How Did C. S. Lewis Use Animals In The Chronicles Of Narnia

“...And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.”
(Genesis 2:19)

Ever since he was a child, C.S. Lewis was in love with animals. It was almost as if he had a love affair with animals and it is this love for these creatures that impacted his life majorly. At the age of 4, he lost his dog Jacksie in a car accident and would insist his dear ones to call him by his deceased dog’s name. After much refusal, he agreed to be called Jack, which he was addressed as by friends and family in his later life. He was almost in love with anthromorphic animals in his childhood and was highly influenced by the stories of Beatrix Potter, based on which he wrote his original animal stories. As he grew up, he was amazed by the
In a very early age, he wrote books with animals that could talk, which he repeated later, when he wrote ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’, where there exists a different world altogether, which is nothing like the world, as we know it. Here, animals can rationalise and think and are capable of leading lives just like we humans do. The world of Narnia, just like ours, seeks redemption, which will come through the all-knowing lion-Aslan, who is symbolic of Jesus Christ. A major conundrum he had throughout his life was the question of Animal Pain. He went on to write his first book of proposition called ‘Problem of Pain’, where he devoted an entire chapter to the plight of animals, called ‘Animal Pain’. In response to the increase in vivisection, where humans used animals to carry out experiments on animals, he became an anti-vivisectionist. He portrays the practice of vivisection through the wicked uncle Andrew. In The Magician’s Nephew, Uncle Andrew
But then, the question arises, is killing for survival a sin too? According to Lewis, beasts are not capable of virtues or sins and are therefore exempted from the punishment. For Narnians, the evil first comes in the form of Jadis, the white witch who destroys the beauty of Narnia and covers it with snow and cold. Its not like Aslan didn’t attempt to protect the world of Narnia. He planted an apple tree which protected Narnia for several hundred years. Infact it is through the barks of a tree of similar apple that the wardrobe was made that led the four Pevensie siblings into Narnia. The white witch however was able to enter in 898, where she conquered the country to reign in 900. There is no sign of humans in Narnia around this time, so one may assume that either they have been driven out by the witch or couldn’t survive against her. . Interestingly, there is no mention of Archenland and Calormene until book 3. After a 100 year reign, the white witch is defeated with the coming of the Pevensie siblings who manage to reach Aslan before being killed with the help of Mr.Tumnus, the faun initially, followed by the beavers and rest of the Narnian beasts. Humans in this world maybe powerful, but are somewhat handicapped in absence of the beasts, who help them throughout. The two Kings and Queens always won all battles