What happens to Susan Pevensie in the last battle

Notice! Spoilers ahead for the final book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, The Last Battle

The Chronicles of Narnia The novels are a seminal work of children's fantasy by C.S. Lewis, and the Pevensie children play an important role throughout the story. First described in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobethe Pevensies introduce the audience to Narnia, and it is their influence and legacy that unites the different installments. Although the later books do not cover the four central children as much, they reappear in the final novel, The last battle. However, when they return, Susan Pevensie, the oldest girl, doesn't have the same ending as everyone else.

There has been speculation about how the Narnia the books will come to life in the upcoming adaptation of Greta Gerwig's novels. While the development and characterization of all Pevensies is vitally important, Gerwig's work Narnia the adaptation should bring justice to Susan Pevensie, whose story remains open-ended and lacks the full conclusion that her siblings receive. Thanks to Lewis' conclusion, There are still many questions about Susan's fate and plenty of room for discussion about how this can be interpreted. Regardless, Susan remains one of the most interesting Pevensies to analyze.

Susan Pevensie is unable to return to Narnia in The Last Chronicles of Narnia

She is described as no longer being friends with Narnia

Aslan destroys Narnia at the end of the last book because Narnia has been corrupted and he needs to start over. When he makes this decision, which can be read as a metaphor for Christianity, Judgment Day and the ascension to heaven, Aslan decides who is worthy of joining him in the real Narnia. Peter, Edmund, Lucy and other characters that the audience has met throughout the books are brought to the new Narnia to live in peace. However, to get there, the Pevensies must die and die in a train crash in the real world before they can join Aslan.

However, since she grew up and embraced adulthood, Susan is prevented from entering the real Narnia, even if the rest of the Pevensies can go with Aslan. It's a surprising twist and changes much of Susan's character up to this point. Aslan and the other characters provide some reasons why Susan is the only Pevensie who cannot return to Narnia, but these justifications have been criticized by readers for many years. It's the way Susan transitioned into adulthood that is cited as the reason she can't go.

The true meaning of Susan being banished from Narnia explained

There could be a darker reason why Susan can't join the family

Although it is impossible to be certain what Lewis meant by barring Susan from Narnia, there has been much discussion and debate about the reasons behind Susan's exclusion. Describing her as “frivolous” and mentioning how she only cares about material objects and their appearance, Lewis cites these as the reasons she was left behind. Casting such a harsh moral judgment on Susan, despite her years of dedication and love for Narnia, is an unexpected narrative twist. The last battle. This leads the audience to believe that Lewis decided to leave Susan out as an expression of his views on femininity.

It is not simply a question of age, although adults cannot go to Narnia in Lewis's books, as Peter can go to Aslan's more perfect Narnia. At best, Lewis' decision to leave Susan out could be read as uncertainty about what to do with her character and a desire to make the ending bittersweet. Unfortunately, can also easily be interpreted as Lewis embodying sexist and outdated beliefs about young women in the text. This is a difficult note to end the books on, as so many young women read Narnia and identify with Susan.

Susan survives the train crash that kills the Pevensies in the last battle

Susan is technically the only Pevensie to survive the Chronicles of Narnia

Although the other Pevensies dying and ascending to the real Narnia can be seen in a positive light, as it is a metaphor for them entering heaven, this leaves Susan alone. As the only survivor, Susan is left alone in the real world, unable to find peace in Narnia and also separated from her family. Because of this, and the fact that Lewis's descriptions of why Susan couldn't enter Narnia are a bit harsh, this could be interpreted as punishment for Susan's aging. However, this leaves his story open to interpretation.

It will be interesting to see how Gerwig approaches this part of the story. Although she has only signed on to direct the first two films in the new The Chronicles of Narnia films, if they are a success, the entire series could come to life on screen. If the next adaptations reach The last battle and the filmmakers choose to keep Lewis' intense ending, it could be exciting to see Susan join the rest of her family. On the other hand, having her decide to stay on Earth and explore adulthood would give her agency back and be a strong new legacy.