Stone Party

[Purple Shadow]

One part of LLW that always bothered me is the part about the party the Witch turns to stone. It's the one with the fox and the baby squirrel and so on. When they're turned to stone, there's a passage that says something about how they will remain there for all time. But with Aslan back, why wouldn't Edmund remember the stone party, and tell him about them? They wouldn't turn back into flesh again with the distruction of the wand, because after the battle it is said that Aslan was restoring those who were turned to stone while Lucy healed the wounded.

Could it be some sort of oversight by C.S. Lewis?

[inked]

I've always thought they were restored. The fact is that the process of turning Narnia back to its original state required time. It was not done with a wave of a wand but bit by bit. This is the nature of Incarnational enterprise. It is localized and must needs be accomplished within the constraints of time and place. Note that it is all accomplished under Aslan's victory, but that it extends to all under the dominion of the Witch. This clearly parallels the nature of the Incarnation in our world. But as in Narnia with Aslan, so in our world with Jesus, the resurrected God-Man: the transfer from the dominion of the usurper to the renewed creation and reality is accomplished individually.

[inkspot]

When they're turned to stone, there's a passage that says something about how they will remain there for all time. But with Aslan back, why wouldn't Edmund remember the stone party, and tell him about them? ... Could it be some sort of oversight by C.S. Lewis?
I wondered about that, too. I am the sort of person who wants all the loose ends tied up, and it kinda bugged me that we didn't hear more about them. But I agree with Inked, that it took time for Aslan to go around and undo all the witch's mischief, so I believe they were restored eventually. Maybe in the movie we will see that? That would be fantastic -- if they showed up at the coronation or something ...

[borntofly]

But I agree with Inked, that it took time for Aslan to go around and undo all the witch's mischief, so I believe they were restored eventually.
Yeah, isn't there a quote in the book by Mr. Beaver that says, "'Wrong will be right when Aslan comes in sight, At the sound of his roar sorrows will be no more...'" Although that quote was before the animals had been turned to stone...I'm sure that they were restored, Aslan wouldn't have forgotten about them. I guess that I've always assumed that they were restored.