What's the problem with Susan Pevensie? (contains Narnia and HP spoilers; be warned)

So there are numerous blogs, articles, and message boards regarding "The Problem of Susan," not to mention a very interested (R-rated!) short story with that very title, by Neil Gaiman, that you can read here: http://www.impalapublications.com/blog/index.php?/archives/2396-The-Problem-of-Susan,-by-Neil-Gaiman.html (which, I have to tell you I haven't checked out the anthology to see if this is the entire story, because it's QUITE short).

The problem of Susan is that Lewis "kills her off," or rather, he doesn't. Rowling has the same problem in HP when beloved characters are killed off systematically, because, hello, there's a huge war of good versus evil that climaxes in Book 4 after 20-some years. If people from the good side, or even innocent bystanders, didn't become casualties, it wouldn't be a very realistic good vs. evil saga, now would it (because you know, wizardry, dragons, unicorns, mail delivered by owls, and a magic boarding school are all so realistic, she says, with her tongue in her cheek). Some of us heartless types were sad when Sirius, Dumbledore, Hedwig, Dobby, Fred and Colin went away, but we were secretly relieved the trio and Ginny survived so after all that teenage angst they could finally (get married and) have mad monkey sex, which was heavily alluded to since the beginning (and yes, I was a huge Harry/Ginny shipper since Book 1 and Ron/Hermione maybe Book 2, but this post is not to be about arguing ships) and Rowling herself said "What's life without a little romance?" after someone asked, between books 5 and 6, if Harry would have any more, after the disastrous relationship that was Cho Chang.

Lewis, on the other hand, leaves Susan on earth while her parents go to earth's heaven and Prof. Kirke, Aunt Polly, her brothers, sister, cousin, and cousin's schoolmate all go to Narnia's heaven, leaving some to believe she was not allowed to come because, as Jill (?) says, she's "interested in nothing more than lipstick and nylons and invitations these days." Rowling, whom I admire greatly, said she had a huge problem with Lewis doing this to Susan, that he wrote it that Susan had become irreligious because she had discovered sex.

Having been years since I had read some of Lewis's great non-fiction works, I thought "Yeah, what the heck WAS that about." I myself had issues with it because I've always been one who enjoys fashion and makeup, and there was a group of people at Cedarville that I really enjoyed conversing with (the Inklings of Cedarville in the mid-90's, if you were) that also disdained such things. I have some serious issues with that: because I enjoy beauty, that means I'm not intelligent? I don't think so... see, these people (both men and women, btw) were missing the bigger picture: we all have our frivolities. I mean, technically, writing songs, or drinking coffee, or smoking cigarettes, aren't exactly practical, intelligent things to do, are they? So enjoy your frivolities and let me enjoy mine. We can still read the same lit and discuss religion and philosophy. So when I reread that about Susan during/ after (?) college, I was like "Not Lewis, too! Maybe these dumbasses got their ideas from him!"

But let's see: the Pevensies have beautiful clothes and ride glorious horses (LWW), Caspian and Ramandu's (sp?) daughter get hitched and have at least Rilian, if not more kids (VDT). Ramandu's daughter's beauty and dress are discussed at length. Susan is pondering marriage (HHB) and is admired in all the lands for her beauty (VDT and HHB). Aravis and Cor/Shasta get married and have a kid (HHB). Helen and Frank become the first Queen and King of Narnia, and when Aslan transforms them they are wearing royal clothing, and then their descendants rule Narnia and Archenland.

So sex and romantic love are not necessarily the issue, nor is clothing. Of course, there is Peter's comment that his sister Susan is no longer a friend of Narnia. And Eustace (?) says she thinks of Narnia as a game they all played as children. Aha! So Susan no longer believes, and if you look at what Lewis says later in an interview or letter (I don't remember which) something to the effect that she has her entire life to repent and then make it to Narnia. He states very clearly that she did NOT die with the others.

To Neil Gaiman, this doesn't seem to be enough. I'm not sure that it is to me, either. Doesn't Lewis himself say through Aslan "Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia"? It is actually Peter who condemns Susan "out of Narnia," and if I remember correctly, this is before any of them realize they're dead. Aslan never says anything about Susan. So I actually hope that what Lewis meant to say was not that Susan needed to repent, but rather, to remember, and believe again.

What do you think?