The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

Aslan as an Allegory

Throughout the Narnia Chronicles, the character of Aslan is allegorical of God and the Chronicles themselves are allegorical of Christianity. This is never more clear than in the final chapter of this novel when Aslan reveals himself to be both the Lion and the Lamb of God. The land at the end of the world is said to be Aslan's country and this is allegorical of Heaven. Aslan tells the children that he is always with them and showing them how they can get to his country from their own and that there is a door from their country that leads to his. When they find it they can be with him forever. This is an Allegory for the word of God which tells Christian's what they need to do in earth in order to find their place with God in Heaven.

Lion Motif

Throughout the novel, the lion's head is a particularly strong Motif that recurs a great deal. The lion's head appears to guide any of the characters who are about to do, or have just done, the wrong thing; for example, when Lucy wants to read the spell aloud that she has not been charged with finding, she sees a lion's face appear above it on the page which makes her think better of it. Similarly, when Caspian has decided to leave Narnia and abdicate, the lion's head on the wall of his cabin comes to life and speaks to him. The lion is a Motif that always arises when a moral dilemma is impending.

Dragons Motif

The dragon Motif appears throughout the book, and is seen first of all before the children even get to Narnia as the boat in the picture on the wall in the house in Cambridge is shaped like an open-mouthed dragon. Later on in the book, they come to Dragon Island where Eustace both encounters and becomes a dragon.

Eustace Becoming Human Again as an Allegory

Eustace tells Edmund that he became human again when Aslan scraped layer upon layer of his scaly dragon skin off and restored him to a human again, making him a nicer person as he did so. This is allegorical of the Bible story of Saul on the road to Damascus, as the scales that are removed from Eustace's body are allegorical of the scales that are removed from Saul's eyes. After the removal of the scales both Eustace and Saul receive a kind of baptism and change how they live their lives.

White Light Motif

Whenever there is a heavenly presence in the book, the children see an almost overwhelming white light that is too bright to look at and seems to come from beyond the sky. The light is usually precipitating the movement of the characters between the earthly world and Narnia, or between Aslan's world and their own, but is strongest when it is caused by Aslan himself and appears as a doorway to Heaven.

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