Cs Lewis

Happiness Then, Pain Now

For C.S. Lewis, shutting out people in his own life was as simple as shutting a book. His pain and happiness existed only in the realms of a magical world called Narnia. In the real world, he preached about pain and sought to understand it, but only to the extent that he himself would remain untouched by it. He proclaims that “Pain is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world,” while all the while being blinded by the fact that it was he who was deaf. Then he meets Joy, a feisty New Yorker, and is forced to learn the lesson of love, and the pain that completes it.

The first time that C.S. Lewis allows emotion into his life is when he realizes he is in love with Joy. But as he tries to understand this new human connectedness, he still struggles to remain disconnected from pain. It is not until after Joy dies that C.S. Lewis completely opens himself to others. As he is sitting with Douglas and staring at the wardrobe that has always offered safety, he puts his head in his hands and begins