Warning: this post also contains spoilers for Star Wars: A New Hope, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and Harry Potter: The Half-Blood Prince.
Recently, I marathoned all of the Chronicles of Narnia films with my mom and I wanted to talk about an important pattern that I recognized in all 3 films. First, let’s talk story structure. There are many ways to recognize the structure of a story, one of them being what’s called “The Hero’s Journey”. It’s something that is most noticeable in the action and adventure blockbuster films we all love. I won’t go into all the details of this structure, but one aspect is a character known as the “agent of change”. Stereotyped as the “wise, old advisor” (Gandalf, Dumbledore, Obi-Wan Kenobi), this is the character that brings the protagonist out of their ordinary life and into the world of where their adventure takes place, usually acting as a source of guidance to the protagonist. In the Narnia series, this is Aslan. Despite us not seeing him for a majority of all 3 films (it seems we see him closer to the end with each film), he is still the driving force that brings the Pevensies to Narnia (through the wardrobe, the train, and the painting). This is, in fact, the first unusual pattern that breaks the typical structure of the Hero’s Journey: Aslan is still a strong agent of change before he is ever physically present on the screen.
Let’s start with the first film, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. If you did not know, the Chronicles of Narnia are a Christian allegory, Aslan representing God. It states in the Bible that God is omni-present, meaning He is everywhere at once, even if we can’t see Him. In the scene where Lucy is first in Narnia and Tumnus is putting her to sleep in order to kidnap her, his evil act is stopped by the roar of a lion, seen in the flames. This is obviously the presence of Aslan. The audience does not yet know who Aslan is, does not even see him, yet his presence still effects the outcome of the scene. Through Aslan’s interference, Tumnus is reminded of whose side he is on and brings Lucy back to the wardrobe. Aslan is represented as an agent of change through Tumnus’ belief in him. Later, it is Mr. and Mrs. Beaver’s belief in Aslan that inspires the Pevensies to travel to his camp in order to save Edmund.
In Prince Caspian, Aslan’s absence has just as much effect. Lucy is the strong believer, and it is her belief that Aslan is still present that clashes with Peter’s belief that it’s up to them alone.
Again, in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, it is Lucy’s belief in Aslan that points her on the right path as she struggles with vanity. It is also Reepicheep’s belief in Aslan’s country, meant to symbolize heaven, that inspires him and fuels his positive nature.
A common factor that appears in the typical Hero’s Journey, is that the agent of change dies, usually while sacrificing themselves for someone else. Gandalf, Obi-Wan, Dumbledore- they all die later in the story, for the greater good. It is their death that brings the protagonist to their low point, but it is also their wisdom that guides them from beyond the grave to remind them of their goal. This becomes no different for Aslan. The first film is meant to represent the gospel story: that because of our (humanity’s) sin, we deserved death. This is represented by Edmund, sentenced to death because of his betrayal. But Jesus came to earth and died in our place, then rose again. This is represented by Aslan, who dies in Edmund’s place, but is then resurrected.
As the agent of change, his death causes our characters to despair. Peter doesn’t think he can lead the Narnians into battle. Then Edmund speaks up, reminding Peter that “Aslan believed you could”. Aslan’s wisdom inspires Peter from beyond the grave.
Aslan’s death is typical of an agent of change. Even his resurrection isn’t what sets these films apart. It’s what happens after.
The agent of change is meant to guide the heroes on their journey. When the protagonist is at their lowest point, the agent of change’s wisdom inspires them so that they can succeed and save the day. Except…this is not what happens. We see plenty of heroics from the Pevensies and Caspian. But in all 3 movies, when the protagonists are at their lowest point, it is Aslan that saves the day. In The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, when it looks as if Peter is about to be defeated by the White Witch, Aslan leaps in front of him and kills her. The prophecy foretold that the start of the Pevensies’ reign would mark the end of the White Witch’s; but it would be Aslan who brought peace to Narnia- and that’s exactly what happened.
In Prince Caspian, when Peter believes that all the responsibility of saving Narnia rests on them, Lucy reminds him:
And she’s right, as in the final battle against the Telmarines, when it seems like it’s about to get to it’s bloodiest, Aslan appears and uses the river to defeat the Telmarine army.
In Voyage of the Dawn Treader, when Eustace, still in dragon form, gets stabbed with the sword and flies away, Aslan appears and turns him back into a boy so that he can return the sword with the other’s and restore the island.
In each narrative, the protagonists, while incredibly heroic, are not the ones that save the day. It is the agent of change, Aslan, the representation of God, who does. This sets the Chronicles of Narnia apart from other films that use the Hero’s Journey and helps it stay true to its Christian roots.
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