C. S. Lewis is not a misogynist

A lot of people are calling famous Christian author C. S. Lewis a misogynist. The only evidence they seem to have for this is a line from The Last Battle by him. Here is the quote: "Oh Susan!" said Jill, "she's interested in nothing now-a-days except nylons and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being grown-up."

I don't think the mentions of nylons and lipstick refer to Susan's sexuality, except they might refer to sluttiness. Mostly it seems that Susan is overly concerned with social status and superficiality, worldliness, I mean. I think that if C. S. Lewis hated women, or was rampantly sexist, his friends, wife or fanbase might have found out about it.

In contrast in the Chronicles of Narnia books there are several female heroes and a few female villains. For heroes there are Lucy and Susan Pevensie, Jill Pole, and Polly Plummer. For villains there are the White Witch, the Green Witch and Jadis. Also, in Perelandra there is the Queen as a female hero. I haven't read Till We Have Faces but it has a female character I believe.

The Narnia books also contain passages emphasising how evil it is to mistreat little girls. In Prince Caspian a bear was killed who only wanted "little girl". I think this could be a reference to child sexual abuse. In The Magicians Nephew Digory says that Uncle Andrew's transportation of Polly to another world was "exactly the same as if you'd murdered her".

In Prince Caspian a bit of the battle of the sexes is played out, with the girls winning: "That's the worst of girls," said Edmund to Peter and the Dwarf. "They never can carry a map in their heads." "That's because our heads have something inside them," said Lucy. Do you think this is a quip someone who really hated women would write?

Finally, in Mere Christianity Lewis says "decent behaviour" is (among other things) "leaving a girl alone when you would like to make love to her". Is this something someone who wanted to abuse and murder women would say? I think this is enough to show that Lewis didn't hate women. Actually, I think it shows that he liked them and recommended good behaviour to do with them.


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