Introduction
Christian themes and metaphors are common in literature because of their universal renown, but depending on how these are used and referenced in the work, they convey different meanings and have different effects on the reader. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway are two works of literature that use Christian allegories. In Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, four children venture into the magic world of Narnia through a wardrobe where they set off on a quest to defeat the evil White Witch and become kings and queens. The Christian allegory in this work revolves around the great lion ruler of Narnia, Aslan, who represents Jesus, and the conflict against …show more content…
Instead, he uses direct allusions to focus on fragments of Jesus’s character. They allude to Jesus’s struggles and His relationship with God in Heaven. There are several allusions to Jesus’s mental struggle with the knowledge of His approaching death. Santiago thinks to himself that “perhaps [he] should not have been a fisherman…But that was the thing that [he] was born for” (Hemingway, ##). Jesus too prayed that if his crucifixion could be avoided, he would, but He knew that he had to do it for the people. Santiago at first questions his becoming a fisherman, but then he confirms that he was meant to be one; there is no avoiding it. As he is battling the marlin, Santiago asks God to “help [him] endure” just as Jesus asked God to help him bear through His death (Hemingway, ##). This act is what gives Santiago his lowly, human character. His willingness to ask for help and want to avoid struggling highlights the meek aspect of Jesus’s character. Despite his afflictions, Santiago maintains a Jesus-like mental state when he prays to Mary to “pray for [the] sinners now and at the hour of [their] death” as he struggles with the giant marlin (Hemingway, ##). This dialogue provides a clear picture of Santiago’s mental condition in the face of hardship. Just as Jesus prayed to forgive the sinners …show more content…
Aslan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is like a wise, loving king to the Pevensies, his royal children. This relationship is felt between the characters even before the Pevenise children meet Aslan. When the Beaver tells them about Aslan, “None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different… Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of Summer” (Lewis, ##). Even the mention of Aslan makes the children feel safe and comforted. Aslan is a protector figure; reflecting Jesus’s image as a powerful, strong king who protects His people like a shepherd protects his sheep. Santiago’s relationship with the boy Manolin is different from Aslan’s relationship with the Pevensie Children. In The Old Man and the Sea, their roles almost seem reversed, with Manolin appearing to be the dominant, protector figure over Santiago. This reversal, however allows Hemingway to emphasize Jesus’s humble sacrifice to come to Earth as a man and die for our sake. When Manolin saw the old man’s
Christian themes and metaphors are common in literature because of their universal renown, but depending on how these are used and referenced in the work, they convey different meanings and have different effects on the reader. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway are two works of literature that use Christian allegories. In Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, four children venture into the magic world of Narnia through a wardrobe where they set off on a quest to defeat the evil White Witch and become kings and queens. The Christian allegory in this work revolves around the great lion ruler of Narnia, Aslan, who represents Jesus, and the conflict against …show more content…
Instead, he uses direct allusions to focus on fragments of Jesus’s character. They allude to Jesus’s struggles and His relationship with God in Heaven. There are several allusions to Jesus’s mental struggle with the knowledge of His approaching death. Santiago thinks to himself that “perhaps [he] should not have been a fisherman…But that was the thing that [he] was born for” (Hemingway, ##). Jesus too prayed that if his crucifixion could be avoided, he would, but He knew that he had to do it for the people. Santiago at first questions his becoming a fisherman, but then he confirms that he was meant to be one; there is no avoiding it. As he is battling the marlin, Santiago asks God to “help [him] endure” just as Jesus asked God to help him bear through His death (Hemingway, ##). This act is what gives Santiago his lowly, human character. His willingness to ask for help and want to avoid struggling highlights the meek aspect of Jesus’s character. Despite his afflictions, Santiago maintains a Jesus-like mental state when he prays to Mary to “pray for [the] sinners now and at the hour of [their] death” as he struggles with the giant marlin (Hemingway, ##). This dialogue provides a clear picture of Santiago’s mental condition in the face of hardship. Just as Jesus prayed to forgive the sinners …show more content…
Aslan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is like a wise, loving king to the Pevensies, his royal children. This relationship is felt between the characters even before the Pevenise children meet Aslan. When the Beaver tells them about Aslan, “None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different… Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of Summer” (Lewis, ##). Even the mention of Aslan makes the children feel safe and comforted. Aslan is a protector figure; reflecting Jesus’s image as a powerful, strong king who protects His people like a shepherd protects his sheep. Santiago’s relationship with the boy Manolin is different from Aslan’s relationship with the Pevensie Children. In The Old Man and the Sea, their roles almost seem reversed, with Manolin appearing to be the dominant, protector figure over Santiago. This reversal, however allows Hemingway to emphasize Jesus’s humble sacrifice to come to Earth as a man and die for our sake. When Manolin saw the old man’s