By Harry L. Poe
Prince
Caspian
Lewis
did not shy away from retelling the great stories of literature that others
have retold countless times. During the Middle Ages, dozens of poets wove together
their own attempts at the story of King Arthur. To a certain extent, Prince
Caspian involves a retelling of Homer’s Iliad. In the Iliad
a princess is stolen and a great war ensues. In Prince Caspian a throne
is stolen from Caspian by his uncle and a great war ensues.
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One
might suggest any number of alternative sources for the basic conflict of Prince
Caspian and in the suggestion, Lewis’s point is made. The human race
keeps telling the same stories over and over again about human treachery.
The
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
If
Prince Caspian derives its inspiration from the Iliad, then surely The
Voyage of the Dawn Treader derives its inspiration from the Odyssey.
Just as the Greeks wandered from place to place after the Trojan War, so too
Caspian and his crew travel from place to place. While the Greek story has a
foundational presupposition of fate, Lewis’ story has a foundational presupposition
of purpose, choice, and hope.
The
Silver Chair
The
Silver Chair retells the story of Orpheus who went to the underworld to
retrieve his wife, or of Hermod’s journey to Hell to retrieve Baldur. In
the gospel, Jesus Christ descended to Paradise to retrieve Abraham and all the
righteous dead from the realm of Sheol.
One
would think that Aslan should make the journey to the underworld to retrieve
the son of Prince Caspian who dwells in darkness, snared by lies. Instead, two
children and a Marsh Wiggle make the journey on behalf of Aslan, who sends them.
The trio are apostles who bring the good news that sets at liberty the captives
and restores sight to the blind; they bring the light of the gospel to people
who dwell in darkness.
The
Horse and His Boy
In
The Horse and His Boy, Lewis explores the issue of religious pluralism.
Who is to say that one religion is true and another religion false? In an ingenious
way, Lewis does not deal with the question head on, but in terms of the Pauline
theology of slavery and freedom.
He
tells a story of flight from slavery in a despotic culture where life is cheap,
to a place where freedom and dignity are the expectations of Aslan. He does
not merely compare the theological systems or the concepts of deity, but the
impact that theology has on everyday life.