The Last Battle | Chapter 15: Further Up and Further In

Chapter Summary:

Emeth tells the Kings and Queens of Narnia that he came to Narnia with Rishda--but was disappointed when he found that they were going to be working for an ape who was clearly lying about his entire scheme. Emeth has served Tash all of his life, and so he knew that when the disguised Puzzle was presented each night that it was a scam. Likewise, Emeth knew that when Ginger the cat bolted out of the stable that Ginger had met the real Tash. So, Emeth resolved to go into the stable. He did so, and killed the solider who had been ordered to kill anyone who entered the stable aside from Ginger. Emeth then wandered the land looking for Tash. Eventually, Aslan appeared, and Emeth bowed down in reverence. Aslan told Emeth that he will count all of Emeth's services to Tash as services to him (Aslan). Because, Aslan said, Aslan and Tash are opposites. To do good in the name of Tash is the same as serving Aslan, but doing bad in the name of Aslan is the same as serving Tash. Emeth has been searching for Aslan again ever since.

As Emeth concludes his story, Puzzle appears, looking much better than he ever had in Narnia. Jill and Lucy greet him. The Kings and Queens of Narnia begin to wonder where they are. With the help of Farsight the eagle, they realize that the land that they are in is an exact replica of Narnia--only with better colors, more importance, and more significance--as if the old Narnia was just a dream, and this was the true Narnia. 

Jewel the unicorn begins to run with joy. Everyone else joins in, realizing that they can keep up with Jewel. No one is out of breath, and no one gets hot--they simply just keep running faster and faster.

Reflection:

Like the last chapter, there is so much to discuss from this chapter. But I think we'll again stick to the most obvious passage--the part where Emeth meets Aslan. Let's take a look at this a little more closely. The following is told by Emeth:

"I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one? The Lion growled so that the earth shook ... and said, It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him, for I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then, though he says the name of Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted. Dost thou understand, Child? I said, Lord, Thou knowest how much I understand. But I said also (for the truth constrained me), Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days. Beloved, said the Glorious One, unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek" (p. 517). 

Well, well, well. Talk about an interesting paragraph from a theological standpoint! To summarize the paragraph, Aslan is basically telling Emeth that even though he sought to do good in the name of Tash, he was really doing good in the name of Aslan during his entire life--he just didn't know it. Aslan accepts him--and has welcomed him through the stable door--because Emeth had been doing good in the name of Tash his whole life, which was really doing good in the name of Aslan.

Given that Aslan also implies that Tash is an allegory for the devil, the allegorical implications here are actually pretty darn weird. Aslan is basically saying that if anyone does good in the name of a different god (or demon or devil) that they are really doing the good (and gaining their rewards) in the name of Aslan.

Needless to say, this paragraph encompasses the greatest controversy in all of the TCON series. Because basically Aslan is saying that devout followers of other faiths will reach heaven and gain their rewards because of the good that they have done in the names of other gods. The entire philosophy is, of course, rather contrary to Biblical and contemporary Christian teaching, and is a huge deviation from just about everything else presented in the series. The question, of course, is whether C.S. Lewis believed this himself. After all, he tells us that TCON was never meant to be a perfect allegory. But since just about everything else is, it's rather shocking to find something so very different from what we've experienced throughout the entire series. 

Then, there's another interesting thing about this chapter. Apparently Narnia's version of heaven is exactly like Narnia itself. This is pretty fascinating--and I think it might be a glimpse into what C.S. Lewis himself imagines heaven to be like. The narrator describes it much in the same way he describes the fruits that are growing in this land--in part by saying that he basically cannot describe it; you really have to see it for yourself. All we know is that this new version of Narnia is the one that feels right for everyone--it's the one that feels like home.

Onward we go to the last chapter of TCON, and the final post of this blog.