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Chapter 13
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Last Battle, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Belief, Deception, and False Prophets
The Value of Friendship
Redemption and Forgiveness
The End of the World
Summary
Analysis
Everyone stands on Aslan’s right side and looks through the doorway. On the other side, they see that the bonfire on Stable Hill has gone out. Then, they see a zoomed-out view of the continent. From afar, a giant rises up over the land. Jill and Eustace think about the time that they learned a giant named Father Time would awaken from his slumber in Narnia’s final days. Father Time rises and blows a horn, which causes the stars to fall from the sky.
Here, the destruction of Narnia begins, which Aslan appears to induce by opening the door. In this chapter, Lewis takes some inspiration from the Book of Revelation, but he also invents his own mythology for the final moments of Narnia. Lewis has spent seven books building up the world of Narnia and now he begins destroying it.
Themes
Giant dragons and lizards begin to emerge in the Narnian woods. Meanwhile, all of the creatures across Narnia begin approaching the doorway in open space. Some of the creatures move to the left of the doorway (which is to Aslan’s right), while others pass through it to right. All of the creatures moving to the left realize they can no longer speak, while all the creatures passing through the doorway join Tirian and the kings and queens of Narnia in paradise. Tirian, Eustace, and Jill are overjoyed when they see their allies come through the doorway including Poggin, Farsight, Roonwit, and Jewel.
Aslan passes his judgement on all creatures who wish to pass into his realm. His process mirrors that of Christ in the Book of Revelation. In particular, Lewis retains Christianity’s notion that the right side of the body (particularly the right hand) represent God’s grace, while the left side of the body signifies God’s rejection. Unsurprisingly, Tirian’s allies in the final battle all make it through to paradise, as they made the ultimate sacrifice in Aslan’s name.
Themes
As all of the creatures face Aslan’s judgement, the dragons and lizards are eating and destroying Narnia. Finally, when nothing is left for them, they perish. Then, the sea rises until everything is covered in water and the sun and the moon collide. When nothing is left on the other side of the doorway, Aslan commands Peter to shut it. Peter does as Aslan asks and then locks the door using a golden key.
The end of Narnia is violent and full of death and decay. What was once a vibrant and fantastical landscape becomes completely uninhabitable, even by the giant beasts who rip it to shreds. Aslan commands Peter to lock the door to signify that Narnia is no more.
Themes
Once the door is closed, Aslan says, “Come farther in! Come farther up!” Before following Aslan, Lucy and Tirian express their sadness regarding Narnia’s demise. Although they know everything has been done according to Aslan’s will, they still are sad that such an important part of their lives is now gone. Then, the group follows a pack of dogs who claim they smell a Calormene nearby. The dogs lead the group to Emeth, who is sitting near a stream. Peter and Emeth quickly declare each other allies, and then Jill asks Emeth to tell them what happened to him after coming through the door.
When Aslan instructs everyone to "Come farther in! Come farther up!" it is an invitation to move deeper into understanding a more profound reality beyond the world they knew. The phrase suggests spiritual progression towards a higher state of being. Meanwhile, Lucy and Tirian’s sadness over Narnia’s end, despite knowing it’s Aslan’s will, addresses the human feeling that such a change is necessarily going to come with some grief.
Themes
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