Abstract
“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is the third movie of The Chronicles of Narnia which was released on 2010 by Walt Disney Pictures and 20th Century Fox. This movie is based on a novel written by C.S. Lewis on 1950s with the same title. C.S. Lewis was an author that his works could be considered having the theme of religious. Thus, in this paper we are going to analyze a certain character that can be seen as a symbolization of God according to Narnian’s belief which is Aslan. To conduct this analysis, we will use the semiotic approach by Pierce who stated that symbol is a sign which its relation to object is based on convention.
Keywords: Aslan, Symbol, God.
Actually Peirce’s sign has three aspects . They are representament, object, and interpretant. Representament can be said as the ‘perceptible object’ functioning as sign, while others probably call this as sign vehicle, signifier, and expression. Object is that what the sign represents which corresponds to referent of other model of the sign. Interpretant is the meaning of a sign as conceived by the perceiver in his/her mind. Peirce also divided each of those three aspects. Representament is divided into three: qualisigns (firstness), sinsign (secondness), and legisigns (thirdness). Object is also divided into three: icon, index, and symbol. Based on its interpretant, signs can be subdivided into ‘rheme’, dicent’, and ‘argument’. In this paper, we are going to use the object aspect, especially the symbol.
Symbol according to Peirce is a sign which it has relation with the convention . It means that this sign has the arbitrary characteristic which there is a certain group or people who give meaning to this. For instance, a woman who gives birth of us, in Indonesia, we call it “ibu”, while in America, people probably call her with “mother” or “mom”, and in Korea, she will be called as “umma”, or Japanese will call her “okasan”. It refers to the same thing, but using different sign that has the attachment meaning from the convention. We also find symbol is used in movie that refers to certain important thing. In “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” there is also a certain symbol that we probably will never really recognize it before that is Aslan which can be symbolized as God according to Narnian’s belief.
To get the best understanding about this symbolization, it will be better if we understand the whole story plot of this movie. This movie began with the portrayal of World War II in England where there were some planes flew in the sky and in the city there was big billboard printed on it “Mother England Needs You, Enlist Here Now” means England needed her citizens to enlist in army. Because of this war, our main character in this movie, Edmund (Skandar Keyness) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) lived with their uncle who had a son, named Eustace (Will Poulter) who only believed in “intelligence”, loved reading book with real information and liked writing diary every day. Eustace disliked Lucy and Edmund, and one day they quarreled over a painting of sea with a little ship on it. Lucy saw it moving and there was water came out from it, but Eustace didn’t believe it and tried to pull out the picture from the wall. Edmund tried to stop him, but unfortunately there was more water drowning the room made these children shock and without realizing what had just happened, they were brought to Narnia. They found themselves float in the middle of the sea and saw a big ship in front of them where Prince Caspian (Ben Barness) led an expedition to the end of the world, near Aslan’s country. He saved Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace. Then, the three of them joined the journey of Prince Caspian and the Narnians. Eustace, who didn’t believe in fairy tale, hardly believed that he was in a Narnia, the place full of magic creatures. He kept writing diary and still hated all the Narnians. He even couldn’t believe that Aslan existed. In short they had been through many things to find seven swords to save Narnia (landed on an island from other islands) and finally they could find all of them. And Eustace who was cursed became Dragon finally believed that Aslan really existed. Aslan had saved his life when he got injured. Then, in the end of story Prince Caspian, Edmund, Lucy, Eustace, and Reepicheep sailed to Aslan’s land. At there, Reepicheep hand himself over to go to Asland’s land, means going to die. Besides, Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace were back to England. The three of them became best friends and often shared story about Narnia.
Well, next we are going to reveal the meaning and characteristics of God. According to Encarta Dictionaries 2009, God is a supernatural being, figure or image. We can’t meet Him so easily and we must believe Him to feel His appearance around us. He always shows us the best to do, and forbid something bad. Those are the nature of God. It’s like the idea of Aslan’s characterization in this movie. Aslan is a Lion figure who creates Narnia, like God creates Earth. Every Narnians (men, animals, and plants) believe and respect Him. He rarely can be met, but He always with them. Narnians see Him like the Almighty God.
How the movie revealing that Aslan is the God? Here in this part we are going to reveal some evidences found in the dialogues and scenes in the movie that refer to whom Aslan actually is. There is scene where Lucy, Edmund, and Prince Caspian saved Lone Island from bad governmental which Lucy once talked to little girl whose mother gone missing trough the evil mist in the sea:
Little Girl: “I miss my mommy.”
Lucy: “I miss mine too. Don’t worry you’ll see her again.”
Little Girl: “How do you know?”
Lucy: “You just have to have faith about these things. Aslan will help us.”
Lucy acted as if Aslan was the only one who would help them, like the nature of God. Besides, there is also scene between Eustace and the mouse, Reephiceep, quarreled in the ship. Eustace held the tail of Reephiceep, and angrily the mouse said: “Unhand the tail. The Great Aslan himself gave me this tail.” It is like the nature of God who creates His creature and by calling Him “The Great Aslan” means that Reephiceep believed and honored Him. Those are the evidence how Narnians had belief of Aslan as the Almighty God.
Aslan also appeared in some scenes. He appeared when there was something happened, either He would warn or give advice. The very first of His appearance was when Lucy got jealous of her sister’s beauty, and she casted a magical spell which nicely gave her a glimpse of the consequences without anything actually happening. Then Aslan just appeared to admonish her that she should believe in herself. Lucy finally learnt her lesson of self-appreciation. This is the dialogue:
Aslan: “What have you done, child. But you chose it Lucy. You wished yourself away, and much more. You doubt your value. Don’t run from who you are.”
He also appeared to change Eustace from the dragon back to human figure. By scratching out the sand, Eustace was back to his normal state as human. Thus, seeing Aslan with his own eyes made him believe that Aslan really existed in this (Narnia) world. By using the character of Eustace who only believed in intelligence and real fact, it shows to the audiences/spectators that God is over beyond human’s thought, sometimes we don’t need to meet Him for believing Him.
In the end of the movie, after finding the seven swords and Narnia back to normal, Eustace, Edmund, Lucy, Prince Caspian, and Reephiceep sailed to Aslan’s land. The land of Aslan was so strange, different with the land of Narnia. There was water wave like curtain that behind it was where Aslan lived. Prince Caspian wanted to come there to meet his father, but Aslan said that once a person went there, there wouldn’t be any return. In my point of view, it probably means as the hereafter, going to heaven for good person, like Prince Caspian’s father. Then, Prince Caspian decided to stay alive for his people, his Kingdom. Instead, Reephiceep offered himself to go to Aslan’s land. Aslan agreed, and said a dialogue which strengthened the idea that His country/land was heaven: “My country was made for noble hearts such as yours.” Reephiceep was ready to go there when he threw his sword, and said “I won’t be needing this (the sword).” And he went to Aslan’s land follow the water wave. This is the idea of death. For them who believe in God, they won’t ever feel afraid to die and meet the real land of God, like Reephiceep who didn’t have any desire in the world anymore, different with Prince Caspian who still had a burden of managing his Kingdom.
The fact that Aslan is God is strengthened with dialogue occurs between Him and Lucy:
Lucy: “This is our last time here, isn’t it?”
Aslan: “Yes. You have grown up, my dear one. Just like Peter and Susan. I shall be watching you always.”
Lucy: “How?”
Aslan: “In your world I have another name. You must learn to know me by it. That was the very reason you were brought to Narnia. That by knowing me here for a little, you’ll know me better there.”
Lucy: “Will we meet again?”
Aslan: “Yes, dear one. One day.”
“In your world I have another name” here can be indicated as God. We know it as God. While in Narnia, they call it Aslan. That is the idea of making Aslan as the symbolization of God in Narnia.
C.S. Lewis wrote this story in 1950 which can be included into the twentieth century English literary work. At that time, the story of literary works had the imaginary characteristics. It was because of the boredom of war thus people tried to escape from it by creating imaginary story. By using this story, I may say that C.S. Lewis wanted to deliver a religious story through a fictional and imaginary novel so people can be attracted to read it. Thus, he would let people learn certain message from this story. In twenty-first century this novel is filmed and also can be accepted well because in this century audiences/spectators seem like watching the fictional one.
Conclusion:
“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” can be considered as religious movie. It is because there is a certain character, in this case Aslan, which can be seen as the symbolization of God. To analyze it, we need to use semiotic approach by analyzing the symbol found in it. In this case we should use Pierce’s theory of symbol that symbol is a sign which its relation to object is based on convention. Thus this analysis brings the evidences that Aslan of Narnia can be determined as the representation of God of the real world. In a movie it is important to pay attention in a certain symbol that probably can help us to understand the message which lies behind it.
References:
Book sources:
Materials for Literary Theory Class Compiled by Drs. Mugijatna, M.Si, PH.D, August 2010.
Electronic sources:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0980970/ browse: 2012/01/01 at 7.00 p.m.
http://www.holyblasphemy.net/christian-symbolism-in-narnia-voyage-of-the-dawn-treader-reveals-about-christianity/articles/culture broswe: 2012/01/01 at 7.15 p.m.
http://cocopreme.hubpages.com/hub/TheIdentityofAslanSymbolismintheChroniclesofNarnia browse: 2012/01/01 8.00 p.m.
*seems like because of this paper (and the previous one) I get A in this subject. Kekekeke ^^
