Lik Like Susan In The Last Battle By Cs Lewis
In the discourse on Susan’s controversial absence from Narnia in The Last Battle, the focus is often C.S. Lewis’ statement through Jill that Susan has become interested in nothing “except nylons and lipstick and invitations” (Lewis 169), taken as evidence that Susan was rejected because she came into her femininity and sexuality. In fact, a better analysis of this scene would begin with the analogy Lewis presents in his sermon, The Weight of Glory: “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink, sex, and ambition, when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.” Both the characters of Lasaraleen in The Horse and His Boy and Susan in The Last Battle can be understood as the “ignorant children” in the context of this analogy, as they demonstrate a narrow-minded focus on self-gratification. Beyond simply condemning feminine vanity, Lewis shows that the root of the problem is self-interest and prioritization of worldly values compounded by a disregard for the spiritual.
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When Lewis initially introduces Aravis and Lasaraleen as foils, at first glance it would seem that he portrays Aravis in the more favorable light simply because he emphasizes her traditionally masculine hobbies, in opposition to Lasaraleen’s traditionally feminine interests:
“She [Lasaraleen] was in fact much better at talking than listening…[Aravis] remembered now that Lasaraleen had always been like that, interested in clothes and parties and gossip. Aravis had always been more interested in bows and arrows and horses and dogs and swimming. You will guess that each thought the other silly.” (Lewis
When Lewis initially introduces Aravis and Lasaraleen as foils, at first glance it would seem that he portrays Aravis in the more favorable light simply because he emphasizes her traditionally masculine hobbies, in opposition to Lasaraleen’s traditionally feminine interests:
“She [Lasaraleen] was in fact much better at talking than listening…[Aravis] remembered now that Lasaraleen had always been like that, interested in clothes and parties and gossip. Aravis had always been more interested in bows and arrows and horses and dogs and swimming. You will guess that each thought the other silly.” (Lewis