape Letters, (which book I love deeply) in which Lewis can't resist talking down, apparently, all stuff girly. Shaving legs and curling hair and lipstick and stuff. In a way he was suggesting that fashion was conspiring to teach women to be more boyish (something he might have seen more in his day than now, certainly, given fashion) or that it was encouraging them to do anything but accept what and who they were, and was teaching them they needed a great deal of artifice. -I think this is far more of an indictment of the delusions of adulthood that come with adolescence, than of genuine maturity, or even sexuality. -I agree with Glumpuddle's video, that it is notable that Susan isn't killed too. Imagine how it would have been if she'd been killed too, but then wasn't allowed to be with the others? This means there's hope for her. Also, there is the idea that in Narnia, it's Aslan, and in our world, it's Jesus, and Susan could easily, as an adult in our world, meet Jesus. No reason she couldn't. -I also agree with Glumpuddle that this could be a bit of a Peter Pan thing. Despite the fact that other adult characters still believe in Narnia, the dedication at the beginning of the first book really presents the idea that girls might well grow up to go through a phase in which they feel too old for fairy stories, but then return to them when they genuinely grow up more. (As in most things, Philip Pullman has it all backwards.)
It's a character assasination, basically. She's described as shallow. The big problem is, it's not set up. What happened in Prince Caspian, it's not enough, you can't call that a set up. This comes out of thin air, that's one reason it's so shocking and feels so unfair. Another reason is that her punishment seems completely out of proportion. Edmund betrayed his siblings to the White Witch, he was forgiven. She's shallow, and she gets this? A theme throughout the books is redemption. Eustace, Edmund, Aravis. But not Susan, even though she hadn't really hurt anyone. You know what I think? I think Lewis hadn't thought this one through. I think he wanted the "end group" of "Narnia ascendants" to add up to the magical number seven, and that meant having to sacrifice one. Susan was the unlucky one, and so he made up characteristics never referred to before.
Thanks for posting! Susan is not "punished." She chose not to be with the other friends of Narnia, and so was not with them during the train accident. What happens to Susan after that is not known. (I sometimes wonder if Lewis left that open end to go back to if he ever decided to write an 8th book) I completely understand your feeling that her absence at the end is not setup enough. But I feel that, at this point in the series, it has been well established that these books are 7 chronicles among an infinite amount. I think Lewis does a fantastic job and making it feel like we are just getting as much of the real story as he could fit in.... which is not a large percentage. That's just me though. If you did not get that sense to the same degree I did, I completely understand feeling like it was a "character assassination." That's a perfectly valid point of view.
But it WAS set up. Susan was a reluctant Narnian from the very first book. This first movie emphasized this point. Then in "Prince Caspian" (the book) this was emphasized even more clearly in her refusal to believe in (and therefore see) Aslan's actual presence. It's then alluded to in subsequent books, "Dawn Treader" particularly, and then finally brought to its conclusion in "The Last Battle". I always saw it as Lewis's way of driving home the point about how the children were suprised at some folks who made it into Aslan's Kingdom and some who didn't. Even one of the original inner circle wasn't there at the end (although her final end is still open). But some who seemed to be on the wrong side, and even fought on the wrong side, did make it into Aslan's Kingdom. And finally, their personal story is none of our business anyway. It's between them and Aslan. Susan is the stand-in for Judas here. She's someone who loved the King of Kings, but couldn't quite bring herself to follow Him to the bitter end. Of course, we know the end of Judas's story. But since we don't know the end of Susan's story, there's still hope. And Glumpuddle is correct. Susan isn't being punished. She simply chose not to be there, and Aslan won't force her against her will to be somewhere she doesn't will to be, even it it's better for her. Aslan, as God does, honors free will.
....Actually, we just know that Judas killed himself, and that Jesus did not seem to meet him while HE was dead. That do not mean that Judas didn't end up in Heaven.
I wouldn't consider the movies to be canonical here, since they were made decades after Lewis' death. Susan does show some signs of reluctance in the early books, but she also shows some signs of being the MOST attached to Narnia. At the end of LWW, she's the only one of the four who doesn't want to follow the white stag into the thicket, although she agrees to do so when outvoted. At the beginning of Prince Caspian, she's the only one who shows any signs of regret for all that they lost when they did go back to England. I don't know what you're referring to about Dawn Treader, as the only things we hear about her in that book are that she hasn't been doing very well in school and that Lucy is envious of her beauty. Neither one really has anything to do with her faith.
I took her reluctance to follow the white stag as an indication of her overall reluctance to engage in adventures. Nobody knew they were actually heading back to England until they were well into the wardrobe. She wanted to go back to England in the beginning of the LWW when they found Tumnus' cave ransacked. She was also the only one to stay behind when there were battles, as in The Horse and His Boy. She seemed to have a hesitance that was unlike any of her siblings.
First, thank you for your comment on Superman! He has always been my favorite superhero for several reasons but partly because he is adopted as I was and as a kid I found that incredible cool. Second you make a great point on about Susan. She is not denied Narnia she is just not ready for it. When I read The Chronicles of Narnia I felt that C.S. Lewis laced even the darkest part of the books with hope. Aslan was never too far for those who truly searched for him. He appeared just when you needed him. Susan took her eyes off the goal but not forever. She is distracted, but completely lost.
Perhaps C. S. Lewis thought of writing another set of books/stories this time about Susan and her children. Just like in Lewis' dedication that someday Lucy would read fairy tales again this time to her children. Susan represents the people who couldn't wait to grow up (to be in their teens and early adult stage), and lose themselves in the process. Why Lewis chose her to that representative? I guess because Lucy is younger and more imaginative.
I believe Lewis took that approach to show us that not everything goes as smoothly and as perfect as we expect them to be. There will be those with different beliefs from us and sometimes those closest to us will drift apart. But just as open ended as it was... someday maybe they'll come to understand each other again. There's always room for reconciliation.
In the excellent book "Companion to Narnia," Paul F. Ford gives the very simple setup that, as a woman of twenty-one who has just lost her parents, siblings, cousin, and three dear friends in a tragic accident, Susan would have much to work through and in her grief, reach out once more to Christ, whom she knew in Narnia as Aslan, and become a less self-absorbed, more giving person, essentially returning to her status as Susan the Gentle, and one day, when all her trials and joys are past, be reunited with her family and friends in the True Narnia and the True England in Aslan's Country.
CS Lewis, in his personal letters, said himself that it is a mistake to think Susan died with her siblings. She wasn’t with them on the train, and she’s left on earth alone, her story ambiguous. Lewis left her story ambiguous because she’s supposed to be a portrait of “the last battle,” that is, the battle that all Christians face between the vain things of this world and the eternal riches in Christ. Susan’s not lost, as Aslan even said, “Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia.” She simply embodies the BATTLE that Christians face everyday, hence the name, “The Last Battle.”
Great analysis as always, glumPuddle! I think that the plot twist regarding Susan is brilliant. We've all known people who seem to have had a religious conversion, only to later talk about the Bible as though it were a bunch of "fairy tales and kids' stories." And that's Lewis' point. Those who choose not to believe don't get the rewards of heaven, even if they've played at religion prior to that point in life. I think Lewis wants to startle us into praying for our unsaved friends and family members by bringing home the reality of not getting into heaven. We know that some people we know won't go to heaven; at least, we understand it as an abstract concept. This story development brings it home with an absolute emotional wallop. These aren't some unnamed bunnies that we've never seen before disappearing into Aslan's shadow; this is *Susan,* who we've spent tons of time with over several books. The pain of not wanting to lose loved ones should spur us into action. I also think that Lewis wanted to startle readers who had drifted away from their religious upbringing themselves but who still enjoyed reading fantasy novels. This plot development is meant as a wake-up call to the real-life Susans of the world, so that they don't miss their own chance at eternal happiness. Lots of people seem to think (as you and the Christianity Today author eloquently suggest) that maybe Susan gets into Narnia later. Maybe. But not everyone goes to heaven, not if they choose not to believe. I'm glad that Lewis didn't give us a generic, happy -- and false -- ending of "Everybody goes to heaven." Also, considering how much time Lewis' critics spend insisting that he's racist for his depiction of the Calormenes, I think they would be wise to note the example of Emeth as a counterpoint to Susan. Emeth's skin color doesn't matter; nor does his lack of all the accurate information. Emeth made the best decisions he could with the limited knowledge he had, and Aslan rewarded him for it. Meanwhile, Susan doesn't get into Narnia despite her lack of beliefs because of white privilege. It's all about the state of her heart. Let's all pray for the Susans we know.
Susan hasn't gone into Aslan's shadow forever yet, but you are correct that Lewis wants us to think about the fates of those who are headed into the shadows. But also to realize that we can never know whether people are headed into the shadow or the light, for we don't have the capacity to even see all of anthers soul, much less judge them. And preaching at them does no good unless they are ready to listen because they have been touched by love they didn't deserve; if we care for them, all we can do is never write them off, and always keep showing them agape love that never fails or ends.
Tom Holste What happens to Susan in a sense reminds me what happens to the Dwarves who wouldn't let themselves be taken in They got obsessed with being independant and dwarves are for the dwarves that they didn't care if there was a real Aslan out there same as Susan who got sent back and "grew up" she got obsessed with blending into the crowd and with lip gloss and the materialistic version of beauty that she so easily dismissed Narnia and Aslan
I like to think Susan learned about the accident , and it dries her rather crazy. after spending some time in a hospital to recover, She decides to try and run away from Aslan and Narnia for some time, and fails. eventually she is contacted by what I can only describe as a version of Tash. Upon being contacted by Tash in her 20s she is scared. In trying to Avoid Tash she becomes a Nun, and finds Aslan again she doesn't believe him at first thinking him to be a figment but he comes to her in her late 5s and tells her it is time for he r to return to Narnia where he belongs and she and another Nun who became a friend of Narnia through the stories Susan would tell the elder Nun suffering from dementia, happened to enjoy and believe saying she thinks she may have met Alan as well in hr time as a young person.
I'm going to be a bit of a spoil sport here. Susan, at the end of the Last Battle, is a single young woman in her early 20s and the sole survivor of her immediate family in early 1950's, post WWII and London Blitz England. Most of her friends or connections in relation to Narnia are dead. She has gone through adolescence twice, once without her parents and both times in unfamiliar settings (Narnia and a bombed out London). Aslan didn't need her, or anyone else, to deal with things in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. After she and her siblings left Narnia, and not of their own volition, the country deteriorated and anything that wasn't human went underground. Slavery started. And Aslan did nothing. At the end of Prince Caspian, Aslan, perhaps the most important being in her life, effectively rejects her and gives no reason. How did the Pevensies parents respond to their children saying they had gone to a magical other world? How did going through life as a now former queen affect her? What support network does Susan have after the train wreck? Who did she loose in the Blitz and WWII? How does she feel about the distance between herself and the others? I want to believe that Susan will overcome these difficulties, but I don't see her as being particularly inclined to go back to Narnia.
i always felt like Susan didn't go back because she was too hurt by the fact that Aslan told her and Peter couldn't come back because they had gotten too old. rather than continuing to believe, Susan became of the world and when the call came to come back, she chose not to answer because of her hurt and pride. at least that's how i always interpreted it
if death in narnia is an equivalent of religious redemption, there was no reason to deny that to susan. "once a king or queen in narnia, always a king or queen in narnia." susan was very brave in the books that she appeared in. so unless lewis really did want to make a statement that adulthood for women is basically a denial of religious devotion, there's no other explanation why he contradicted the earlier ruls set by aslan himself. one may ask further, if it is really so in real life, and the answer would be that many people's spirituality survives adulthood very well.
Lewis seemed to indicate in later life that Susan could very well have ended up in Aslan's country eventually, and that's what I would believe. I agree that the terrible and total loss she suffered would have driven her to not only repentance, but a deep evaluation of what's really important in life, and also an intense longing to be reunited with her family. A couple of people in the comments have accused Lewis of sloppy writing, and I think nothing could be further from the truth. He makes us think, and maybe look at our own values/priorities. No one's journey is a smooth trajectory, and sometimes it takes some really difficult experiences to come to the right place in the end. As Aslan is the Christ figure in this story, we can be confident that he wants all to come to him and only he knows the path each person needs to take for that to happen. I believe there would be a very joyful reunion when Susan came to Aslan's country, and all her fears would be removed, as they were in Prince Caspian, when she believed Aslan was there, but didn't want to follow Lucy to go to him.
The first time I read The Last Battle, I almost felt physically sick when I read the part about Susan. I've grown to appreciate it over time and, yes, I do think she comes around later in life. But maybe I have to think that because the other alternative is too horrible.
Susan doesn't believe in Narnia anymore, i think that's pretty clear. and i doubt the death of her siblings will change that since, from the Earth perspective and hers, the train is to blame and no mystical otherworld is involved. her suddenly believing in Narnia again on her old age is just due to your wish that everyone stick together in a happy ending.
Bulls eye, Joshua! So many writing on Susan here just want simplistically take away every choice she makes that do not go in the RIGHT direction. This cannot be the Freedom God wants for created beings.
You pretty much summed up my exact thoughts on it. People complaining about her being punished for "growing up" are missing the point. Susan's not being punished for moving on with her life. She's... well, not exactly being "punished" per se, but getting left behind because she pushed aside the most important things in her life for superficial things that aren't really that important in the long run. She becomes a fake and shallow person and as a result misses out on the things that matter the most.
Is it possible to major in Narnia? I feel that you must've! It's near impossible for me to find fellow Narnia-nerds! Thanks for all you do, Brian Further Up and Further In!!
Hahahaha you really don't get it, the books were a representation of Jesus(aslan) and humans. The last battle represents rapture and judgment day, Susan represent those who turn away from Jesus and are left behind after rapture, they may or may not make heaven (Aslan's world) depending on whether they turn back to Jesus or not. That is why Susan's fate is unknown
I didn't really understand the books when I first read them, and I make a point to read them every year- and the Narnia books are honestly a series that grows up with me. I understand more the older I get. Lewis was amazing this way- there's mature and deeply spiritual themes that we understand and can relate to as we grow old while the story and characters are something we relate to as children. For me, the issue with Susan was a statement of having a family member fall away from faith. It's deeply divisive and heart-breaking. I have a "Susan" in my family and I can honestly say that this aspect of the story is not only Lewis' way of addressing it, but a way to encourage families to pull each other back- least someone be left behind.
Being a devout Christian, I believe Lewis used Susan as an analogy to those who would not inherit the Kingdom of Heavens when the Bible says: “To whom did [God] swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:18-19) Susan’s unbelief in Narnia, Aslan, and the things she had once lived were the reason why she didn’t join her brothers and sister.
That’s why I love The Chronicles of Narnia so much, I can see myself in all the characters, and having been an Edmund myself, I am constantly reminded of this amazing grace that each day is renewed upon me, regardless of my past mistakes
I've found out recently that Lewis wrote some letters back to his fans about it. Here's what he said about Susan: Lewis reveals in a letter to a girl named Marcia that he intended all through the books to have Susan lose her way in The Last Battle. He said it this way: “Haven’t you noticed in the two you have read that she is rather fond of being too grownup? I am sorry to say that side of her got stronger and she forgot about Narnia.” We also learned that Lewis didn’t intend for The Last Battle to shut Susan out of Aslan’s country forever. Lewis told us in a letter to someone named Martin that “There is plenty of time for her to mend, and perhaps she will get to Aslan’s country in the end - in her own way.” I read this in another book called, "A Family Guide to Narnia" by Christin Ditchfield, but the sources listed here are from this website: www.thelionscall.com/2014/12/10/things-revealed-by-cs-lewiss-letters/
Have you read Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman? Its a collection of short stories he wrote and there is one about a little girl who goes to interview an old woman for her Girl Scouts and the old woman talks about her brothers and sister and about how they died in a train accident, and she discusses the deeper meaning of the Narnia stories with the little girl. Then the girl leaves and I cant remember exactly but I think she asks the little girl to come back tomorrow and when the girl shows up she's gone. Something like that. Its a really interesting story about Susan when shes older.
C.S Lewis actually wanted to write a book titled _"Susan of Narnia"_ after the events of the last battle, but he died before he could start the book. What annoys me the most is that we will never know what happens as the series is incomplete. However, I find refuge in the words that Aslan had said: "Once a King and Queen of Narnia, always a King and Queen." Susan will return.
I thought it was a little cold of Peter and the others to write Susan off as no longer a friend of Narnia as if she couldn't one day remember Narnia again. (she stopped going to church so she's going into Aslan's shadow) That's kind of Aslan's call to make at the end of Susan's life and not her family's. Wish I'd been here for the discussion when it was hot. Who knows? Maybe Susan reformed after the death of her brothers and sister. It's a "lady or the tiger" ending.
I don't know which book version of the Chronicles of Narnia you had, but the version I had, it had a list of ALL the major chars in the series at the front of each book and which books they appear in. I was actually slightly spoiled when it comes to the Pevensies because it mentions that Peter, Edmund, and Lucy are in The Last Battle and my first question was- "What about Susan?" So yeah that part of the book did shock me, but a part of me wasn't surprised by Susan's attitude since out of them, she always seemed the most 'pragmatic', even in The Horse and His Boy. I also sometimes wonder if she felt grief when she was told she would never return to Narnia at the end of Prince Caspian and did go through extreme denial. That's just my thoughts anyway.
It may be a hard pill to swallow, but the entire series is an allegory towards the journey of following Jesus Christ, and as it remains written it looks like Susan is a seed among the thorns. I think this reminds us of a very important lesson too, where people may call themselves Christians, but will still not end in Heaven if they spend their lifetime focusing on themselves and trying to avoid a relationship with God.
Yes this is true. I'm 42 years old single and serving in Taiwan and I find that my life just flew by I know that this life is short and in Christ I have a life that's unending
Agree with you, she did come back round eventually, I mean she lost all who she held dear in one day. Suffering such a loss would bring her back round eventually and make her stronger and better, and in the the end when she does come to Aslans she'll be all the better for it.
Even when I read this book as a kid I felt that Susan was lost. Lewis wrote this before he had any idea it would be a classic we'd be discovering forever. And he has no idea the books would become movies. Given that his other books (like The Great Divorce) deal with deeper issues is my personal (and that's all it is) belief is that he included this as a sort of warning about leaving our "first live" for the pleasures of this world. Anyone agree? Who disagrees?
Why did Lewis do that? IMO he wanted the Friends of Narnia to be "an even 7". In the Bible, the number 7 is a symbol of completion (among other things). And there are 7 books in the Narnia series. So now you have 3 of the 4 kids, Eustace, Jill, Digory and Polly. An even 7. But the ending is still an unbelievable shock, and I think that was very intentional. I remember the end of LWW, I was like, "why did the kids have to go back? Why didn't they live happily ever after and all that?" And then in LB... they all DIE?!?! What the?!?! Obviously, Lewis wanted to teach us a lesson or two with his books, and the line you quote is definitely an example of that. Personally, I think leaving this part of the story unresolved just emphasizes that there is no "happy ending" apart from God. But what happens to Susan? Like you, I think she's GOTTA come around. If I had been through adventures in Narnia with my brothers and sister, and then they all died, you think I wouldn't be thinking about them all the time? You think memories of our time together in Narnia wouldn't have flooded my mind? Obviously, that kind of reality check would snap her out of her funk.
I think a great writer knows how to find tension in a story and to follow that. I also think that writer will know how to create tension and sustain it. Leaving something at once developed and unresolved allows the tension to keep pinging beyond the actual reading of the story. It's like a hook in the mind that keeps popping up over the years. Will I be a Susan? Will I be a Lucy? What is that all about? The unanswered question might become first step on the path of more active awareness.
I remember reading somewhere that Louis had planned to do a story on Susan after the last battle but he died before he could so that's part of the reason that this question is up in the air
When, I saw that Susan was not in The Last Battle, I was shocked. Then I imagined about the adaptation in Netflix how it would be. Susan was interested in the clothes and relationships. And before the accident, his brothers, Peter and Edmund talked about the motive of going to the abandoned house. Then she accepts reluctantly in helping them. After covering them if someone is snooping, she accompanies them to the train station and she goes back to see her mate. After learning the accident, she assists to the funeral of her family and, although she is still interested what I said, she at the same time remembers her family and also remembers Narnia and Aslan.
Their was supposed to be a book called Susan of narnia to reavel what happened to her and expand the seireis as Susan was rumored to be his favorite. Unfortunately he passed before he could start to wright it.
I have read all the books. In the movies, they start with the lion, witch, and the wardrobe. Then it was Prince Caspian, and finally Voyage of the Dawn Treder. They should make movies of the first books like The Magician's Nephew, The Horse and his boy, etc......
Neil Gaiman (Sandman) has a brilliant tragic short story called “The Problem of Susan” with a take on it. It’s extraordinary well written and sad. I recommend it.
I would hope that Susan would come around....I personally thought it more of a tragedy that Susan wasn't there and no longer A FRIEND of Narnia..thought how could she just forget Narnia...I would think loosing her whole family like that would bring her back to Narnia.. C S Lewis after WW1 was very angry was an Atheist and he came back from that and become Christain...I think he was using Susan to show that bit of him..that we all slide away sometimes..but doesn't have to be a permanent choice
Are you are saying that being an atheist is a bad thing or what? Because i have something to say about that. What I hate is how people compare The Lady of the Green Kirtle and Susan forgetting about Narnia to Atheism. Personally I like to think that it refers to not forgetting your own dreams, not the thoughts and imaginings of somebody else, although the LOTGK's speech about the Sun not existing makes it sound like that. I always feel like that is an attack on myself when i read that part.
I felt that Susan married, had kids and overtime became a loving grandmother. Then on her deathbed she thought about Narnia and wished to see her brothers and sister one last time in Narnia. Aslan appeared before her and allowed her to rejoin her family in Narnia because in the end, she believed again.
@Jessey Lawson no
@Jessey Lawson actually the book specifically stated that Susan lived, and Lewis himself said that he hadn't decided what happened to Susan but that the reader could. I think he may have intended Susan to be a sort of reflection on his own journey from being an atheist to a Christian
I personally don't want Susan to go to Aslan's Country because she grew up; she forgot about Narnia and will never return. In my view she doesn't deserve or belong in the same world as her siblings.
@Jessey Lawson no. Lewis stated that he is not done with Susan's story
@@jhazebulacan5699 Well he is now.
I'm with you on this subject. Reading the books, I was so sad about Susan, knowing what she would've gone through, but I think it's because of the tragedy that makes her realize what's important in life. Also, I can never forget Aslan's words - "once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen" - and I think that implies that she will join them one day, just not yet.
+Abby Congdon I agree, that's what I always thought, "Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia.:
But not all queens are good. Remember Jadis?
perhaps we all are not good at a time in our lives, even getting into nylons and lipstick, but what is inside is revealed and we discover we are all really royalty
Abby Congdon yes she will join them!
Kate Gladstone Jadis was never a true queen of Narnia, she was just a wannabe.
There were already some clues that Susan's journey was different. In Prince Caspian she was the last one to see Aslan.
+xyZora You can definitely flip back and notice some red flags... but not a single soul would have predicted the turn she took in The Last Battle.
+Glumpuddle But I don't think we needed to too. People can change unpredictably and this was the perfect example. The retrospective red flags allow to put the pieces together. The only thing I really hate about this is that we didn't get a conclusion to her story. I suspect Lewis' intention was to make one.
+xyZora Asked by a child in 1958 if he would please write another book entitled "Susan of Narnia" so that the entire Pevensie family would be reunited, C. S. Lewis replied: "I am so glad you like the Narnian books and it was nice of you to write and tell me. There's no use just asking me to write more. When stories come into my mind I have to write them, and when they don't I can't!..."
Yeah, people can change unpredictably, but in fiction, it means sloppy writing. At the end, they say she was always shallow, so why wasn't it shown earlier? Why wasn't this set up, and why was her punishment so horribly out of proportion?
Again, I think it's about the magical number seven. Also, the Narnia books weren't exactly character studies. People sometimes had arcs in that they had bad sides that were redeemed through salvation/Aslan. Mostly though, characters were good or bad, and you didn't really get any impression of their personalities, or if they developed. Maybe that's too much to expect from children's books, still, you don't suddenly invent personality traits and pretend they've been there all along. Sorry, but that's just sloppy (and in this case, also pretty mean; an awful loose end not to tie up).
Mon, it is also said lewis DID have a decent ending for susan one that wasn't sloppy and well-written but, like all bright stars and the world he created he faded. He DIED before he could finish he MEANT to finish. This isn't meant to be mean just respect Lewis and know it wasn't his fault.
Honestly, the books do make it clear. Aslan says at the coronation of the golden age that once you're a king or queen of Narnia, your always a king or queen of Narnia. Susan fell, and it's incredibly sad, but she will be in the "real Narnia" with the others someday. And personally, I think that it took the death of her family to make her remember who, and what she was and drive her back to Narnia.
Agreed. I believe that after receiving the news of it, it would have devastated her and made her look at life differenty. Eventually coming back round in the end.
agreed.
I know this is an old post but I find it interesting that the real life Lucy that Susan is based on did go back to fantasy and doubled down on it once she Lost her parents. She had the chronicales of Narnia read to her over and over again and she was a inspirational believer in Christ. She became very sick in her later life that progressed throughout her life.
The Horse and his Boy was always one of my most favorite books, partly because I was a horse crazy girl, and partly because of the glimpse one got of three of the four Pevensies as grown rulers of Narnia, in which Susan has become the most desired "catch" by rulers in several realms around Narnia, which puts Edmund, Lucy and Susan in peril of being killed or imprisoned with Susan to be forcibly married off to a spoiled prince of Calormen. I think Susan fell in love with the head-rush that being one of a world's most powerful and desirable women can give you, and found it harder than any of her siblings to be suddenly spilling back out on the floor of the professor's house, back in the summer of her childhood when they had lost everything they knew and loved and were essentially powerless to change that fate, only how they lived with it day to day.
To me it is no wonder Susan became driven to become a queenly adult again as soon as possible, and then, just as she is getting more mature and has the attention of boys at her new school in London, they get dragged back to Narnia again by her own horn, and then once again, sent back to her own world before she could really get to enjoy being a queen again, though that time she is told she will not be going back to Narnia ever again. To have that door to her queenly aspirations closed on her permanently, it is not surprising that she turns away from her childhood fantasies of being a queen, and sets to work on becoming a powerful and desirable woman in her own world, even if that means pursuing silly things like fashion and the admiration of boys. There are few of us that would be able to deal well with everything we have achieved as adults being swept away in a moment and being stuck in the bodies of children again, yet still remembering what it is to be grown and able to determine the course of your own life to some extent. But she is not a wicked person in any of the books, she just needs to remember what it is that really matters.
I like that, it's interesting and feels like a plausible development. I mean, who wouldn't be affected by being adored like that? I always wished Lewis had explored more what it most have been like for the adult kings and queens to suddenly become kids again. What could that have been like? The movies explore it a little more.
Back to Susan: I like it, but it wasn't there. That character arc wasn't there in the books, it was never hinted that it got to her head or that she became shallow, she just wasn't as brave as Lucy and was a more typical "damsel in distress". So what happens at the end still feels like it's out of left field.
don't forget of the siblings she had little or no desire to be in narnia again. peter went to spend time with professor. lucy and emdund went back. susan was on the out of it. so she choose to forget narnia.
Did she really have "little or no desire" to go back? I never got that impression at all. Peter HAD to spend time with Diggory because he was prepping for his university entrance exams, Susan got carted off to America with her parents because she wasn't doing well in school and they thought it would do her good. Both, whether they wanted to go back or not, had been told in no uncertain terms that they wouldn't be returning to Narnia.
My impression of Susan is actually the opposite: she was the MOST affected by the loss of their kingdom when they went back to England at the end of the first book. In Prince Caspian when they're camping in the ruins of Cair Paravel, she is by far the most wistful and emotional about the good old days while the other three are all business. Her sense of loss is palpable. This could also explain her poor performance at school: if you were a queen one day and a junior high kid the next, can you be quite sure you'd have any interest in bothering with your studies?
Based on that, I believe Susan's loss of faith in Narnia was a coping mechanism. When she knew - at age 13 or so - that the most wonderful part of her life was gone forever, she opted to deal with the inevitable pain by pretending the whole thing had never really happened anyway. But since her life in our world wasn't over with that train crash, there's every reason to believe she will come to believe again, and that she'll rejoin her family in Aslan's country when the time comes.
Wow....this actually puts some perspective into things.
Dave Bede I absolutely agree 👍
in my opinion, c.s lewis was giving happy ending for everybody. susan is still having tasks on earth, to continue living her life, having children to continue their family line, and to spread her kindness to the world and story about narnia to her children. i mean all of those pevensie childrean are wonderful children and they didn't deserve their family line extinct without any descendant on earth, as we knew peter, edmund and lucy died in young age. this was a happy ending for susan. meanwhile among those four children,
peter, edmund, and lucy are the ones who can not move on from their life in narnia. it would be a suffering for them to continue lived as adult people while still dreamed about narnia. so their happy ending was living in narnia forever in eternity. afterall, after susan's task on earth is finish, she will come back to narnia with all her family, as once kings and queen of narnia, forever kings and queens of narnia.
I was agreeing with you right up until you said susan would come back to Narnia. Would you trade Heaven even for a beautiful land like Narnia? I wouldn't and I don't think Susan would either. Instead of looking at Susan missing out on this fairy tale, think more about her in a grand Romance. She may have drifted away from Aslan, but she is pursued by the Prince of Peace.
Lewis was working on a final book where Susan manages to return to Narnia but he died before he even wrote the book
@@rockandsandapologetics7254 so in that sense Susan eventually does come to her siblings again? Because Aslan IS Jesus the prince of peace, as proven in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader and other books
Aslan hinted that those told they would not return to Narnia were informed that they needed to know Aslan as JESUS, WHICH WAS HINTED AT THROUGH ALL SEVEN BOOKS. No reason Susan will not find Jesus later on.
Harry Andruschak
Well we can imagine what Susan would do after realizing that her family is dead.
She may end up finding the new Narnia again.
But there was no indication in the 7th book that the children who stayed forever in Aslan's country knew him as Jesus in their world. No indication of Jesus or church or the Bible.
@@ChaosPod but isn’t that assumed if Aslan said they NEEDED to know him by his other name? The book is an allegory, so it’s not going to ruin itself by actually describing the children’s conversions or anything. Should be understood that through their adventures, they learned his other name and then went home when their work was done.
@@correypeta we canot foget when lucy said about something bigger then the universe in a stable
The Pevensey parents are there with Lucy and co., and they never went to Narnia, so Susan definitely has a chance. Plus, Aslan takes the true believer of the other faith too - who did good deeds in the name of the opposing deity. If Susan has faith and is a good person she will find her way to rejoin her family eventually
There are hints to it earlier in the series too! In Prince Caspian, she told Lucy that she really believed her when she said she saw Aslan, but just didn't want to, so she denied it. She also said in PC that she had got used to being in England & had no desire to return to Narnia. That definitely seems like for-shadowing for what's later coming. Does anyone see what I mean here?
Yep. Thought the same thing XD
I saw lots of signs throughout the books. When it came to "The Last Battle" and Susan's fate, I just thought, "Well, I'm not particularly surprised."
But also, given that CS Lewis wrote the books with major Christian themes in them, Susan's fate is just one of someone who believed once, but gave up on it.
That’s actually clever, but her ending is still not great.
I always felt like Susan would grieve for a long time, go through the anger and depression of that kind of loss but then come back ground to Narnia again, finding Aslan again.
I think that the constant switch of identities (girl/queen/girl/queen/girl again) was too much for her.
The time when she first came to Narnia, she already was the most grown up of them all. Books instead of games etcetera.
I think she wanted one identity (Real world Susan) which she could rely on.
I think it's not a black and white story here.
Definitely. Plus, they're growing up in Britain in the 1940s, during war and rationing, when those small pleasures she's derided for being too interested in were still rare luxuries.
She went from London in the Blitz as a teen, to a country manor, to a life as royalty, then back to the British countryside and the end of the war. Rationing carried on for years after, during which times they were moved back to London, then off to boarding school, the professor fell on hard times and had to leave his manor, and another visit to a totally different Narnia... All in the space of a couple of years! Of course she wanted to be a grown woman and getting into a relationship with a man who might provide her with a bit of stability for a secure future (as would have been dictated to, and expected of, her).
Lucy and Edmund don't start at the boarding schools until at least a year after the older siblings, so Susan potentially went straight to school after the war, while the younger two had each other to reminisce with, and Peter could continue a lot of his Narnia hobbies/skills at school - even if they didn't have fencing, fighting and competitive sports and public speaking and leadership skills were all far more acceptable and available for boys than girls.
I always think the characters' time back in our world between the various adventures would be just as interesting - perhaps moreso! Definitely from a psychological perspective.
My imagination always transferred me to Susan's role. Even though I know that I'm more like Lucy by character and life values. But I couldn't help myself but feel for Susan. It's like, I don't know, I just was impressed by her actions and kindness. And also, I thought : 'Woou, queen Susan the Gentle, it's so sweet it's so about her!'. The way that she cared about her siblings so much, the way that she was fighting, the way that she was able to solve a problems. So when I fould out about her fate, just like you, I was shocked and speechless. One of my favorite charachters that I admired were turning into a 'no longer a friend of the Narnia'. And that railway crush... It hurts me so much to realize what she is about to go through. She is the only one who has to identify the bodies, bury them and live with it further. I just hope that she no longer stayed in our world and headed to Aslans land. Because as I see it, it's not a life for her anymore just an existance
I feel like C.S Lewis also made a point throughout the series to let people have their stories. Like the dwarf who shot at the horses but was let in to true Narnia. Susan's ending is really between her and Aslan. In the problem with pain, Lewis points to suffering as a clearing of the air to find priority and morals. Susan has lost her family, maybe that's what she needed to get back on the right path.
But she wasn't in a bad path to be honest, like, if we get rid of the religious intentions of the book Susan did nothing wrong, of course she had interest on shallow things just like everyone else and that doesn't mean any treason to Narnia that just mean she had more than one interest in life, and about the not believing in Narnia... Everyone has different ways to cope with life and probably it was easier for her to assume she wouldn't step on Narnia anymore by turning it into a child's game, also, it's very solitary to know something like Narnia as a secret while being perfectly aware that nobody else would believe you, so, to me it makes totally sense she wanted to keep on with her life, even if it was different from the way her siblings did
@@shiroro7695 yes but she let her interests rule her life and became so focused on materialistic things that she forgot her family her brothers and sisters in narnia. If the last few years with covid have taught us anything. It is the value of relationships, happiness, joy and peace. As well as the small things in life. Of course not all the things Susan or us are interested in are bad but we have to have the right balance of materialistic things such as money and the true happiness in our lives through love fun and time with loved ones. It Is not putting Susan and us down for having interests but for letting materialistic things become more important to her and us and rule our lives. When we are gone what will we be remembered by. How does our legacy live on? In our clothes or objects or in the memories others have of us.
@@Em_Rose_ this is correct. Also her not doing anything wrong if we are "getting rid of the religious intentions" is kind of a moot point. It goes against the moral of the story. In the world lewis' build he intended the struggle for a higher purpose, something bigger than oneself, to be what is considered good. The value of selflessness, willingness to make sacrifices, loyalty, protecting the vulnerable no matter the apparent cost or how futile it seems are main themes of the whole thing. Susan was corrupted by hedonism and materialism and it is important for the story that she does not just get a pass for that.
Obvioulsy redemtion is also a major theme, like when was deceived and tempted by the witch he betrayed his siblings and everyone else suffering under her rule but he saw the error of his ways and atoned and rightened the wrongs. Therefore he was welcomed back and crowned. Lewis wanted to show that "being good" isn't a one and done kind of deal but a lifelong duty. The other siblings were "good" so he ended their story in Narnia. Susan turned her back so he ended her story on a path to the sad destiny she deserves, with the implication that redemtion for her is always possible but not a given.
I think Susan will start to believe again and she will make her own way to narnia
I believe she joined them when she died , it just wasnt her time.. they were once all kings and Queens of Narnia , they will always remain the same .
Actually, I love the DVD commentary on Disney first Narnia movie as, at one point, they state: "Susan didn't want to be here from the beginning."
Matthew Kuba 0:31 do you want the original cast in last battle movie?
It's a shame that CS Lewis passed away before being able to tell us what happened to Susan after the Last Battle.
He couldn’t have written her story to its end because Susan’s story is his story. He is Susan. Raised in faith, surprised by joy, fallen in adolescence. We know how her story ends because we know how his did.
It has been a WHILE since I've read the stories, but I can't help but think of a Bible passage when I consider this point... “Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will certainly not enter it” (Mark 10:13-16). Maybe Susan's fascination with adulthood resulted in her losing the innocence she possessed, and therefore the ability to experience Narnia. Though Peter also grew up, he retained his beliefs, and was able to participate in the battle with everyone and join them in the afterlife. The passage from Lady Polly might mean that in growing up, Susan's mind became clouded, distracted by worldly things, and so, she lost sight of what was really important. Maybe, like 15_of_me said, Susan is a metaphore for a Christian that turns away from Christ.
Yeh, she's supposed to represent Atheists. At least CS Lewis' idea of one. Since apparently he "was" one before, and then went back to Christianity lol.
I do not know when Lewis said this, but this quote is quite interesting: "The books don't tell us what happened to Susan. She is left alive in this world at the end, having by then turned into a rather silly, conceited young woman. But there's plenty of time for her to mend and perhaps she will get to Aslan's country in the end... in her own way." -C.S. Lewis
Very nice point about the dedication by the way!
Also, quick question. So everyone dies in the train wreck and the other five of the seven friends of Narnia immediately go to Aslan's Country, but Jill and Eustace go to Narnia because Narnia needs them. So my question is, did Jill and Eustace die in the train wreck, too? While they are with Tirian in Narnia are they dead and just don't know it? Or did the train wreck transport them to Narnia before they died and then those two die during the last battle at the end of the book? This questions been really bothering me for awhile and no one seems to have a good answer.
The whole company gathered with Aslan in the New Narnia at the story's conclusion has, in earthly terms, died. They were all on their way to a sort of conference, including all who had been in Narnia, if I remember correctly. This is what brought them all to the same place (notably without Susan) and involved them in the same catastrophe. So, yes, they all died in this world. And if I remember correctly, the Pevensie parents were waiting for them on the platform and also got killed in the wreck.
Thanks!
Actually I know what happened Susan had gotten married and had children and in her death bed she wanted to see Peter, Edmund, and Lucy again.
blaine girma Fanfiction, not what actually happens (not canon)
@@janethflores2538 fan fiction
"Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia." To me, that says it all. Susan can return to Narnia any time that she chooses. I feel confident that she can change her mind even after she dies.
I begin to see my own daughter in Susan. She wanted to be grown up too early, she lost faith to a great extent and even became estranged from me for several years. She wanted to be like a teenager once she had passed that time, and I couldn't really be the mother of a teen because she wasn't one. The future remains to be seen.
The youtuber's comment about Susan in 5:41 is very, very heartwarming. I am touched. Salute for this guy! God bless you!
There was also gonna be a final book called “Susan of Narnia” but sadly lewis died before the start of book. :(
Are you serious?! I never knew that! My favourite out of all the books btw was the magicians nephew. I still hold onto that feeling of the wood with pools in that hold brand new worlds. The magicians (Tv show) took heavily from Lewis’ work & their interpretation of that scene was 💜
Never knew that interesting. Is there proof. Like a manuscript
I thought that Lewis wasn't going to write Susan's story, when she was an adult, because it wouldn't be like the 7 Chronicles, which were written for children? A grown-up lady's story with no Narnia and no magic in it would have bored me as a kid. Also, it would ruin the "Planet Narnia/ Narnia Code" theory of Michael Ward and necessitated a total re-write of the cosmology of Narnia that Prof. Lewis built into his world from its creation. I trust Aslan to take care of Susan. There are enough hints in the books to suggest He will, in this world or Another.
i'm a literature major and have never heard this. source?
I think Susan was angry at Aslan about her not being able to go to Narnia again so she hated talking about it and would deny it
First, the people who criticize the Susan arc not only get it badly wrong, they generally reveal more about their own lack of depth or flawed psychology than they do about the story.
Second, I think we see something of Lewis' own journey in Susan. He was an imaginative child who loved fairy stories, but eventually became a materialist. He never stopped loving poetry and fairy stories deep down, but he thought that love was at odds with his adult reality of atheistic materialism. As a result he was always conflicted over it. He once expressed that conflict by referring to poetry (and especially epic mythological poetry) as "lies breathed through silver". In other words, 'they are beautiful and I'm attracted to them, but they are lies and I ultimately can't believe them'
It was only later, after long talks with Hugo Dyson and JRR Tolkien that he came around to realize that there was truth in mythology and poetry, and that his former "grown up" attitude wasn't grown up at all. Then he was able once again to fully embrace his love of the stories that had shaped his younger self and as he put it "baptized my imagination".
I have also wondered from time to time, if Susan's response was not partly motivated out of bitterness and loss at having been told she can't come back to Narnia. Perhaps she resorted to pretending that Narnia never really happened, that it was all a silly game, because she didn't want to face up to the reality of loss in knowing that Narnia existed but she could not return to it.
Back to the Susan critics. Lewis was well educated in philosophy and the like, whereas most of his critics are not. As such there is frequently depth to his work that goes completely over the heads of the 'critics'.
Basic classical-medieval philosophy (which Lewis knew well) holds that everyone is seeking goodness and happiness. Whatever they pursue in life, they pursue because they think it is good and it will make them happy.
In the case of Susan, when she was a child she was able to recognize the goodness of their Narnian adventures, and they made her happy. Now that she has become an adult, she is no longer capable of recognizing the goodness of Narnia, and she no longer believes she can find happiness there. Instead, she believes that what's good is being desired and popular. That people find her attractive and that she is invited to social gatherings. She thinks this is what will make her happy.
Polly's lament shows the truth. That Susan's quest for happiness in these things is a fool's errand because those things will never last. If those things are truly what will make you happy, then you are doomed to most of your life being unhappy.
Another foundational tenet of classical and medieval philosophy is that all things are inherently good. It's just that somethings are more good or higher goods than others. The point is not that lipstick and nylons and social events are bad. The point is that they are a lower good. They are less important than truth, family, and God.
One might ask the question, why is Narnia so important? Is adventure such a high good?
The ultimate reason why Narnia is so important is not because of the adventure (though that makes it fun for us as readers) it is because in Narnia all of the main characters came into direct contact with the transcendent. They discovered truths about reality, about the worlds, that literally change everything. To encounter that and NOT be dramatically changed by it is astounding.
The change that occurs in all the others is a dramatic re-ordering of their priorities. What sets all the other friends of Narnia apart is that they no longer care much about the 'normal' life of the modern world. The things that concern most people, don't really mean that much to them. They have more in common with the medieval world, than with the modern world in some ways. Because their priority and interest is not in the trivialities of the here and now, but in a transcendent reality that they have personally experienced.
Can you imagine directly experiencing a transcendent reality, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that other worlds exist, that God exists and having literally talked to him face to face, and then being obsessively concerned about going to parties, and being a socialite? Especially given that the people you would be interacting with would be completely oblivious to the earth shattering reality that you have first hand experienced.
The concerns of fashion and gossip ought to recede to the level of uninteresting drivel.
Every now and then i come back to this video because watching it and listening to you give us your point of view makes me so so happyyyyy
"Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia." She'll return. I think Lewis wanted to stress that it is possible to lose one's 'first love', i.e. Aslan, i.e. Jesus.
Before Lewis died, he said that he's gonna make a book for susan "Only" soon, but before he did, he died
I'm sad for Susan. It was really hard for me to read after I learned the three siblings were killed in a train accident. But it shouldn't be seen as a punishment to her. Aren't we all like Susan, we all grow up learning about fairy tales just to learn as we become adults that there's something more than to it? What I believe as the line says "once a king or queen of Narnia, forever a king or queen of Narnia" and it doesn't need land to call home but the people, it's the people who make a home, a country. Narnia or real world, she is the Gentle Queen. Her gentleness and her radiance don't fade away with the change of place. It takes only her to be called a Narnian not the land of Narnia. I have only loved the Chronicles of Narnia for the idea of trusting and loving the family. Maybe the story is better left incomplete cause Susan's purpose was to spread the idea of gentleness and kindness in her world, build another Narnia, a land of peace and prosperity. And her job wasn't a full stop, it's the next part of the story. Like Susan, after we learn about the world of Narnia, it is our duty to spread its goodness around. It's never an end but a never-ending journey
Susan's nurse helped her into the chair for her morning BBC routine. The anchor was talking of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Susan drifted to memories of another battle...
One thing everyone seems to miss, and which your video (which is excellent, by the way!) doesn't mention: the two characters who make the sternest denunciations of Susan are Jill and Polly. Neither of them could have known Susan very well to begin with! We know for certain Jill didn't meet any of the Pevensies until after the events of The Silver Chair. It is possible that Polly met them somewhere along the line, but this is never mentioned in any of the other books. While the end of LWW implies that the professor has been to Narnia himself (and we learn in The Magician's Nephew that he has), it doesn't say anything about him having a friend who was also there. We do know they all get together at some point between The Silver Chair and The Last Battle, maybe several times, but if Susan has lost her faith by then, it's unlikely that either Jill or Polly ever got much of a chance to know her. My best guess is we're talking about a single Friends of Narnia meeting at the Pevensie family home where they tried to get Susan to join them, but she was more interested in getting dressed up to go to a party and accused them of engaging in make-believe. I can see why that would make a bad impression on Jill and Polly, but it wouldn't be enough for either of them to really get to know her all that well.
Wonderful! That's a very good observation! It makes complete sense!
I still don’t like how Stan turned out in the end. Even J.K. Rowling has a problem with this, and don’t even get me started on Phillip Pullman.
If you look at Susan's attitudes all throughout the series, her "default" position is worldly, "common sense" and somewhat negative. In earlier books, she accepts correction. Her "growing up" is, of course, not about sex, but about "conforming to the image of this world." Paul (Ephesians 3) tells us to seek things above. Ooops, sorry Susan. (also - I like your Narnia chats. Good job).
This also bothered me, too, so much that I actually started writing Susan's story, about what happened to her after all her family were tragically killed. What I am sure is that Aslan never stops reaching out to her, whether as his Narnia self or as the he is known in the world where she lives now. Her fate is unknown in the books but she is not forgotten - ever.
I didn’t read the books but, out of a curiosity I went to wiki to see what becomes of this family. THIS WAS THE WORST THING I’VE EVER DONE. I read it and was in shock for hours and then out of nowhere I broke down and started crying why I was in the shower. THIS HURT SO MUCH. I actually morning this family. They gave me so much joy as a kid in the movies and to find out is this their ending, I AM CRUSHED.
Every time I think of it, I'm like, "Susan is gonna get a phone Call!"
"Hey, I've got some bad news, Your Family are dead."
Susan: *eyes wide open* "What?!"
"Yes, you're parents, your brothers and sister and your cousin r dead, so is your cousin's friend, the professor you stayed with and his friend. They were in a train and it crashed. They're all dead, I'm sorry"
Susan: *gasp* 😧
That's all I can think of.
And, after that phone call, she MIGHT learn to think about things besides fashion and makeup and boys ... she JUST MIGHT have to change, as a person ...
"Once a King or Queen of Narnia ALWAYS a King or Queen of Narnia" . I think she comes back too! Blessings!
Sure, Aslan tells them "Once a king or queen...", but he also tells them to "bear it well" and not forget it. Susan forgot. Whether she ever remembers it and goes to New Narnia or not remains to be seen, and we probably won't, and I'm glad for that. There's ambiguity in her fate that people in the real world can relate to. You need to "actively remember Narnia" in order to be welcome to it, as opposed to "passively having been there twice before." Going with Christian allegory, there are sects which believe that being saved requires lifetime activity, while others believe that one only needs to accept Jesus once and that's it. The Chronicles follow the former.
I'm not convinced that she forgot it. I believe she's chosen to believe it never happened because that's easier than accepting that she'll never get back to Narnia. (Remember that none of the children had any way of knowing they would end up in Aslan's country; he didn't tell them that, only that they wouldn't be coming back to Narnia. Which is really kind of splitting hairs in light of what did happen.)
I feel like susan was just in denial and purposely held a grudge against narnia after she forgot what her dwarfs name was. It's really sad and unfortunate that it took her siblings death to try & force her to look down the right path again. I really hope she did find her way back to the light & back to narnia.
How could she have forgotten when she had grown up there for 15 years? There’s no way growing up again, this time in our world, could make her forget all that and think she was “playing pretend” with her siblings.
@@stephenking5852 I don't think she really forgot. I think she tried to forget, told herself it hadn't really happened, because that was easier than accepting that it was gone forever. She was in denial.
You have to remember that Lewis was deeply religious, and deeply Christian, and it doesn't take anyone withe even a room temperature IQ more than 15 seconds to figure out that the LWW is an alagory of the Christian life. And one important warning in the Gospels is that of allowing "the cares of this world" to choke out faith in the Gospel, in God and Jesus, and in eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. From Genesis to Revelation there are warnings, starting with Adam and Eve, Lot, Esau, and down through the Biblical story of people who traded the eternal for the temporal, that which had true value for that which only gave short-term, illusory value. Susan wasn't a person. She was a symbol, and a warning, that we could so easily trade a throne in Narnia for the temporary lure of riches, beauty, and worldly power and become Susan. And the pain we feel at the loss of Susan is the pain that others who love us will feel if we sell out our eternal salvation for nylons and lipsticks. At the same time, my personal faith in God (represented by Aslan) is in His absolute and limitless Mercy, Love, and tender lovingkindness for His Creation. Whatever happens at the end of time to Susan, I'm sure that God will show her His unbounded mercy and love. Therefore, I"m not worried. I think the Kings and Queens of Narnia will all be reunited at some point. If Aslan could forgive Edmund, and give His life to save Edmund from the White Witch, I do not believe He will forget about Susan or fail to forgive her childish immaturity and lack of faith.
I love Susan, and I absolutely hate how there is nothing for her after the last battle. I need another book for her
Was C.S. Lewis painfully dumped by a girl when in this teens or 20's? His treatment of Susan always seemed spiteful...even a little hateful.
No, actually there are a lot of parallels in Susan's character to Lewis himself. If you understand his story and his journey from hard core atheism to faith, you begin to understand his Characters better.
Widen your perspective.
It seemed honest to me.
Did you notice that Lewis set up a scenario that easily hurtles Susan on _some_ kind of adventure after the tragic death of her entire family? Think about it: Peter was waiting at the station with Uncle Andrew's magic rings on his person. Digging those up seem like a *huge* detail that ultimately goes nowhere, besides serving as a plot devise to make everyone meet up at the station. Really, that''s some _powerful magic_ just left there in his pocket when he dies.
So, does some lucky policeman, or the coroner, touch it and get wisked away on the wings of destiny? Possible, but their job requires gloves. So wouldn't the rings ultimately be sent to Peter's last surviving relative, Susan? I think this is key to why Susan can't forever maintain the delusion that their adventures in Narnia were just kid games - even if the grief doesn't snap her out of it, a magic ring taking her to any number of other worlds certainly would! Unfortunately, the Narnian pool will now be dried up and gone like Charn's, but regardless it's a great framework for a redemption story and I believe it was deliberate setup by Jack for...something.
I just wish he had written it, but at least we have our imaginations. I hope the movie makers are smart enough to allude to it too, maybe even for the final scene of the chronicles - it would help smooth the whole business over with audiences.
I suggest that leaving Susan's story unfinished was deliberate on Jack's part, a reminder to the young woman that Lucy has become that she has to write her own fate now - will she have the courage to grow up from the "silliest time of her life" and choose to serve Aslan in her own world, or does she want to take Susan's path until it is too late?
I agree, it is deliberate for The Last Battle for sure, but I seem to recall some quote from Jack saying that he also left Susan's fate a bit uncertain as a potential lead-in to another book - should he feel the inspiration to write one that is. It'd be nice if I could find that quote to confirm that my memory is working.
Wouldn't you agree that a cool set-up is there though? Aslan thought the rings were dangerous enough to bury - now they are dug up...in a railway collision. What happens next?
Perhaps, though Aslan also says the magic never works in the same way twice when Lucy asks about using the wardrobe again. If the rings did work again for one of the Friends of Narnia, it would be the first time that rule was broken.
When does Aslan say that? It seems like an amalgamation of Professor Kirke saying the wardrobe won't work again and when Aslan says " *things* never happen the same way twice" in Prince Caspian (chapter 10). Am I missing something? Also, I'd say the rings and the wardrobe did work more then once - albeit only within one book respectively - and the rings couldn't go to shadow lands of Narnia again, but to a _wood between worlds_ and who knows to what from there!
Well, I can dream anyway, unless the Lewis estate finds a hidden manuscript. :)
I never thought of that, that's fascinating! Someone should really write that book! I would read it :)
Who's Jack? Was that the nickname of C.S. Lewis or something?
I fed like Susan made sense in context cause Peter was the high king Edmund was the traitor turned good and Lucy discovered Narnia first
I think its really important that Susan wasnt in New Narnia (yet) when the book ended, and we don't know what happend to her.
The spiritual level of the story was very important to Lewis, and i believe he wanted to make it clear that not everybody will end up in heaven, not even every "good guy" 'cause thats not what counts.
Though "once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen" does give you hope, i personly dont think Lewis has nessasarily ever made a decission about wheather susan gets to narnia in the end. He's not the kind of author how plans every little detail before he writes. you can tell how the chronicles of narnia "grow" as he writes them. So lets just keep it as open as Lewis intended.
tho i have to admit i did write a fan fic where she finds Aslan in our world again as a grown-up, through her daughter.
So yeah, i too dream of them getting reunited.
+Kaja Lillesoster Where can I read this fanfic? It sounds amazing!
its german and not public (hasnt even been digitalised yet :( ) Also its not that good.. xD I was like 14-15 when i wrote it..
but i still kinda like the idea, the exicution was just horrible. here is the rough storry: it was called "Chronicles of a Narnian Princess" and the main character was Susans daughter Joan. (daughter of a narnian queen=princess..)
Susan had always told Joan the Adventures she had in Narnia as bedtime storries, just having dimm memories, not believing it was true. (still thinking it was "funny games they used to play as children")
But Joan starts to visit Narnia in her dreams, and has different adventures every night (i always made her visit people and places that where mentioned in the Chronicles of narnia, but you didnt know too much about. like Olivin of Archenland and Landy Liln, Camillo the Hare, etc.) sometimes she would just visit very shortly, and most of the adventures werent that epic, she was kindof there in the inbeween parts and didnt even meet Aslan for a long time.
Anyhow, you kinda watched her grow, and slowly figure out, that it wasnt just dreams she had, you could watch her in our world and in Narnia mature spiritually and without it really ever being the topic, you learned, how Susan and her husband where finding Christ.
If anyone more talented than me, wants to give this storry another chance, i'd be glad to read it. :)
So sad Susan was honestly one of my favorite characters 😭🙁
MINE TOO
SUSAN SAD LIFE
She chooses her fate, who are we to judge her.
Perhaps she finds the Aslan by another name.
One thing I do know is that I stay away from trains.
I think a few things are going on.
-On the level of Christian allegory, many of us know what it's like to grow up talking to our friends and family about God and stuff, only to find one day that they think all that's pretty silly. And you feel like you kind of "lose" them, as to that part of your relationship with them.
-I think this was Lewis failing to resist hopping on a soap box here. It reminds me of my least favourite bit of The Screwtape Letters, (which book I love deeply) in which Lewis can't resist talking down, apparently, all stuff girly. Shaving legs and curling hair and lipstick and stuff. In a way he was suggesting that fashion was conspiring to teach women to be more boyish (something he might have seen more in his day than now, certainly, given fashion) or that it was encouraging them to do anything but accept what and who they were, and was teaching them they needed a great deal of artifice.
-I think this is far more of an indictment of the delusions of adulthood that come with adolescence, than of genuine maturity, or even sexuality.
-I agree with Glumpuddle's video, that it is notable that Susan isn't killed too. Imagine how it would have been if she'd been killed too, but then wasn't allowed to be with the others? This means there's hope for her. Also, there is the idea that in Narnia, it's Aslan, and in our world, it's Jesus, and Susan could easily, as an adult in our world, meet Jesus. No reason she couldn't.
-I also agree with Glumpuddle that this could be a bit of a Peter Pan thing. Despite the fact that other adult characters still believe in Narnia, the dedication at the beginning of the first book really presents the idea that girls might well grow up to go through a phase in which they feel too old for fairy stories, but then return to them when they genuinely grow up more. (As in most things, Philip Pullman has it all backwards.)
This theory seems more relevant.
It's a character assasination, basically. She's described as shallow. The big problem is, it's not set up. What happened in Prince Caspian, it's not enough, you can't call that a set up. This comes out of thin air, that's one reason it's so shocking and feels so unfair. Another reason is that her punishment seems completely out of proportion. Edmund betrayed his siblings to the White Witch, he was forgiven. She's shallow, and she gets this? A theme throughout the books is redemption. Eustace, Edmund, Aravis. But not Susan, even though she hadn't really hurt anyone.
You know what I think? I think Lewis hadn't thought this one through. I think he wanted the "end group" of "Narnia ascendants" to add up to the magical number seven, and that meant having to sacrifice one. Susan was the unlucky one, and so he made up characteristics never referred to before.
Thanks for posting!
Susan is not "punished." She chose not to be with the other friends of Narnia, and so was not with them during the train accident. What happens to Susan after that is not known. (I sometimes wonder if Lewis left that open end to go back to if he ever decided to write an 8th book)
I completely understand your feeling that her absence at the end is not setup enough. But I feel that, at this point in the series, it has been well established that these books are 7 chronicles among an infinite amount. I think Lewis does a fantastic job and making it feel like we are just getting as much of the real story as he could fit in.... which is not a large percentage. That's just me though. If you did not get that sense to the same degree I did, I completely understand feeling like it was a "character assassination." That's a perfectly valid point of view.
But it WAS set up. Susan was a reluctant Narnian from the very first book. This first movie emphasized this point. Then in "Prince Caspian" (the book) this was emphasized even more clearly in her refusal to believe in (and therefore see) Aslan's actual presence. It's then alluded to in subsequent books, "Dawn Treader" particularly, and then finally brought to its conclusion in "The Last Battle".
I always saw it as Lewis's way of driving home the point about how the children were suprised at some folks who made it into Aslan's Kingdom and some who didn't. Even one of the original inner circle wasn't there at the end (although her final end is still open). But some who seemed to be on the wrong side, and even fought on the wrong side, did make it into Aslan's Kingdom. And finally, their personal story is none of our business anyway. It's between them and Aslan.
Susan is the stand-in for Judas here. She's someone who loved the King of Kings, but couldn't quite bring herself to follow Him to the bitter end. Of course, we know the end of Judas's story. But since we don't know the end of Susan's story, there's still hope. And Glumpuddle is correct. Susan isn't being punished. She simply chose not to be there, and Aslan won't force her against her will to be somewhere she doesn't will to be, even it it's better for her. Aslan, as God does, honors free will.
....Actually, we just know that Judas killed himself, and that Jesus did not seem to meet him while HE was dead. That do not mean that Judas didn't end up in Heaven.
I wouldn't consider the movies to be canonical here, since they were made decades after Lewis' death. Susan does show some signs of reluctance in the early books, but she also shows some signs of being the MOST attached to Narnia. At the end of LWW, she's the only one of the four who doesn't want to follow the white stag into the thicket, although she agrees to do so when outvoted. At the beginning of Prince Caspian, she's the only one who shows any signs of regret for all that they lost when they did go back to England. I don't know what you're referring to about Dawn Treader, as the only things we hear about her in that book are that she hasn't been doing very well in school and that Lucy is envious of her beauty. Neither one really has anything to do with her faith.
I took her reluctance to follow the white stag as an indication of her overall reluctance to engage in adventures. Nobody knew they were actually heading back to England until they were well into the wardrobe. She wanted to go back to England in the beginning of the LWW when they found Tumnus' cave ransacked. She was also the only one to stay behind when there were battles, as in The Horse and His Boy. She seemed to have a hesitance that was unlike any of her siblings.
First, thank you for your comment on Superman! He has always been my favorite superhero for several reasons but partly because he is adopted as I was and as a kid I found that incredible cool. Second you make a great point on about Susan. She is not denied Narnia she is just not ready for it. When I read The Chronicles of Narnia I felt that C.S. Lewis laced even the darkest part of the books with hope. Aslan was never too far for those who truly searched for him. He appeared just when you needed him. Susan took her eyes off the goal but not forever. She is distracted, but completely lost.
Perhaps C. S. Lewis thought of writing another set of books/stories this time about Susan and her children. Just like in Lewis' dedication that someday Lucy would read fairy tales again this time to her children.
Susan represents the people who couldn't wait to grow up (to be in their teens and early adult stage), and lose themselves in the process. Why Lewis chose her to that representative? I guess because Lucy is younger and more imaginative.
I believe Lewis took that approach to show us that not everything goes as smoothly and as perfect as we expect them to be. There will be those with different beliefs from us and sometimes those closest to us will drift apart. But just as open ended as it was... someday maybe they'll come to understand each other again. There's always room for reconciliation.
In the excellent book "Companion to Narnia," Paul F. Ford gives the very simple setup that, as a woman of twenty-one who has just lost her parents, siblings, cousin, and three dear friends in a tragic accident, Susan would have much to work through and in her grief, reach out once more to Christ, whom she knew in Narnia as Aslan, and become a less self-absorbed, more giving person, essentially returning to her status as Susan the Gentle, and one day, when all her trials and joys are past, be reunited with her family and friends in the True Narnia and the True England in Aslan's Country.
CS Lewis, in his personal letters, said himself that it is a mistake to think Susan died with her siblings. She wasn’t with them on the train, and she’s left on earth alone, her story ambiguous. Lewis left her story ambiguous because she’s supposed to be a portrait of “the last battle,” that is, the battle that all Christians face between the vain things of this world and the eternal riches in Christ. Susan’s not lost, as Aslan even said, “Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia.” She simply embodies the BATTLE that Christians face everyday, hence the name, “The Last Battle.”
Great analysis as always, glumPuddle!
I think that the plot twist regarding Susan is brilliant. We've all known people who seem to have had a religious conversion, only to later talk about the Bible as though it were a bunch of "fairy tales and kids' stories." And that's Lewis' point. Those who choose not to believe don't get the rewards of heaven, even if they've played at religion prior to that point in life.
I think Lewis wants to startle us into praying for our unsaved friends and family members by bringing home the reality of not getting into heaven. We know that some people we know won't go to heaven; at least, we understand it as an abstract concept. This story development brings it home with an absolute emotional wallop. These aren't some unnamed bunnies that we've never seen before disappearing into Aslan's shadow; this is *Susan,* who we've spent tons of time with over several books. The pain of not wanting to lose loved ones should spur us into action.
I also think that Lewis wanted to startle readers who had drifted away from their religious upbringing themselves but who still enjoyed reading fantasy novels. This plot development is meant as a wake-up call to the real-life Susans of the world, so that they don't miss their own chance at eternal happiness.
Lots of people seem to think (as you and the Christianity Today author eloquently suggest) that maybe Susan gets into Narnia later. Maybe. But not everyone goes to heaven, not if they choose not to believe. I'm glad that Lewis didn't give us a generic, happy -- and false -- ending of "Everybody goes to heaven."
Also, considering how much time Lewis' critics spend insisting that he's racist for his depiction of the Calormenes, I think they would be wise to note the example of Emeth as a counterpoint to Susan. Emeth's skin color doesn't matter; nor does his lack of all the accurate information. Emeth made the best decisions he could with the limited knowledge he had, and Aslan rewarded him for it. Meanwhile, Susan doesn't get into Narnia despite her lack of beliefs because of white privilege. It's all about the state of her heart.
Let's all pray for the Susans we know.
Susan hasn't gone into Aslan's shadow forever yet, but you are correct that Lewis wants us to think about the fates of those who are headed into the shadows. But also to realize that we can never know whether people are headed into the shadow or the light, for we don't have the capacity to even see all of anthers soul, much less judge them. And preaching at them does no good unless they are ready to listen because they have been touched by love they didn't deserve; if we care for them, all we can do is never write them off, and always keep showing them agape love that never fails or ends.
Tom Holste What happens to Susan in a sense reminds me what happens to the Dwarves who wouldn't let themselves be taken in They got obsessed with being independant and dwarves are for the dwarves that they didn't care if there was a real Aslan out there same as Susan who got sent back and "grew up" she got obsessed with blending into the crowd and with lip gloss and the materialistic version of beauty that she so easily dismissed Narnia and Aslan
God lives in the margins of science, so religious people want to keep those margins wide.
"White privilege" I don't recall the part in the Bible that talks about that.
I like to think Susan learned about the accident , and it dries her rather crazy. after spending some time in a hospital to recover, She decides to try and run away from Aslan and Narnia for some time, and fails. eventually she is contacted by what I can only describe as a version of Tash. Upon being contacted by Tash in her 20s she is scared. In trying to Avoid Tash she becomes a Nun, and finds Aslan again she doesn't believe him at first thinking him to be a figment but he comes to her in her late 5s and tells her it is time for he r to return to Narnia where he belongs and she and another Nun who became a friend of Narnia through the stories Susan would tell the elder Nun suffering from dementia, happened to enjoy and believe saying she thinks she may have met Alan as well in hr time as a young person.
Once a Queen of Narnia.....always a Queen of Narnia.....
I'm going to be a bit of a spoil sport here. Susan, at the end of the Last Battle, is a single young woman in her early 20s and the sole survivor of her immediate family in early 1950's, post WWII and London Blitz England. Most of her friends or connections in relation to Narnia are dead. She has gone through adolescence twice, once without her parents and both times in unfamiliar settings (Narnia and a bombed out London). Aslan didn't need her, or anyone else, to deal with things in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. After she and her siblings left Narnia, and not of their own volition, the country deteriorated and anything that wasn't human went underground. Slavery started. And Aslan did nothing. At the end of Prince Caspian, Aslan, perhaps the most important being in her life, effectively rejects her and gives no reason. How did the Pevensies parents respond to their children saying they had gone to a magical other world? How did going through life as a now former queen affect her? What support network does Susan have after the train wreck? Who did she loose in the Blitz and WWII? How does she feel about the distance between herself and the others? I want to believe that Susan will overcome these difficulties, but I don't see her as being particularly inclined to go back to Narnia.
i always felt like Susan didn't go back because she was too hurt by the fact that Aslan told her and Peter couldn't come back because they had gotten too old. rather than continuing to believe, Susan became of the world and when the call came to come back, she chose not to answer because of her hurt and pride. at least that's how i always interpreted it
Thank you for your explanation I grew up on the Narnia Chronicles and the introduction to The Lion and the Witch and the Wardrobe which presented
if death in narnia is an equivalent of religious redemption, there was no reason to deny that to susan. "once a king or queen in narnia, always a king or queen in narnia." susan was very brave in the books that she appeared in. so unless lewis really did want to make a statement that adulthood for women is basically a denial of religious devotion, there's no other explanation why he contradicted the earlier ruls set by aslan himself. one may ask further, if it is really so in real life, and the answer would be that many people's spirituality survives adulthood very well.
Thank you soooooooooo much for this video! I'm so glad I found someone who has the exact same opinions with me on Susan fate
Lewis seemed to indicate in later life that Susan could very well have ended up in Aslan's country eventually, and that's what I would believe. I agree that the terrible and total loss she suffered would have driven her to not only repentance, but a deep evaluation of what's really important in life, and also an intense longing to be reunited with her family. A couple of people in the comments have accused Lewis of sloppy writing, and I think nothing could be further from the truth. He makes us think, and maybe look at our own values/priorities. No one's journey is a smooth trajectory, and sometimes it takes some really difficult experiences to come to the right place in the end. As Aslan is the Christ figure in this story, we can be confident that he wants all to come to him and only he knows the path each person needs to take for that to happen. I believe there would be a very joyful reunion when Susan came to Aslan's country, and all her fears would be removed, as they were in Prince Caspian, when she believed Aslan was there, but didn't want to follow Lucy to go to him.
Great blog - love that you found that insight in the dedication. I think that's a wonderful point and is a great interpretation.
When you went to the Lewis' dedication to Lucy, I was like, "that is freaking genius!!!!"
I wish there was a unpublished book about Susan that CS Lewis had write...and soon to be published.
The first time I read The Last Battle, I almost felt physically sick when I read the part about Susan. I've grown to appreciate it over time and, yes, I do think she comes around later in life. But maybe I have to think that because the other alternative is too horrible.
I can’t imagine losing a sibling
Sounds like the reason Susan was "Left Behind" was because she was trying to walk on water but took her eyes off Jesus.
When you choose the world system over the Kingdom your in danger... The world system runs on pure pride, the devil's meat and milk.
Susan can _never_ get back to Narnia because Peter locked the door.
Susan doesn't believe in Narnia anymore, i think that's pretty clear. and i doubt the death of her siblings will change that since, from the Earth perspective and hers, the train is to blame and no mystical otherworld is involved. her suddenly believing in Narnia again on her old age is just due to your wish that everyone stick together in a happy ending.
I think Lewis wants the reader to get hung up on various concepts in order that they may be considered more thoroughly.
Bulls eye, Joshua! So many writing on Susan here just want simplistically take away every choice she makes that do not go in the RIGHT direction. This cannot be the Freedom God wants for created beings.
You pretty much summed up my exact thoughts on it. People complaining about her being punished for "growing up" are missing the point. Susan's not being punished for moving on with her life. She's... well, not exactly being "punished" per se, but getting left behind because she pushed aside the most important things in her life for superficial things that aren't really that important in the long run. She becomes a fake and shallow person and as a result misses out on the things that matter the most.
Is it possible to major in Narnia? I feel that you must've! It's near impossible for me to find fellow Narnia-nerds! Thanks for all you do, Brian
Further Up and Further In!!
mintecherchoc I am on route I love Narnia
Hahahaha you really don't get it, the books were a representation of Jesus(aslan) and humans.
The last battle represents rapture and judgment day, Susan represent those who turn away from Jesus and are left behind after rapture, they may or may not make heaven (Aslan's world) depending on whether they turn back to Jesus or not. That is why Susan's fate is unknown
C.S Lewis did intend to write about Susan's fate and Narnia after the 'The Last Battle', but never had the chance when he died.
I didn't really understand the books when I first read them, and I make a point to read them every year- and the Narnia books are honestly a series that grows up with me. I understand more the older I get. Lewis was amazing this way- there's mature and deeply spiritual themes that we understand and can relate to as we grow old while the story and characters are something we relate to as children. For me, the issue with Susan was a statement of having a family member fall away from faith. It's deeply divisive and heart-breaking. I have a "Susan" in my family and I can honestly say that this aspect of the story is not only Lewis' way of addressing it, but a way to encourage families to pull each other back- least someone be left behind.
Being a devout Christian, I believe Lewis used Susan as an analogy to those who would not inherit the Kingdom of Heavens when the Bible says: “To whom did [God] swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:18-19)
Susan’s unbelief in Narnia, Aslan, and the things she had once lived were the reason why she didn’t join her brothers and sister.
Very much true! I believe there was and is still hope, until the very end, for Susan and all those who decide to believe!
That’s why I love The Chronicles of Narnia so much, I can see myself in all the characters, and having been an Edmund myself, I am constantly reminded of this amazing grace that each day is renewed upon me, regardless of my past mistakes
I've found out recently that Lewis wrote some letters back to his fans about it. Here's what he said about Susan:
Lewis reveals in a letter to a girl named Marcia that he intended all through the books to have Susan lose her way in The Last Battle. He said it this way: “Haven’t you noticed in the two you have read that she is rather fond of being too grownup? I am sorry to say that side of her got stronger and she forgot about Narnia.”
We also learned that Lewis didn’t intend for The Last Battle to shut Susan out of Aslan’s country forever. Lewis told us in a letter to someone named Martin that “There is plenty of time for her to mend, and perhaps she will get to Aslan’s country in the end - in her own way.”
I read this in another book called, "A Family Guide to Narnia" by Christin Ditchfield, but the sources listed here are from this website: www.thelionscall.com/2014/12/10/things-revealed-by-cs-lewiss-letters/
Have you read Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman? Its a collection of short stories he wrote and there is one about a little girl who goes to interview an old woman for her Girl Scouts and the old woman talks about her brothers and sister and about how they died in a train accident, and she discusses the deeper meaning of the Narnia stories with the little girl. Then the girl leaves and I cant remember exactly but I think she asks the little girl to come back tomorrow and when the girl shows up she's gone. Something like that. Its a really interesting story about Susan when shes older.
C.S Lewis actually wanted to write a book titled _"Susan of Narnia"_ after the events of the last battle, but he died before he could start the book. What annoys me the most is that we will never know what happens as the series is incomplete. However, I find refuge in the words that Aslan had said: "Once a King and Queen of Narnia, always a King and Queen." Susan will return.
@Jessey Lawson , Susan wasn't on the train.
I thought it was a little cold of Peter and the others to write Susan off as no longer a friend of Narnia as if she couldn't one day remember Narnia again. (she stopped going to church so she's going into Aslan's shadow) That's kind of Aslan's call to make at the end of Susan's life and not her family's. Wish I'd been here for the discussion when it was hot. Who knows? Maybe Susan reformed after the death of her brothers and sister. It's a "lady or the tiger" ending.
The only series know of where all the main characters die and yet it still has a happy ending
I don't know which book version of the Chronicles of Narnia you had, but the version I had, it had a list of ALL the major chars in the series at the front of each book and which books they appear in. I was actually slightly spoiled when it comes to the Pevensies because it mentions that Peter, Edmund, and Lucy are in The Last Battle and my first question was- "What about Susan?" So yeah that part of the book did shock me, but a part of me wasn't surprised by Susan's attitude since out of them, she always seemed the most 'pragmatic', even in The Horse and His Boy. I also sometimes wonder if she felt grief when she was told she would never return to Narnia at the end of Prince Caspian and did go through extreme denial. That's just my thoughts anyway.
It may be a hard pill to swallow, but the entire series is an allegory towards the journey of following Jesus Christ, and as it remains written it looks like Susan is a seed among the thorns. I think this reminds us of a very important lesson too, where people may call themselves Christians, but will still not end in Heaven if they spend their lifetime focusing on themselves and trying to avoid a relationship with God.
Lewis was going to write a book about what happened to Susan, but died before he could write it.
Yes this is true. I'm 42 years old single and serving in Taiwan and I find that my life just flew by
I know that this life is short and in Christ I have a life that's unending
Lewis was supposed to write about Susan's life after the tragedy, but unfortunately he died before he could continue the story 😭😭
0:55 From her siblings (the three we know of, but I suppose they were and remained four).
Not necessarily from her parents.
I remember when I read The Last Battle, I was shocked. Felt so bad for Susan. I agree with all that glumpuddle has said.
Andy Lindsey can you review me what happen after the last movie?
Agree with you, she did come back round eventually, I mean she lost all who she held dear in one day. Suffering such a loss would bring her back round eventually and make her stronger and better, and in the the end when she does come to Aslans she'll be all the better for it.
Although im an agnostic, i appreciate the religious themes incorporated into Narnia and the Lotr story
I prefer these themes to remain as fantasy rather than real stories though :)
Even when I read this book as a kid I felt that Susan was lost.
Lewis wrote this before he had any idea it would be a classic we'd be discovering forever. And he has no idea the books would become movies.
Given that his other books (like The Great Divorce) deal with deeper issues is my personal (and that's all it is) belief is that he included this as a sort of warning about leaving our "first live" for the pleasures of this world. Anyone agree? Who disagrees?
Why did Lewis do that? IMO he wanted the Friends of Narnia to be "an even 7". In the Bible, the number 7 is a symbol of completion (among other things). And there are 7 books in the Narnia series. So now you have 3 of the 4 kids, Eustace, Jill, Digory and Polly. An even 7.
But the ending is still an unbelievable shock, and I think that was very intentional. I remember the end of LWW, I was like, "why did the kids have to go back? Why didn't they live happily ever after and all that?" And then in LB... they all DIE?!?! What the?!?! Obviously, Lewis wanted to teach us a lesson or two with his books, and the line you quote is definitely an example of that. Personally, I think leaving this part of the story unresolved just emphasizes that there is no "happy ending" apart from God.
But what happens to Susan? Like you, I think she's GOTTA come around. If I had been through adventures in Narnia with my brothers and sister, and then they all died, you think I wouldn't be thinking about them all the time? You think memories of our time together in Narnia wouldn't have flooded my mind? Obviously, that kind of reality check would snap her out of her funk.
I think a great writer knows how to find tension in a story and to follow that. I also think that writer will know how to create tension and sustain it. Leaving something at once developed and unresolved allows the tension to keep pinging beyond the actual reading of the story. It's like a hook in the mind that keeps popping up over the years. Will I be a Susan? Will I be a Lucy? What is that all about? The unanswered question might become first step on the path of more active awareness.
I remember reading somewhere that Louis had planned to do a story on Susan after the last battle but he died before he could so that's part of the reason that this question is up in the air
When, I saw that Susan was not in The Last Battle, I was shocked. Then I imagined about the adaptation in Netflix how it would be. Susan was interested in the clothes and relationships. And before the accident, his brothers, Peter and Edmund talked about the motive of going to the abandoned house. Then she accepts reluctantly in helping them. After covering them if someone is snooping, she accompanies them to the train station and she goes back to see her mate. After learning the accident, she assists to the funeral of her family and, although she is still interested what I said, she at the same time remembers her family and also remembers Narnia and Aslan.
Their was supposed to be a book called Susan of narnia to reavel what happened to her and expand the seireis as Susan was rumored to be his favorite. Unfortunately he passed before he could start to wright it.
I have read all the books. In the movies, they start with the lion, witch, and the wardrobe. Then it was Prince Caspian, and finally Voyage of the Dawn Treder. They should make movies of the first books like The Magician's Nephew, The Horse and his boy, etc......
Neil Gaiman (Sandman) has a brilliant tragic short story called “The Problem of Susan” with a take on it. It’s extraordinary well written and sad. I recommend it.
I would hope that Susan would come around....I personally thought it more of a tragedy that Susan wasn't there and no longer A FRIEND of Narnia..thought how could she just forget Narnia...I would think loosing her whole family like that would bring her back to Narnia.. C S Lewis after WW1 was very angry was an Atheist and he came back from that and become Christain...I think he was using Susan to show that bit of him..that we all slide away sometimes..but doesn't have to be a permanent choice
Are you are saying that being an atheist is a bad thing or what? Because i have something to say about that. What I hate is how people compare The Lady of the Green Kirtle and Susan forgetting about Narnia to Atheism. Personally I like to think that it refers to not forgetting your own dreams, not the thoughts and imaginings of somebody else, although the LOTGK's speech about the Sun not existing makes it sound like that. I always feel like that is an attack on myself when i read that part.
RavenclawBoi never said being an atheist is bad or good, I was saying I think C.S. Lewis was trying to put his story in through Susan's story