The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (By Steph)

Title: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia #1)

Author: C.S. Lewis

Year of Publication: 1950

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Synopsis: Four English schoolchildren find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist its ruler, the golden lion Aslan, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.

STEPH SAID

Rating:



Review:

After reading The Magician’s Nephew, I lowered my expectations for this book. The first book from The Chronicles of Narnia (in a chronological order) was good but wasn’t all that I expected, and I didn’t want to be disappointed again. “Then again, this is the book that started it all, the one people remember, so this one ought to be good.” I thought.

Keeping in mind is a children’s book I have to say it is a really good book. Not perfect, but really good. I’ll start with the positive.

I loved the world of Narnia, its talking animals and mystical creatures, the good and the bad ones alike. It truly is an enchanting place, where magic exists and anything can happen. It is place where time passes in a different rhythm at a different time; nobody knows how time passes in Narnia. I can honestly understand why it has become part of the literature canon.

One of this book’s strongest points is its ability to intrigue the reader. For example, at the beginning of the story, when Lucy visits Narnia, there is a street lamp in the middle of a forest. Since I had already read The Magician’s Nephew I knew why it was there, but to a person that reads the series’ books in the publication order, this will be intriguing. Why is it there? How did it got there? People will continue to read the book to find the answers to these questions. Another example is how, after Lucy is back from her first trip to Narnia, the reader can’t be sure if Narnia is real, or just part of Lucy’s imagination. Even to this moment I ask myself if Narnia is actually real.

The professor is a great part of the story, how he instantly believes Narnia is real to the bewilderment of Peter and Susan. Of course, the professor had been to Narnia before, but the kids didn’t know that.

As a neutral point I’m going to present the Christ allegory. Within itself there are positive and negative points, thus I decided to not put it in either category. Aslan’s generosity and love for the Pevensies were a high point in this allegory. I loved the way he forgave Edmund and asked the others to do so. On the other hand, it being a Christ allegory I knew Aslan would resurrect when killed by the White Witch, hence taking the suspense, sorrows and confusion out of this part of the story.

On the negative side, one of the things I disliked the most about this story was when Aslan asked Lucy and Susan to accompany him to his death. I know he was sad and the girls were following him, but he should’ve told them to stay behind. He didn’t let them go all the way to where he was going to die; still, the girls saw everything. That must have been a traumatizing event. I didn’t like that Lewis had little girls witnessing it.

Also, I disliked that Lewis didn’t gave a background story. The Pevensie children learned about Aslan and the White Witch from Mr. Tumnus and the Beavers, and are told that Aslan’s side is the right one. However, why would the children believe them? The Pevensies just took the Beavers’ word for granted without being sure they were in the right side. What if the Beavers were telling lies and Queen Jadis was the actual ruler of Narnia? How would they have known? That’s why I don’t see Edmund as a traitor.

At first, Edmund didn’t know what was going on; he entered a new world and meet a woman with a crown, servants and a sense of belonging (she was white and icy, just like Narnia's landscape). Jadis was nice to him and he believed her. Why would he think she was lying? Also Jadis told him that all fauns lied, so when Lucy told Edmund that every faun knew how bad the White Witch was, why would he believe her? It's the typical he said/she said. Even if Edmund believed Lucy, he was already enchanted by the White Witch. Later, when he understood what was going on, he wanted to get away but he couldn’t. Don’t get me wrong I know he was a mean and proud boy, which led him to fall for the Witch’s appealing propositio,. but, if he had known the whole story of Narnia, Aslan and the White Witch, maybe he would’ve chosen Aslan’s side.

Also, Edmund was treated poorly by his siblings, probably the reason he was mean. Peter acted like the father figure; Susan was the mother figure; Lucy was the youngest, therefore was protected by Peter and Susan. Thus, leaving Edmund hanging and feeling resentment. Besides, the book presents Edmund as mean and arrogant, but Peter is the same. Peter is older and acts like he is in charge, still he can't take care of a simple situation. He insults Edmund and don't support Lucy, in other words just made things worse:

"Look here," said Peter, turning on him savagely, "shut up! You've been perfectly beastly to Lu ever since she started this nonsense about the wardrobe, and now you go playing games with her about it and setting her off again. I believe you did it simply out of spite."

"But it's all nonsense," said Edmund, very taken aback.

"Of course it's all nonsense," said Peter, "that's just the point. Lu was perfectly all right when we left home, but since we've been down here she seems to be either going queer in the head or else turning into a most frightful liar. But whichever it is, what good do you think you'll do by jeering and nagging at her one day and encouraging her the next?"

Overall, the book’s good aspects outweigh the bad ones. It is in fact a grand book; a book that deserves the praise it receives. It is a book that will live on as a classic, admired by both young and old.