What Would Have Happened?

[narnian_at_heart]

I just started re-listening to the CoN audio dramas and noticed something I never noticed before.

In several of the books including Prince Caspian, The Horse and His Boy, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, a person will ask Aslan what would have happened if things had happened differently. And Aslan always has the same reponse, "No one is ever told what would have happened."

However, while listening to The Magicians Nephew, I noticed that Digory is told what would have happened. At the end of the book, Aslan tells Digory what would have happened had he stolen the fruit from the tree and taken it to his mother.

I found that interesting because in the other books he says "No one is ever told what would have happened." Yet, he does tell Digory.

What do you think of this? Was there a specific reason why Aslan told Digory and never told any of the others? Or do you think it was simply a Lewis oversight?

[DOECOG]

This could have been an oversight since Lewis did write MN later than most of the other books and he might not have thought of this, but the situation is also a bit different in this case.

My guess is Aslan told Digory what would have happened in this case because he was trying to reassure Digory that he did the right thing. This was before

SHOW SPOILER

Aslan had told Digory that he could have an apple to heal his mother so Digory was probably thinking that by not stealing an apple he had sentenced his mother to die.

Aslan didn’t want Digory doubting his decision.

I can’t recall many of the times when Aslan didn’t tell people what would have happened, but one that does come to mind is in VDT when Lucy uses the magician’s book to spy on her friend. She asks Aslan if she has ruined the friendship by her actions. He reminds her that no one is ever told what would have happened. I think he doesn’t tell her what would have happened because he doesn’t want her to dwell on her mistake. He wants her to move forward and focus on forgiving her friend. There is no reason for her to dwell on something she can’t change.