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The Dilemma of Susan Pevensie

If you're a lover of books or Narnia, you know what happens in the end. Susan Pevensie does not go back to Narnia. Why? Well, that's up for debate...

"My sister Susan," answered Peter shortly and gravely, "is no longer a friend of Narnia."

"Yes," said Eustace, "and whenever you've tried to get her to come and talk about Narnia or do anything about Narnia, she says 'What wonderful memories you have! Fancy your still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we were children.'"

"Oh Susan!" said Jill, "she's interested in nothing now-a-days except nylons and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being grown-up."

"Grown-up, indeed," said the Lady Polly.  "I wish she would grow up.  She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now, and she'll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that age.  Her whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of one's life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can."   - (C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle)

Read Neil Gaiman's The Problem of Susan  here. It's definitely interesting. The Susan problem is one that has been debated about because it's so vague. Why doesn't she return to Narnia when everyone else has? People usually use Jill's argument of why Susan was excluded from Narnia. But the real reason is what Polly said. It's not what J.K. Rowling said about Susan liking makeup and sex that got her excluded.

"There comes a point where Susan, who was the older girl, is lost to  Narnia because she becomes interested in lipstick. She's become  irreligious basically because she found sex. I have a big problem with that." - (J.K. Rowling)

The real issue is that Susan chose to forget Narnia. She purposely ignored it. She thought it was childish and stupid. She became vain, uncaring, and selfish. She forgot her values. She was a child trying to be a "grown-up" and wanting to stay youthful and one age forever. She probably partied so much to escape the painful memory of being told that she couldn't go back to Narnia. Deep down she knows Narnia is real but she is actively trying to forget and repress her memories. She thought Narnia was for children and she didn't want to be a child anymore. To be fair, she was a child, grew up and ruled a country, then was stuffed back into a child's body. After that I wouldn't want to be treated like a kid either. But this isn't about readjusting to being a child or adults not taking her seriously, Susan simply wanted to forget Narnia because she thought it was silly and "for children". Lewis said "When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." This idea that because something is "made for children" or "childish" that it is somehow lesser, is wrong. It is this notion of superiority that goes with being an adult. That being an adult is somehow better than being a child.

Why is being a child bad? Is it the innocence and naivety? If adults are afraid to be like a child, maybe we should look at how we treat children. They are constantly talked down to and nothing is ever explained to a child and they are dismissed without a thought when they suggest something because they don't understand the "real world". Childishness is associated with stupidity, not being able to take responsibility, immaturity, and naivety. When in fact it's the opposite, we all know an adult who acts immature and a child who is very mature. There is no such thing as being childish. If you want to dye your hair and read fairytales and YA when you're 45, go ahead. Lewis is criticizing the idea of being "adult". Why is being an "adult" good and being a "child" bad? What constitutes being an adult? Being dark and cynical and lying? Apparently, Susan knows because that is all she is focused on being. That is the problem. By wanting to be an "adult", Susan is being "childish". She is abandoning her faith and by extension, her family. It wasn't an accident. It was a choice and she has to deal with the consequences. That doesn't mean there can't be redemption.

In his Letters to Children, Lewis said:

"The books don't tell us what happened to Susan. She is left alive in  this world at the end, having by then turned into a rather silly,  conceited young woman. But there's plenty of time for her to mend and  perhaps she will get to Aslan's country in the end... in her own way."

"I could not write that story myself. Not that I have no hope of Susan’s  ever getting to Aslan’s country; but because I have a feeling that the  story of her journey would be longer and more like a grown-up novel than I wanted to write. But I may be mistaken. Why not try it yourself?"  - (1960 letter to Pauline Bannister)

It sounds like he had plans for Susan and never got around to it. He also seems to be encouraging debate or writing your own interpretation of what happens (fan fiction?). Whatever the case, Susan probably has a long and difficult journey but eventually gets back to her family.

You can argue C.S. Lewis was misogynistic, sexist, racist, and yeah it shines through a bit in Narnia where the Calormen people (Indian/Arabesque) are depicted as cruel barbarians. But then there is also Aravis who is a Calormen woman who fights and wields a sword and is the hero (so basically a epic brown princess). For being a misogynist, both Susan (at least in the movies) and Lucy fight in battle alongside their brothers and can hold their own. Lucy, the youngest, a girl, was called the Valiant. It is implied they earned their titles and even if they grew into them, I wonder what exactly you would have to do to be called Valiant. Even the men in Narnia cry and kiss each other's cheeks, which would be considered "gay" or "girly". I would say Lewis is a feminist with chivalric traits. Lewis didn't exclude Susan from the end because she was a woman and interested in having sex and being free, she was excluded because she was afraid of change and didn't trust Aslan anymore. Doubt is one thing. It's okay to doubt but Susan didn't trust and became afraid. As a character, Susan is the "mom" of the group. She is the most practical and sensible and realistic. She sees the world very scientifically and lost her sense of wonder. She fears change and is the least adventurous out of her siblings. She is dismissing anything childish, anything Narnian, as lesser than her. She has become haughty and egotistical which is the problem. Children aren't stupid and "childish" things aren't lesser than "adult" things. Maybe it is a bit harsh to go down to the train tracks and identify your siblings bodies but she didn't want anything to do with them. It sounded as if they had stopped talking. She didn't believe in Narnia anymore because she thought faith and belief was childish. She thought she was better than her siblings. She became vain and self-centered, far from the selfless, gentle woman she really was. As Lewis said, Susan will get back in her own way, once she has learned what she needs.

In a letter, Lewis said: "And why not write stories yourself to fill up the gaps in Narnian  history? I’ve left you plenty of hints–especially where Lucy and the  Unicorn are talking in The Last Battle. I feel I have done all I can!"

Maybe he was encouraging fan fiction? We'll never know, but the end result is the same; it's all up for interpretation.

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