As discussed at length in class, Lewis moves through four rather distinct stages of religious (or lack-thereof) thought before arriving at his understanding of Christianity as the "true myth." Through Wilson's biography, readers are able to understand these stages and the difficulties and triumphs involved.
1) Lewis as materialist.
At this point in his life, Lewis is far behind schedule in his thinking (according to class discussion, at least). He looks at the world and sees stuff. Things. There isn't really anything "out there" or a god who is watching out for humanity. In this worldview, the world is comprised of objects and that's about it. This world offers no salvation and is largely a dark place. This fairly pessimistic mindset could be due in part to his upbringing: "The impression given in Surprised by Joy is that he grew up in a religiously wishy-washy household. No emphasis is given to his father's profound piety, nor to the theological preoccupations of grandfather Lewis" (24).
This "wishy-washy" environment isn't conducive to someone trying to grow in faith. A lack of focus in any direction could understandably lead people to close off their minds from religious topics. Such a decision is easy, after all. To top it off, Cherbourg, the school Lewis went to as a young boy, had three things that left him uninspired by faith: Miss C, Pogo, and his interest in the classics (28). For now, at least, Lewis seemed to be more interested in getting good grades and little else.
2) Lewis as 19th century idealist.
Thinking as an idealist is slightly more progressive in comparison to the last stage. Instead of the world having nothing but objects and material things, the world is full of ideas about those objects. Rather than looking at objects as objects, people have ideas about those objects. They have ideas about, say, truth. Lewis reveals a manner of thinking more in line with these ideas later on in life. Wilson writes, "this was the knowledge that human life is best understood by the exercise not only of the wit, but also of the imagination" (77). Wilson then proceeds to mention the attraction Lewis has to the feeling of autumn, the sense of Northerness, and more (77). Lewis feels a kind of attraction to ideas, underscoring the more abstract nature of this stage of his conversion.
3) Lewis as believing in God who demands duty.
The third stage of his conversion marks a higher degree of frustration for Lewis. Here, he recognizes that there is an absolute, and this absolute has the "correct idea." Many will try to come forward with what they believe but it's only this god, this absolute, that knows what is absolutely correct. This is a god who is largely absent from people's lives (he isn't a personal god) and is therefore a rather harsh god, looking for a strong sense of duty from people.
Lewis very reluctantly moves forward: "some time in that summer of 1929, in his college rooms in Magdalen, he 'gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed; perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England'" (110). The reason for such reluctance is simply because Lewis wanted to be alone. Class discussions continually point to his very reclusive nature. Sure, he enjoyed a drink here and there, and liked to be around people, but his ideal afternoon was sitting by a window, alone, reading a book with a nice cup of tea. He didn't like the idea of a god requiring things of him. And this is all before his last stage of conversion, one that encouraged not just a dialogue between one's self and God, but also between other people.
4) Lewis as understanding Christianity as the true myth.
The final stage is one where Lewis would consider himself to be Christian. Unlike his previous god who desired no personal connection with his followers, the Christian god wanted just the opposite. This god was able to encourage people to grow to a much greater degree. In class, three opportunities this myth affords humans were listed. They are as follows:
- Humans can grasp stuff in a narrative fashion.
- Myth allows people to relate to the story.
- Story of Jesus places humans into a community.
His long-time friend, J.R.R. Tolkien was instrumental in this conversion. Wilson writes, "it was the conviction of Tolkein (a Roman Catholic) that truth is best discerned through myth which finally tipped the balance" (137). Lewis, ever since childhood, was attracted to myths and the stories they told. However, he was concerned about their ability to teach humans anything. He was concerned, at least at first, about their historical power. Tolkien helps Lewis through these issues with pieces of writing like his poem "Mythopoeia" which explain that language helps form humans' understanding of the world.
Encouragingly, Lewis was deeply inspired by his conversion: "what we do know is that his full conversion to Christianity released in him a literary flow which only ceased with death" (133).
Encouragingly, Lewis was deeply inspired by his conversion: "what we do know is that his full conversion to Christianity released in him a literary flow which only ceased with death" (133).