Introduction
Lewis’s ability to combine objectivity with thorough analyses is also a highly prized attribute, leading Lewis to become one of the most critically acclaimed and famous writers of all time. Symbolism is not evident in Lewis’s non-fiction works due to the shared theological themes, and symbolism is already evident in the theories themselves. In fiction works, symbolism provides the medium to similar theological considerations, allowing fiction to become literary masterpieces. While he has many strengths, Lewis’ best strengths as a writer are his ability to discuss religious theory from an objective perspective, his deep analyses, and his use of symbolism in fiction.
Strengths in Non-Fiction
Lewis was a writer who emphasized the pursuit of spirituality and truth. This was either discussed in theory with his non-fiction works or considered through symbolism in his fiction works. This is most evident in his non-fiction works of Mere Christianity.
Mere Christianity
Mere Christianity is the best example of Lewis’ strengths as a writer. Lewis reveals that he is in pursuit of the truth, and while he began as an atheist, he converted to Christianity (Lewis, 1997). Through his objective discussions, the reader considers a variety of common Christian beliefs and the underlying virtues and morality as they apply to religion and humanity in general. Ultimately Lewis defends Christianity, but from more of a moral standpoint than from historical accounts and verbatim agreements with all that Christianity represents in literature and ritual (Lewis, 1997). Objectivity is given to all that Christianity does as Lewis provides a deep analysis of topics such as what is right and wrong, the beliefs of Christians, moral law, existence, the power of God, the meaning of the universe, human conduct, and related topics.
Lewis considers both the minds of men and the mind of God in such a way that the reader gains a unique perspective and consideration of ideals they may not have considered otherwise. This is a powerful theological tool for the Christian and non-Christian alike, as the Christians can consider their religion in a light that they may not have before (either personally or from formal considerations in worshipping within the congregation.) Meanwhile the non-Christian can see into the religion in several ways from Lewis’ objective account, and this is useful for a couple of reasons. First, as Lewis states he was once atheist, the non-Christian may give him more regard while knowing he has a significantly higher chance of being less biased than a lifelong Orthodox Christian writer. Second, Lewis’ objectivity and consideration of the religion outside its rituals, to consider the moral principles and ethics involved on a greater level as applicable to humanity, encourage the non-Christian reader to follow Lewis wholly in his deep and thorough analysis of the primary aspects of the religion.
Another objective and simultaneously thoroughly analytical, topic in Mere Christianity is Lewis’ consideration of the laws of nature. Lewis states that the laws of nature connect people similar to how gravity affects objects in the universe (Lewis, 1997). Lewis furthermore considers that the law of nature is something that people seem to just know; it does not need to be taught. Decency relates to Christianity in that Christianity strives to perfect human conduct and decency while avoiding instinctual urges. Yet, Lewis considers decency to be innate within people. While the laws of nature are an inherent part of the human psyche, the natural laws are part of human existence while decency is not any exception to humans. Christianity does not give enough consideration to the laws of nature, attempting to remove them as if they have no connection to the human experience. Meanwhile, Lewis says, mathematics should be taught so that even the fundamental laws of nature can be understood at a more basic level; mathematics, he says, should not be considered to be a behavior of nature, and as separate as the lowest forms of nature are from humanity. Ultimately, humanity and human inventions are at the highest hierarchy of nature as we know it, and other aspects of nature may be significantly different but are not separate altogether. This perspective effectively integrates numerous theories while providing a unique interconnecting account of these theories as they relate to the human experience.
Lewis’ strength of analysis and objectivity in this discussion allows this work to be insightful, while many other writers of his time trying to combine so many issues in a streamlined way would have had difficulty even incoherence.
The Problem of Pain
The Problem of Pain contains fewer, although equally evident, examples of Lewis’ objective and analytical abilities in combination. In this work, Lewis considers how the notion of something being impossible connects to omnipotence. Like Mere Christianity, God is considered about humanity, and from a (perhaps more so) objective perspective. Lewis further analyzes miracles and the supernatural, stating that God considers them possible while human beings meanwhile consider them impossible (Lewis, 2001). Lewis defines prayer to be a testament in compliance with the actions or will of God, which is ultimately knowable to people as they perceive it. This objectivity allows full consideration for all seeking to know God, and meanwhile, Lewis does not attempt to define what God is in the realization that perspective varies with the varying experiences of people. Such an analysis considering such piercing levels of depth is not done easily by any writer, and yet Lewis’ abilities allowed him to perform such a discussion with nearly the same extremely high objectivity as evident in Mere Christianity.
Strengths in Fiction: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
As mentioned, Lewis’ symbolism in fiction provides a connection to the similar theories and considerations of theological topics. Lewis’s symbolic power allowed him to write such high-quality works evident in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which would not ultimately end with just one book (and rather seven additional.) In this story, four characters, humans in the UK, magically travel to a land of fantasy creatures and familiar animals (Lewis, 1989). The characters and events symbolize two things, the law of nature and the dream world. This is analogical to the topics and discussions in Mere Christianity, effectively revealing that Lewis uses symbolism to relate to these topics. The laws of nature are ultimately guided by the lion Aslan, however, Aslan is often absent from the land, analogous to the laws of nature and how God is not always immediately evident and actively interfering with them. In his absence, a witch had frozen the land in eternal winter, while this symbolism is comparable to the accounts in The Problem of Pain. The characters assist the creatures in aiding the land and ultimately succeed in restoration in cooperation with Aslan. The symbolism of nature’s laws and interconnectivity, God, suffering, and human experience are all powerful enough to give the reader similar insights in Lewis’ nonfiction works in an imaginary tale. Lewis’s ability to do this caused this fiction serious to stand out further from his already highly acclaimed works.
Concluding remarks
Objectivity and theological analysis are hard for any writer to achieve Mere Christianity is ultimately an insightful and unique theological consideration of a topic that is often on people’s minds, and Lewis’ ability to conduct such an analysis without bias and with such scope is clearly above par. His success as a writer can be attributed to his strengths, naturally, and Mere Christianity is one of the best examples. While the symbolism factor was not so evident, pure creativity was nonetheless, Lewis’ writing strength is highly evident in this work, and this is why it has become so famous. The Problem of Pain provides further examples of this. The same theological topics are somewhat evident in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and this is done through symbolism rather than dialogue discussing the topics. Lewis’s ability to use symbolism through characters and events allows him to make a fictional tale that is only an analogy to theology so that the characters can perform actions and have conversations, making the story appealing to many readers. Lewis was both a successful fiction and non-fiction writer, and naturally, this is attributed to his aforementioned strengths. His interest in religious theory, nature, and the human experience are shared by many, and his various writer strengths have allowed him to effectively reflect these in his works.
References
Lewis, C. (1989). The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Dramatic Publishing.
Lewis, C. (1997). Mere Christianity. HarperCollins Publishing Limited.
Lewis, C. (2001). The Problem of Pain. HarperCollins Publishing Limited.