The Cave and The Stable

Our discussion tonight about Plato's description of The Cave reminded me of a scene in C. S. Lewis's The Last Battle, one of the books in The Chronicles of Narnia. There is a great deal of back-story that I will not get into, but I will attempt to set the scene up properly. The Narnians are in the midst of the last battle, fighting the Calormenes and the Dwarfs (who are on neither side). The Calormenes have set up a stable next to a great bonfire, which they originally purported to house the god Tashlan (a composite of the Narnian god Aslan and the Calormene god Tash). During the fight, the Calormenes decide to toss the Dwarfs and the Narnians into the stable, close it up, and burn it as a sacrifice to Tash. Both the Narnians and the Dwarfs fight hard but in the end find themselves in the stable.

At this point I feel it is necessary to point out the difference in the beliefs and attitudes of the Narnians, the Dwarfs, and the few Calormenes who end up in the stable as well. The Narnians are true believers in Right, Good, and Aslan. There is one Calormene who ends up in the stable who is a true believer in Right, Good, and Tash. Several Calormenes give lip service to Tash, but really only serve themselves. The Dwarfs express their attitude in the statement, "The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs". They believe in nothing but themselves and think everyone else is just out to trick them.

Once inside the stable, the Narnians look around blinking their eyes because of the "strong light". One would think that "they were inside a little thatched stable, about twelve feet long and six feet wide. In reality they stood on grass, the deep blue sky was overhead, and the air which blew gently on their faces was that of a day in summer." In other words, they were not in a cave or a stable, but outside with the Sun. After basking in the sun and conversing with old friends in this new place, the Narnians notice that the Dwarfs are still sitting near the door of the stable, unmoving, sitting as though still bound (which they were when they were tossed in). The Dwarfs are convinced they are tied up in a dark, smelly stable. The Narnians beg them to open their eyes, look around, feel the sunshine, and eat the fruit growing from the trees. The Dwarfs ridicule these attempts, and believe that the Narnians are trying to make them believe a lie. When Aslan arrives he says, "They have chosen cunning instead of belief. Their prison is only in their own minds, yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they cannot be taken out."

After discussing Plato this evening I see a definite parallel between The Cave and The Stable. The Dwarfs are the chained people who sit and stare at the back of the cave. With a few exceptions the Calormenes (along with a few others in the story) use their power and the beliefs of others to cast shadows on the walls. The Narnians are those who have escaped from the cave and bask in the Sun, Good, and Reason. They feel a need to help the Dwarfs see and understand that they are not bound after all, but free and surrounded by Sunshine and Good things. The Dwarfs, like the chained ones in the cave, laugh at these attempts to free them.