Eustace (Edmond and Lucy's cousin) has turned himself into a dragon by his greed. Him being a dragon helps him to see how arrogant and unfriendly he has been to everyone. Eventually he meets Aslan, and is told he must "undress"(Rid himself of the dragon skin) so he can become clean. At first, he can scratch the skin off, like a snake shedding, but he keeps looking like a dragon underneath. Eventually, Eustace realizes that he cannot rid himself of the dragon without the help of Aslan. He allows Aslan to use his lion claws and he cuts very deep--to the very heart of the dragon, and off comes the thickest, scaliest, and roughest skin yet. Underneath, Eustace is a boy again. It makes me think about how our sins, mistakes, and weaknesses sometimes turn us into "dragons". These times help us to become better, learn to love and empathize with others, and to realize that there are consequences to our actions. Hopefully we learn from these times. However, try as we might, we ourselves cannot get rid of the "dragon skin". We need God's help to do so. As He helps us to change, we experience pain. God may slice us to the very heart, but we will become who He wants us to be. We must let Him change us. We must take the pain to overcome our dragonish tendancies.
On another note, but still on the topic of C.S. Lewis, I found this quote that I think is amazing: "A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell." I met many Atheists on my mission who tried, in effect, to diminish God. It seemed like a foolish and insurmountable task to me at the time. I know Heavenly Father is real. I'm grateful for inspired people like C.S. Lewis who can help me more fully understand Him.
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