"No longer a friend of Narnia"

[Gwenneth]

I thought that I should start a thread for discussion on Susan and her faith in Narnia towards the end of the Chronicles. I'm sure you all have really good things to say about it.

[Larael]

At first I wondered why Aslan would not let Susan and Peter come back to Narnia. I thought it was kind of odd that he would say that they were too old. Then when Edmund and Lucy were told they could not go back I understood.

Aslan wanted the four children to love himself [Aslan] in their own world. So, they need to learn to love God as they do Aslan. For some reason the other children were able to love God, but Susan was not.

I think it might have been the changing times. She got caught up in make-up and boys instead of trying to remember her life in Narnia as the other children did. She just did not see the importance of Aslan's words in Prince Caspian, telling her to love God.

I don't think she completely forgot about Narnia and Aslan though. I think it was probably still there in the back of her mind kind of nagging at her if you will, but she just kept pushing those memories away and Aslan away saying none of it happened. I also think that when her parent's, brother's, cousin, and sister died she might have begun to accept thsoe memories, and I think her faith might have kind of started a new.

[rinielaranel]

Yes, I agree with Larael. In fact, that's what the fanfic I'm writing states, more or less. I remember the first time I read the last battle. Susan had always been my favorite character by a mile, and I was so crushed when I read the end of the series. I was mad at Lewis for a while, and I completely abondoned the Narnia books altogether. (This also made me really begin to dislike the characters Lewis played favorites with; Lucy and Peter.) Eventually I brought myself to read ones non-Pevensie related, such as The Magician's Nephew and The Horse and His Boy. To be honest, I never even spent any time with the Pevensies again until the movie came out recently. And I read TLB when I was, what, nine?!? Even throughout the movie I would watch Susan and be very sad, knowing what heppened. I had to shove it toward the back of my mind.
Now I agree with what Larael said, and I'm coming to terms with it. I even like Peter and Lucy, especially after watching the movie. Writing the fanfic helps. Gee, I've gotten so worked up about a made-up character! It shows how much I loved Narnia, I guess. lol.

[Gwenneth]

So true.


Actually, the first time I found out that Susan didn't come back to Narnia was when my dad told me.
It was a long time ago, before I had read the book. (It was only 2 or 3 years ago that I actually finished the Chronicles) That day I had been re-aquainted with an old "friend" that had previously moved, and was now visiting, and after coming home I was telling my dad how annoyed I was with her at how she had changed. The clothes she wore were different, the way she talked was different, and she seemed to acknowledge me as someone a lot younger.
My dad didn't say much other than mentioning Susan Pevensie and how she had done the same. "She never went back to Narnia." He turned back to his book as I sat there very, very confused. (He actually said some more, but I won't get into that ) I never thought that Susan would do something like that!

So here I am now, it's been a few years since I first read LB, and I'm okay with it. I understand because I see it happen so many times to girls around me! (Even I do it myself sometimes) We get so caught up in distractions around us that we forget to look up, and then don't want to look up.

[sinbearer]

larael said:

I don't think she completely forgot about Narnia and Aslan though.

Remember what Lucy sobbed out to Aslan? "It isn't Narnia, you know. It's you. We shan't meet you there. And how can we live never meeting you?" Of course Aslan told them that He is in our world too. "But there I have another name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there."

If you think about, isn't the inner journey with God in this world so much like the world of Narnia? It is such an intangible, magical and thrilling experience!

I think that is what Peter was referring to in Prince Caspian when he said, "It's all rather different from what I thought. You'll understand when it comes to your last time...."

And you were kind of saying the same thing Gwenneth right? When you said, "I understand because I see it happen so many times to girls around me! (Even I do it myself sometimes) We get so caught up in distractions around us that we forget to look up, and then don't want to look up."

[Herenya]

I think Susan's behaviour is explained by what Polly says about her just going through a "silly" stage of her life. She's changing - has changed... I agree with Larael and Gwenneth about her being caught up in other things, and its something that happens to most of us in some way or another. Maybe Susan just took it more to extremes.

I'm not sure what I think about her not being a friend of Narnia, but its said by Peter (I'm pretty sure, him or Edmund) so maybe its more an expression of his hurt because he feels that his sister has betrayed him. He's only saying how he views the situation, how he feels.

I was never really attached to Susan in the books, so I wasn't devestated that she didn't end back up in Narnia. (So I can't claim its something I've thought and thought about!) I seem to remeber being more upset that the others actually DIED. I was only nine, and I think the Last Battle when I first read it went straight over my head.

[sinbearer]

I think what happened to Susan is very realistic of what happens to all of us in this life. It is easy to get caught up in all the stuff of this world that doesn't really matter and forget about things that matter for eternity.

There will be people we love that will make the wrong choices and that will mean heartbreak for us in the end of all things, like Tirian felt because of the loss of his mother and the children must have felt for Susan.

There is a reward for making good choices and living out lives in the right way. Sometimes that plays out in the small things and sometimes it is the life and death like in the last battle. We must guard our lives and thoughts so that we will make the right decisions. Eternity is at stake for us. It was for Susan.