It is tempting to categorize Christian works as allegory, especially fantasy. I personally find allegory to be boring and lacking in artistic merit. I hope to explain what an allegory is and why I would rather not write a close allegory.
There are three writers worth talking about in conjunction with this topic: John Bunyan, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. All three are Christian, and all three have made widely popular books. All three have been accused of allegory, but these allegations may or may not be true.
John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim’s Progress, is blatantly an allegory. It is crystal clear what he means at each stage because he names everything obviously. The main character is a Christian and is named Christian. Whenever a character represents a certain temptation or virtue, they are given a name close to that virtue, if not the virtue itself. There is very little question about what it means, except how to apply it to one’s life. While Pilgrim’s Progress has been very popular, I would say it is a better teaching tool than anything. I would not read it for pleasure; I would read it to be convicted. That isn’t to say Pilgrim’s Progress shouldn’t exist, but I don’t think it’s good art. Art is meant to be enjoyed, and there is little to enjoy about Pilgrim’s Progress; one can only learn from it.
C.S. Lewis’s work The Chronicles of Narnia is also called an allegory, but that’s not perfectly accurate. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe does have an obvious Christ figure, as do all of the books, but I don’t think that means it’s an allegory. What is the allegory in Prince Caspian or The Horse and His Boy? I suppose if you look closely, you may find it. Personally, I do not think the exploration of Christian themes ought to always mark a book as an allegory. I have heard C.S. Lewis himself did not consider it an allegory but a supposal. You see, Aslan the lion does not represent Christ in an allegory; He is Christ, just in a different world. Aslan sacrifices Himself not for the world but for one betrayer. He does this because it’s in His character. I would still say these books are close to teaching tools, but I suppose they are not consumed by it like Pilgrim’s Progress is.
Lastly is J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. You will hear any number of things about allegories in The Lord of the Rings. They try to say one character or another is a Christ figure: Frodo, Aragorn, or Gandalf are all contenders. The thing is, if we Christians believe we should be image bearers of Christ, then our heroes should also embody Christ-like virtues. They aren’t perfect though, most notably Frodo when he fails to destroy the ring. That is because it isn’t an allegory but has a set of story elements that can be applied to any number of real-world events. It’s about industrialization, it’s about WWII, it’s about sin. Considering how many things people think Lord of the Rings is an allegory for, even though all these interpretations contradict each other, it shows J.R.R. Tolkien succeeded in his task. This story can be applicable to the huge movements of nations to the everyday person going about their lives. Not only this, but this allows us to see Christ-like virtue applied to a number of different situations. This allows us to be better prepared if we too are in such a situation. So no, J.R.R. Tolkien’s magnum opus is not a clear allegory like Pilgrim’s Progress.
As for my own work, I prefer to be between Lewis and Tolkien. This is another world which the same God is over. He has not changed even if we are different, with elves, dwarves, and orcs as brothers to humanity. My heroes are Christ-like, just as we are meant to be Christ-like. There is not exactly an intended allegory in everything, but themes flow through the work. I could tell you about them, but I think it’s more fun if you try to figure things out for yourself.
I admit, I have pondered writing something which might be considered allegorical, but I wouldn’t call it that precisely. It is only that I and others need to be better familiarized with the love of Christ. If one sees that, then all the better, but I do not think it would be required to understand the story.
