C.S. Lewis and Race: There is No Singular Reaction
There is currently a matter of discourse on the topic of C.S. Lewis and the thought of possible racism in the books he has written, particularly the Chronicles of Narnia. One side of the debate believes that the depiction of Calormen as an imitation of Muslim or Indian culture is inconsequential, while the other side believes that it is harmful, personally.
Naturally, the books are a product of their time, this is true. I also believe that the books are a product of their space and culture.
Lewis is, as everyone knows, white and British. I and the readers know that he grew up in an extremely British society. Now one could just say that’s all, but. We have to remember that Britain colonized/had involvement in an imperialist sense with all but approximately 20 countries in the world. The British empire was built on racism. It is a well-documented fact.
The Horse and His Boy was published in the fifties, only seven years after the end of the Indian Independence Movement, as well as a short time after the Arab-Israeli war which carries with it, much British influence in the Middle East. Britain is also a country that still romanticizes the Crusades to this day. (I would suggest studying more in-depth about the British empire in India, the relationship between British military leaders and sepoys was fascinating and an important study to understand just one example of the problems caused by British colonialism that are faced today.)
Naturally, because Lewis lived in an age where he would have had to learn about other cultures by books, radio or word of mouth, it would have been easy to pick up biases and prejudices about cultures to which he did not belong, unless he himself at one point travelled to the Middle East or India, in which case he would have learned something, but also functioned within the prejudices he learned already. This is because the British people are very good at creating one-dimensional stereotypes about cultures and that carries over into Canada and America as well since these two countries come from Britain. (See for example Pocahontas and other Indigenous stereotypes, Britain and Egyptomania)
So, if Lewis was to grow up in a country with a lengthy history of racist colonialism and stereotyping, with the political messaging he had been receiving, it is only natural that his commentary on Muslim/Hindu culture would be at best ignorant, at most accurate, prejudiced, at worst, racist.
All this to say: the answer is not as simple as racist or not racist. Things in the world are not as simple as evil or not evil most of the time, and there is no culture or society that has never committed an atrocity for its own gain. There is also no person without prejudice against another person, and no country without propaganda. Lewis is a product of a racist and colonialist ‘empire’ so he would of course believe in such stereotypes about other peoples.
Yes, Lewis did write Aravis and Emeth in a positive way. However, that does not undermine Lewis’ depiction of the culture of their upbringing which is common in many western depictions of Indian or Middle-eastern people. Consider Disney’s Aladdin, for example. Is the film not rooted in the exoticism and otherness of pre-Islamic Middle-eastern culture viewed through a white colonialist lens?
Some white readers believe that Narnia in The Last Battle is a much more diverse place than it is at the start of the story.
As a result, it does a disservice to this argument to believe that all Narnia readers must have a singular point of view. Yes, books are subject to contextualization and comprehension about the culture and perspective in which they were written, as is the case with other such beloved and well-known classics such as Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, or War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, especially when they have helped shape the views of people today.
Books are also subject to criticism and varying feelings by the readers. No, it is not appropriate or healthy to negatively obsess over one piece of media, but it is also not healthy to assume that everyone should feel the same about something, especially when some of the people upset belong to the culture which has been demonized even unintentionally in writing. Fans and viewers are not a monolith in culture, experiences and feelings, which can be shaped by cultural heritage and past experience. If a white reader felt uncomfortable by the way Calormen was written, consider that a person of colour might feel even more uncomfortable.
Since Lewis was writing these books for white children as his intended audience, would it not be inherently harmful to place such a stereotype in the mind of an impressionable young child when they can grow up believing this about Muslims and Indian people in general?
Perhaps the reader of colour who feels offence towards has had experiences in which they were discriminated against due to their culture or the colour of their skin. This person also understands that culture and race interact together and they are linked most of the time within society although not on a 1:1 basis.
I am certain that many white Christians would feel offended if they were to be portrayed in a negative and stereotypical light, even if there were truthful criticism within the work, so would not a Middle-eastern or Indian person also feel offended by how they have been portrayed in a work by someone who is not from their culture?
Consider also The Pilgrim’s Regress. In it, the main character John has relations with young women who are described to be “brown girls”. Some readers have taken it to mean young women who are tanned, and others have taken it to mean young women who are not white. Now one might say and defend Lewis that he has simply written a young woman who has simply spent all day in the sun. However, the question must be asked: why portray the young woman with darker skin and compare dark to evil and sin? What does that say about Lewis’ view about women of colour? Would it not be enough to give them perhaps, a dark shawl? Why is there a need to exercise moral superiority as a white person over people of colour?
Therefore, while a die-hard Lewis fan might find it easy to defend Lewis’ imitations of Muslim and Hindu culture, it should not be taken as a moral example. A Christian reader and fan of Lewis is better pressed to find an example in Jesus himself, who loves all, no matter what they’ve done or where they come from, rather than solely an allegory written by a man. In this day and age, it is much easier to find educational resources so one can write better, more compelling and more accurate characters as well as listen to the experiences of other people who do not share one’s own experience.
For critics of Lewis, I would encourage them to contextualize the work and understand the social context of the time, then perhaps try to look further and discover the kernel of truth that they might find in the text.
And if any reader is offended or angry, well, I would invite the reader to dig deeper within themselves to understand why that is. Nuanced discussion is key to better understanding and caring for one another.
After all, should we all not be moving further up and further in with each other?
