Aslan

CAIR PARAVEL (Shmoop News Network) - A new drug called Aslan is sweeping the nation, and literary experts believe that it could challenge the modern conception of self. Better known by its street name Mexican A, Aslan is a pill that "exerts a remarkable blocking effect on 'deep' and 'morbid' shame" (4.774). In other words, it enables its takers to experience a different relationship with the world.

According to our experts, the drug is named after Aslan, a mystical lion from The Chronicles of Narnia. The character is widely seen as an allegory for Christ: He created the world, died and was resurrected, and protects the land's innocents. He is—quite literally—a textbook example of deus ex machina.

That being said, experts are still debating the science behind this rapidly-growing drug.

"The real question, where Aslan is concerned, is how the drug relates to the concept of 'self,'" says Professor S. Shmooperton, III. "Does removing shame from the equation reveal the true self that was always on the inside? Or is shame an important part of that person's identity in the first place? We still can't answer these questions for sure."

One case that brings these issues to light is the ordeal of the disgraced college professor Chip Lambert. Mr. Lambert was fired after having an inappropriate relationship with a student: Numerous sources attest that Mr. Lambert was under the influence of Mexican A during the ordeal.

Those same sources claim that the drug revealed Mr. Lambert's true feelings about women. He treated Melissa like a "piece of meat" (2.355), which predicted his eventual admission that he is excited by "the idea of marriage as a property right" (2.637).

We attempted to contact Mr. Lambert for comment but have been unable to locate him. Sources say that he is currently residing in Lithuania, though we find that highly unlikely.