I just finished a summer intensive course
called “Christus Victor.” One of the assignments
from the professor was to watch two movies – how cool was that! One is from The Chronicles of Narnia series, and the
other is from the Harry Potter series. Then I wrote a report to compare these
movies with regard to their assessment of
good and evil. I also needed to see how
the whole subject of witches, warlocks and witchcraft was treated. So I
borrowed three DVDs: The
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the
Witch, and the Wardrobe (referred to as Narnia below) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I and II) (referred to as Deathly Hallows below) and enjoyed
watching them with my family and friends, who gave me many insightful comments.
So here it is – the report. I want to put
it out here for those of you who may be interested to do a night of movie
theology with your children or friends.
There
are quite a few similarities regarding good and evil in both films.
First, the major plot in both films reflects
a dualism and centers around a conflict between good and evil.
Second, the major villain in the plot is
the representative of evil, and this individual (the White Witch in Narnia and Voldemort in Deathly Hallows) are portrayed (at least
initially) in ways that clearly reveal their evil and corrupt character – they
are proud, arrogant, cruel, selfish, scheming, and, at the same time,
inherently insecure because they are threatened by the existence of forces for
good that they know could bring about their end.
Third, the major heroes in the plot are
the representatives of good (the four Pevensie children in Narnia; Harry Potter and his friends in Deathly Hallows). Their characters are cast in terms that show them
to be good, demonstrating kindness toward others and faithfulness to one
another and to their mission to overcome evil, though, like humans, they have
their flaws. Initially, they appear
weaker than the evil they confront, but they gain help and encouragement from
others on the side of “good” who are stronger than they are (Aslan in Narnia and Dumbledor in Deathly Hallows).
Fourth, both films show that ultimate
power does not reside in witchcraft, but in love. In Narnia, Aslan came to free the Narnians from the oppression of the
White Witch. The Narnians were eventually freed, because he suffered and died
in the place of Edmund. In Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter is, in
some way, more powerful than Voldemort because his mother’s love protected and
preserved him.
Fifth, in both films, good triumphs in
the end, partly as both major villains are “tricked” into playing a role in
their own demise. In Narnia, the White Witch put Aslan to
death thinking she had triumphed but did not realize that, in doing so, she
brought about the destruction of the Stone Table and the reversal of death
itself; in Deathly Hallows, Voldemort
killed Harry Potter and thought he had triumphed but did not realize that, in
doing so, he destroyed part of his own soul that resided inside of Harry Potter.
Of
course, the differences between Narnia and
Deathly Hallows are also very
apparent.
First, Narnia portrays the concept of the transcendent. The Emperor-beyond-the-Sea,
who created Narnia and sent Aslan, is the representative of the transcendent. Deathly
Hallows has no representative of the transcendent. Everything and every character are about us,
this life, here and now.
Second, in Narnia, the standards of good and evil (right and wrong) are built
into the very nature of the world in which the story is set (these standards
are referred to as the deep magic; these were also established by the
Emperor-beyond-the-Sea). In Deathly
Hallows, it is not apparent that a clear standard exists to define good and
evil.
Third, in Narnia, the only witch is the major villain, the White Witch. Her witchcraft is despised and feared. It is only
employed by the White Witch for evil purposes. In Deathly Hallows, witches are a type of being (similar to ordinary
humans in many ways) who can be either good or bad, just as the non-magical humans
(Muggles). Witchcraft/sorcery is viewed as a neutral force that can be used either for
good or evil and is utilized by essentially everybody in the wizard community.
In
conclusion, the Narnia series reflects the
Judeo-Christian worldview of C. S. Lewis, whereas the Harry Potter series is perhaps more a reflection of a postmodern
worldview. Even though postmodern
culture rejects the existence of an absolute standard of good and evil, and
many people today have given up belief in a transcendent God, the success of
stories in the fantasy genre, including The
Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter
series, and Narnia, remind us that
there is definitely a place for Christocentric fantasy films such as Narnia to speak to today’s society to
communicate biblical truths in a culturally relevant manner.
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