Identity Crisis?

[Splendor Hyaline]

Does anyone think that the kids might have suffered severe disorientation, confusion, or identity crisis after re-entering thier own world after ten-fifteen years in Narnia? I mean they were adults, and then sudenly they're children again, only with adult minds, at least for a while. Lewis made it clear that their Narnian selves faded in time, and re-asserted themselves when they returned, but still, for a short time (days, weeks?) I think they might be pretty messsed up! And other things might not fade so easily... am I the only one who wonders this? :confused: :o

[Mudpuddle]

I don't think the children would of suffered anything other then having to be treated like children after all the time they spent in Narnia as mature Kings and Queens.

[Splendor Hyaline]

Yeah, that's true - didn't really think of that! It would probably get kind of annoying!

Anyone else? :D

[onlymystory]

however, kids at that time did have to grow up a little faster and I would imagine that if they are acting more maturely after their time in Narnia, then they would be treated like adults as opposed to kids. If you want to be treated like an adult, act like one kind of idea.

[White Wolf]

I love how they rule for nearly twenty years in LWW, but the whole coming back through the wardrobe and being little again... :mad: not cool! Now its back to school (or so tehy think...^^) and no more being royalty!

I mean, honestly, would you, after fifteen to twnety years, after being a King or Queen, and a warrior, want to return to stuffy ol' England? I'm an American, so for me its the good ol U.S.A :cool:

I personally think that Peter, Lucy, Edmund, and Susan should have either turned back, or continued to hunt the white stag.

I mean, thoughts? Opinions?

Love live the Pevensie Rule! Golden Age of Narnia!

[Edmund Pevensie]

Well, they went to the Wardrobe again because Lucy remember something about Spare-Oom, that was how Mr Tumnus interpreted Spare Room when Lucy told him about how she got there.

[WolfsBane]

I don't know? I mean, yeah you get to go back to school and all the evils of being young again, but you've gone through something so magnificent and beautiful...and truthfully you'd think they would have kept the experience...you get a second chance at growing up and doing it right this time. :confused:

I don't know...

Still it was meant to be...I would never have wanted to leave Narnia either but...that's how Aslan wanted it...otherwise he wouldn't have told Peter and Susan what he does in PC...that broke my heart the first time I read it.

I don't know...

You get to do it all over again...sounds like fun actually.

[newworld_56]

that's one of the things i really think i would hate!!! becoming an adult and then having to go back and do it again .. no, i wouldn't like that at all!!! lol

[Dr.Cornelius]

That's always really a *sad* moment for me, because (disregarding Last Battle), that's the only time they really live and rule in Narnia for any length of time. The other visits are sort of based on necessity, they come, they do their good, and then they leave. Not years and years of happy reign and being good and just rulers and being in Narnia. I'm always a trifle sad about when they fall back through.

But of course, all good things must come to an end, and the children cannot live in Narnia forever. They still have a life in this world that's in a sort of suspended animation, as it were, since Narnia has a different time. If they never came back, what would happen in this world?

And although it is a real shame they're stuck in a mundane world again, there is one benefit, at least--they have their youths back, for childhood in our world and then again in Narnia later. And although I would prefer being old in Narnia to young here, you have to admit that it is pretty cool that all you have to do is step out of the wardrobe and you're a child again.

But oh, can you imagine how Narnia felt when their rulers disappeared? How sad they all must have been!

[rosymole]

There must have been some dissappointment of course, but at least thye had had the chance to experince Narnian life, and knew that there was something other than the world in which they lived. When they came back ENgland they always had the hope that they might one day get back into Narnia..and we all know what what happened there!
It's a bit cheesy, but i think the phrase which sort of sums up myfeelings about this part of the adventure sis " It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all" (you know what I mean!)

Oh and welcome to you guys if i haven't done so before!

[LadyAnneH]

I always wondered how the experience impacted the lives of the kids. The cannot forget the things they did and saw during their time as rulers. During those twenty years I know they went to war (and the movie only hinted at some of the horrors of Narnian war) and I don't see why at least one of them wouldn't have fallen in love and married during that time. Especially if Narnian royalty has the obscession with heirs thrust upon them that royalty in this world seems to. I think to just go "poof" and be back in a childs body and have all that life experience negated and only to be left with the memories would be rather traumatic. As interesting as it would be to go back and be able to live youth over again and make different choices, forget it--I'll pass.

[WolfsBane]

It was magic, and that's the beauty of magic, I think they instantly remembered everything (like waking up from a dream) so for a while they might have clearly vividly remembered everything from Narnia but as you said it faded with time, but they were instantly their kid selves.

As for the change...yeah, I think like onlymystory said, they weren't as childish maybe...you can see it hinted at in The Silver Chair when Eustace and Jill are fighting and he tells her how he's changed since last term and he isn't the toadying little errand boy of the bullies.

Narnia changes you, obviously, even if you've only been there a bit. But no I don't think they had any kind of traumatic time of it. If anything I would think they'd feel sadness or melancholy at having it fade away.

[Nema]

It was magic, and that's the beauty of magic, I think they instantly remembered everything (like waking up from a dream) so for a while they might have clearly vividly remembered everything from Narnia but as you said it faded with time, but they were instantly their kid selves.


I think this explanation makes the most sense. It must surely have been like wakening from a dream - maybe like a fever dream where images are particularly strong.

Afterall, regardless of how grown up they were for their ages, in Narnia they'd already grown up and, crucially, gone through puberty. To have to go back to prepubescence would seriously mess them up if Earth reality didn't reassert itself forcefully fairly quickly.

[WolfsBane]

I think this explanation makes the most sense. It must surely have been like wakening from a dream - maybe like a fever dream where images are particularly strong.

Afterall, regardless of how grown up they were for their ages, in Narnia they'd already grown up and, crucially, gone through puberty. To have to go back to prepubescence would seriously mess them up if Earth reality didn't reassert itself forcefully fairly quickly.

Thank you! *Is happy* I have to agree with you, I mean if you were an adult and then suddenly you're in a child's body you'd be running around telling people...Look this is what happened, treat me like an adult...and they'd all think you were nutters and cart you off to an asylum. So, no...and I just think well magic did that...the same way that when they return to Narnia they remember themselves...it's in the air...it would be kind of the same only in reverse and a lot faster...like slam...whoa...this happened two minutes ago or something.

[Dora_the_explora]

Imagine if they acted like kings and Queens for a few days! that would of been funny.
THey would go like 'where's my horse!?'

[Lirimaer_senshi]

It seems that just like things in Aslan's Country become foggier when your in Narnia (like it did for Jill in SC), so too do memories from narnia become weaker when your in our world (think about it, how else could Susan have forgotten it all (or at least think she could get away with pretending to forget))

I think that the opposite is also true. The Pevensies had all but forgotten about their own world by the time they were hunting th white stage.

Therfore, it may not have been as traumatic for them as you may think. It may have been upsetting at first but they would very quickly start to feel like children again. It's like in PC when they begin to feel like kings and queens again because of the 'Narnian air' only the opposite (call it the 'English air'!).

[Lirimaer_senshi]

I have often thought of what the professor(and the others at the masion) would have though of the children while they were still coming down from being royalty.

[Faun 3.0]

Even though it fades away, when they come back in Prince Caspian, they suddenly remember that they were kings and queens of Narnia

[makeascenerachel]

If I were them I would have stayed in Narnia. Because narnia is the coolest place (I have not been there) :D

[lampost_girl900]

I have to agree with Wolfsbane. I mean, if it was magic why should anything happen to them>