I cited Doug Wilson’s blog (cleverly named Blog & Mablog) in my earlier post on Emeth, as he wrote in some detail on that subject earlier this year. Last year, he wrote on the subject of Susan’s absence from the ending of The Last Battle. Spoiler: he concludes that she’ll get there eventually.
Lewis himself, of course, allowed for the same outcome, though I’m not aware of his ever saying specifically that she would arrive in Aslan’s country–only that she could. But Wilson makes a pretty strong case that she would–“once a queen in Narnia, always a queen in Narnia.”
I had a friend who was concerned about Susan, so he wrote a story about her problem and how she overcame it, etc. but I do NOT remember the name of my friend or the title of his story, which was written in pencil on several sheets of paper, or if he ever had it published. This was a very long time ago. What first entered my mind when I heard about Susan’s defection, is that very often children change when they become teenagers, often by rebelling against the normal views of their parents and society. This seemed to be what Lewis was saying when he noted Susan’s defection.
Whatever the theological arguments for Susan’s salvation, I think that artistically (for me, at any rate), it just doesn’t work for Susan to be quoted as saying “What wonderful memories you have! Fancy you still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we were children.” It would be impossible for someone who actually played the role Susan did in Narnia to say such a thing.
Dimitry
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8)