I'm not sure I can add my heart here in words, I mean more than what has been said, but reading over your descriptions I feel along with you. The Last Battle cuts deep. It seems like everything is coming to an end when you suddenly find it is the brightest beginning with joy beyond description.
I think it would be great if we read the Last Battle for our challenge next summer
I second that book nomination, Swan!I think it would be great if we read the Last Battle for our challenge next summer
--Spoiler Alert!--
The Last Battle is tied as my favorite Chronicle, along with The Magician's Nephew. I remember hearing it the first time and being heartbroken at points (the "freed" dwarves, or the talking horses' tragic reception when coming to the rescue during the last battle)... Yet there is such courageous beauty too: the small creatures bringing food and drink to the poor king lashed to the tree, the insightful question of the young lamb at the bonfire, the description tying the Stable on the hill to the Stable in our world that once held something bigger than the whole world... Also I love how Puzzle is rescued and ultimately restored after his encounter with Aslan -- This narrative shows the deep power of redemption shining into even the biggest mess-ups in our lives! So there is hope for me too...
Statistics: Posted by Benisse — Mon Jan 02, 2023 10:30 pm
]]>
Shift manipulates Puzzle into pretending to be Aslan, "This is the will of Aslan" or "This is what Aslan wants". As time went on, Shift then gets manipulated by Rishda and Ginger. It's like you want to tell Shift, "Who's the puppet now?"
Eustace and Jill go back to Narnia. Since the events of The Silver Chair, Jill had overcome the bullies, so she is more confident. However, maybe when she gets to Narnia that time, Shift and Rishda are now the bullies or maybe it's just Rishda that's the bully. Anyhow, Eustace and Jill rescue Tirian and help rescue Narnia. Only that time Narnia can't be rescued.
Then there is the concept of the afterlife. Emeth talking of his meeting with Aslan is my favorite scene. Each book has it's own unique introduction to Aslan. Emeth's perspective is no exception.
Statistics: Posted by jasmine_tarkheena — Wed May 11, 2022 2:09 pm
]]>
A dead soldier was thrown out of the stable. Rishda thought it was Emeth. However, Tirian knew at once that it was a different person.
It could be that Emeth was transported right away into Aslan's country.
Statistics: Posted by jasmine_tarkheena — Mon Apr 25, 2022 2:56 am
]]>
]]>
]]>
So the seven friends of Narnia actually died. Tirian, however, miiiiight not have actually died until the door was shut to Narnia at the very end. The same would go for Emeth and the Dwarves...?
Y'know what, I'm having a really hard time trying to keep the canon facts straight going from just my tired half-past-midnight brain.*caves and goes and gets my copy of Narnia*
Okay, yes, the creatures they thought had died did come in through the door (the Bear, the Boor, Roonwit, Jewel, Farsight, etc.). Now, back to where I was a moment ago.
Emeth seems to have met Aslan before the end of Narnia, though it's not exactly clear from what I can find in my hasty rescanning of the chapter. This would, if my headcanon/theory is accurate, mean that he hadn't died yet (same with the Dwarves). If this is the case, him getting another chance would make sense.
Okay, that's about as coherent as I'm going to get, I think.
(Side note: Jill and Eustace had a little bit of time in Narnia before they actually went to Aslan's Country, even though they were dead in their own world. Death is weird in Narnia. The logic would seem a bit wonky if Lewis didn't have the time-difference base to fall back on.)
(Side note the sequel: I bet that tomorrow morning even I won't be able to make head or tail of this post! My late-night writing tends to ramble and/or not make any sense...)
Statistics: Posted by hobbit_of_narnia — Wed Dec 06, 2017 3:35 pm
]]>
Chalk it up to Narnia time?
Statistics: Posted by Lucy Took — Wed Dec 06, 2017 3:10 pm
]]>
Statistics: Posted by Ariel.of.Narnia — Wed Dec 06, 2017 1:47 am
]]>
Statistics: Posted by hobbit_of_narnia — Tue Dec 05, 2017 5:53 am
]]>
It's been awhile since this topic's come up, and on this re-read I had some more thoughts on it. My opinion on Emeth has always been that the reason that Emeth was able to have the talk with Aslan wasn't because it's OK to worship Tash and be accepted by Aslan, but because Emeth wasn't really dead yet. The stable was passing through the threshold of death, but there was never anything in there that actually killed anyone once the soldier was gone. I see the stable not quite as death itself, but rather the "valley of the shadow of death".
And I have to say that I still hold that thought. And I had a thought to add to that. When you dream, a second can feel like hours and hours can feel like seconds. And a day with the Lord is as a thousand years. What if that's what dying is like? That in those last few seconds everything is clear and you get to see Him for Who He is and make a final forever choice of if you will look at him in love or "turn away into his shadow as a dumb animal never to be seen again". (To use purely LB terminology)
It's not something that I'd gamble my own life, but I find it to be a comforting thought experiment.
Statistics: Posted by Lucy Took — Tue Dec 05, 2017 4:44 am
]]>
It would also be good if there were some bandages and medical supplies.
Statistics: Posted by HermitoftheNorthernMarch — Tue Jun 14, 2016 11:20 pm
]]>