The Last Battle

by

C. S. Lewis

The Lion’s Skin Symbol Analysis

The Lion’s Skin Symbol Icon

In The Last Battle, the lion's skin symbolizes the perversion of truth and authority. Shift, an ape, discovers a lion's skin and persuades Puzzle, a simple and trusting donkey, to wear it. This deceitful act is designed to convince the Narnians that Puzzle is Aslan, the deity-like lion who rules over Narnia, thereby granting Shift manipulative control over the land. While Aslan's presence in Narnia traditionally symbolizes justice, divine wisdom, and redemption, the fraudulent use of his likeness represents the antithesis of these values. Shift's exploitation of the lion's skin illustrates the dangers of authority wielded by those who lack authenticity, showing how symbols of power can be misused to mislead and manipulate. This misuse of Aslan's likeness not only leads to the destruction of Narnia but also serves as a poignant critique of the ways individuals in power can use religious iconography as tools of deception.

The Lion’s Skin Quotes in The Last Battle

The The Last Battle quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Lion’s Skin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Belief, Deception, and False Prophets Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

“You look wonderful, wonderful,” said the Ape. “If anyone saw you now, they’d think you were Aslan, the Great Lion, himself.”

“That would be dreadful,” said Puzzle.

“No it wouldn’t,” said Shift. “Everyone would do whatever you told them.”

“But I don’t want to tell them anything.”

“But you think of the good we could do!” said Shift. “You’d have me to advise you, you know. I’d think of sensible orders for you to give. And everyone would have to obey us, even the King himself. We would set everything right in Narnia.”

Related Characters: Shift (speaker), Puzzle (speaker), Aslan
Related Symbols: The Lion’s Skin
Page Number: 12
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Last Battle PDF

The Lion’s Skin Symbol Timeline in The Last Battle

The timeline below shows where the symbol The Lion’s Skin appears in The Last Battle. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
Belief, Deception, and False Prophets Theme Icon
The Value of Friendship Theme Icon
...brings it to the shore. Puzzle and Shift examine it and realize it is a lion’s skin . The skin reminds Puzzle and Shift of Aslan, the great lion who has disappeared... (full context)
Belief, Deception, and False Prophets Theme Icon
Shift decides he wants to make a costume out of the lion’s skin for Puzzle to wear. Puzzle thinks making the costume is a bad idea because Aslan... (full context)
Chapter 10
Belief, Deception, and False Prophets Theme Icon
Redemption and Forgiveness Theme Icon
Tirian quietly asks Jill to go to Puzzle and remove the lion skin from him. Jill does as he asks and then brings Puzzle back to the group.... (full context)
Chapter 15
Redemption and Forgiveness Theme Icon
...the donkey is Puzzle because they have not seen him in the light without the lion skin . Puzzle is excited that they are all together again, though he admits that he... (full context)