Narnia - Why Susan Deserved Better

Let’s talk about The Chronicles of Narnia, Religious allegory and ‘The Problem of Susan’. In this video I break down Susan Pevensie’s controversial ending in The Last Battle and why it is both deserving and undeserving of the criticism it gets.

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0:00 Narnia Recap
1:52 The Problem of Susan
6:22 In Defence of C.S. Lewis
11:12 Justice for Susan

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[TropeAnatomy]

Hi, been getting a few comments saying C.S. Lewis was working on an 8th book about Susan but died before he could finish it. And that "I should've mentioned this". I've researched the claim and it's just a made up thing on the internet with no source, that's why I didn't mention it. Unfortunately, many believe it to be true so here are some facts. He said several times that he was done with the series. Here are just 2 examples directly from his letters:

“I’m afraid there will not be any more of them. You see, once a story stops telling itself to me inside my head–like a tap turned off–I can’t go on. And if I tried to, it would only sound forced. Anyway, seven is a good number.” - C.S. Lewis, 1959

“I’m afraid I’ve said all I had to say about Narnia, and there will be no more of these stories. But why don’t you try to write one yourself?” -C.S. Lewis, 1962

Secondly, he said himself he wasn't interested in writing Susans story because it was more of a grown up story than he wanted to write (as talked about in the video.) Lastly, he published each of the Narnia books just 1 year apart. He died in 1963, that is 7 years after the last Narnia book. People talk about his death as if it happened right after. No. We have seven years of him saying he was done with the series. I don't know why we need to make up something with no source, when we have several letters written by him that says the opposite. If he wanted to write Susans story, he would've.

[MischievousMischief]

Even as a child I was shocked by how it ended. It felt really abrupt and tragic, ESPECIALLY for Susan who is left alone.

[declanmoran]

I think for me the most infuriating part of the ending is that, like, she wasn't even wrong to deny it existed. She was thrown against her will into Narnia, only to fall slowly in love with it, only to be ripped out of it after 15 years, and then just as she's getting used to to the idea of living in England again she's brought back to Narnia for JUST long enough to get attached again, before being told she can never come back. How is getting on with your life in England, exactly as instructed, a bad thing? If i were in her position, i'd probably be so bitter and frustrated I'd do the same. Especially if my understanding was that i was never going to be able to go back.

[laur]

I liked the scene in the Prince Caspian film, where she's talking with Lucy by the fire and she says how they're in Narnia 'while it lasts'. It's clear she doesn't want to leave and get ripped out of the world, again, but as a practical person, she knows she will. While this isn't directly from the book, it did feel very natural. Susan knows it won't last, she's told she's too old now, to go home. Who can blame her for throwing herself into 'real life' as opposed to clinging to a world she's been told she won't get back to - she's an incredibly logical, practical person, who just went home and got into her box of being a young woman, like society expected.

[IsabelGarcia-nlmi]

But, it was normal that Susan had an interest in growing up, in the stockings and lipstick, she grew up in the war and being the second mother figure of her brothers, a character and person like that feels a huge responsibility, to the extent that, even though she was only 12 years old, she wished to be older, to be able to protect them, and pretend to be more mature. But, that was not her fault, to be punished for loving her brothers and being their protector... is so cruel

[katherinealvarez]

I did read The Problem With Susan and it did bring up something. On earth, Susan goes through a tragedy that no one should endure. She has to bury her entire family, mourn them and keep living. And it's because she is trying to play grown up. At age 21.
She's condemned for this. And yes, there is no empathy.

[ninalima]

susan is also the perfect depiction of the “eldest daughter” who takes on the responsibilities of caring for her siblings in the absence of her mother. in this way, susan was FORCED to grow up faster because she needed the emotional maturity to support them. it’s a shame cs lewis condemned her for reacting to that pressure in a completely normal way. she acts as the voice of reason and offers a different perspective, not the voice of doubt. i think you’re right that punishing her with living without her family and identifying their bodies makes aslan and narnia seem harsh, especially since her crimes are essentially going through puberty (interest in beauty and sexuality). i don’t think she was treated fairly at all, and it breaks my heart to see how cs lewis treated her.

[tsuritsa]

There is also never any acknowledgment of how painful it was for some of them to get shut out of Narnia at the end. She was barred from coming back at 13. She was told she would NEVER come back to Narnia. If I went through that, I might try to banish it to the back of my mind, to forget, to pretend that it had never happened. How else to cope with the loss?

[spiceupyourafterlife]

Let me get this straight, Susan is punished for no longer believing in Narnia (i.e. Christianity) by losing her siblings to a tragic accident and this is framed as justifiable? WTF?!

[anns]

Susan was always my favourite because she was the most relatable of the four

[TealVT]

should also probably be mentioned that C.S Lewis notably disapproved of women who got overly interested in feminine stuff like makeup and dressing up, which could be yet another reason why Lucy, who was always more of a sensible, practical sort, was so rewarded while Susan was punished. it comes off as incredibly sexist and disapproving toward... a teenage girl who wants to look pretty.

[MountainMaid]

The whole 'only children can enter' thing weirded me out, like, we're made to mature, why is something we have no control over the reason our relationship to something must end? Oh but you better keep believing in it, even if it rejects you. Some mind messing going on there.

[LilianaCroush]

Could they solve this dilemma, by having Susan as the narrator of the series? (from her own experiences and being told what happened in later books by the other people) but still refusing to believe in it until then end of her life. Susan being revealed as the narrator of the story of Narnia, when she's telling the story to her grandkids or something, and then a last scene of her seeing the light and reuniting with her family after her death?

[rachelauguste]

I watched the movies and haven’t read the books, but I did find it bittersweet that the Pevensies basically grew up already in Narnia and had to do it over again once they left. I can’t imagine being sent back to my preteen self and the knowledge and experiences I gained in Narnia won’t translate as well. Especially for Susan, it makes sense for her to “logically” distance herself from that reality in order to move on. She might have not seen it worth her time to reminisce on a time and place she can no longer return to.

[heddadybvadskog-nebb]

I would've loved it if the question of "has not your majesty two sisters? Where is queen Susan" was met with silence. With the siblings slowly realizing that this means Susan has been left behind to deal with their deaths all alone. And even though they all realize that is what has happened Lucy would still start crying and shout out in desperation saying that Susan must be on her way and that no she cant have been left behind. And Edmund and Peter would try to comfort her but eventually they too would fall apart. Someone else- maybe Eustace? (because he obviously was around when she was in the US with her parents and Peter and would know how she impacted Lucy during that time) would raise the question "Is it possible Susan is no longer a friend of Narnia and that is why she is not here with us? Is it possible Susan has stopped believing" and the boys would accept this because they knew that from the moment they realized she was left behind. But Lucy will remember how, in Prince Caspian, Susan eventually admitted deep down that she knew it was true that Lucy felt Aslan, so she will know that at the bottom of her heart Susan believes. And so Lucy will not accept that Susan is merely "no longer a friend of Narnia" and asks Aslan why Susan couldn't come with them and Aslan will say that he made a mistake not letting Susan back to Narnia after prince Caspian because this forced her to grow up faster than she should have and caused a fracture in their family dynamic. But he will also say that hope is not lost for Susan, she just needs some more time.
And then the book would end and we would get a sequel where Susan in almost in the Professor's role when her and Peter talked to him about Lucy saying she went to Narnia. Someone entrusts her with the information that they've been to Narnia (perhaps her kids) but unlike the professor she does not provide unwavering faith but instead warns them to never enter again. The person/people choose not to listen to her and go anyways despite danger lurking in Narnia, Aslan knows the kids can't make it on their own and thus provides Susan with a chance to go back to Narnia even though she is an adult.
I am not gonna write the whole plot of the book but something like that. This might have been a very silly comment but I would love it if the netflix show does get to the last book, that it gives Susan a nicer conclusion and perhaps even leaves it open for a potential spin-off

[Ellaliluleloka]

Wow 💀 I had no idea Narnia ended that way, since I never really got into it. But the way you described it in the beginning already had me really disturbed by how....cruel? It felt towards Susan. Like, man..

[ananya]

So Susan was essentially thrust into premature adulthood in a trainwreck that killed all her siblings. It would've being so much more poignant and relatable if after years of emotional emptiness she was allowed back to Narnia, making it abundantly clear that deep down her coldness and skepticism she still held a pure heart.
(Loss of innocence is not losing a pure heart)

[orwellfan]

I've always found it odd no one talks about how messed it up it is that the four children GROW UP in Narnia and then return to our world as children again. So they went through puberty? I seem to recall there is even a reference to them having lovers in Narnia. This makes me very uncomfortable. Any thoughts?

[Moeller]

I think it's worth mentioning that Lewis ended his reply to the fan letter by writing "why not try to write it yourself?"
I think Lewis was aware how poorly he ended Susan's story, and genuinely hoped someone would pick up his mantle and bring her home. And I think it would make for an amazing adult fantasy novel, if done right

[dietdrpepper]

I never read the books as a kid but people I was friends with had, and we all saw the movies together. And one friend mentioned what happened to Susan and I was appalled. And he was totally dismissive of Susan and 'she deserves it' type thing. So I do hope they can write a good open ended hopeful ending for her. Thank you Neil Gaiman writing a much necessary critical look at how the writing comes across.