The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Title: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Author: C.S. Lewis

ISBN: 9780064409421

Publisher: HarperCollins

Copyright: 2000 (1950)

Genre: Fantasy

Age Range: 13 - 17

Reader’s Annotation: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie were sent to the countryside to avoid war but end up fighting an epic battle in Narnia.

Plot Summary: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie were sent to the countryside to live with professor Digory Kirke to avoind the Blitz of 1940. While exploring the house, Lucy Lucy climbs into a wardrobe and discovers that inside it is a magical forest in a land called Narnia. She comes to a lamppost where she meets a faun named Mr. Tumnus. He offers her tea and warmth at his home. After tea, he admits he was going to give her to the White Witch who rules Narnia in eternal winter. The White Witch has ordered any report and capture of the Sons of Adam or Daughters of Eve. Mr Tumnus disobeys the order finding humans more agreeable. He takes Lucy back to the post where she makes her way through the wardrobe. She notices that only seconds have gone by while she was away.

            None of the siblings believe her. During a game of hide and seek, Edmund goes through the wardrobe and into Narnia. He starts looking around for Lucy. A woman rides by in a sleigh and introduces herself as the Queen of Narnia. She is very interested in Edmund and questions him about his family. When she learns he has two sisters and a brother, she feeds him magical Turkish delight. The sweets are like a drug. The White Witch refuses to give him any more until he brings his siblings to her castle in Narnia. Edmund returns and realizes that he met the White Witch Lucy warned about. He does not tell anyone about his trip to Narnia and lies about its existence. Peter and Susan take the argument up with the Professor who takes Lucy’s side.

            Soon, all four find themselves in Narnia. They go to Tumnus' cave and find it torn apart. He was arrested for speaking with Lucy. They are spotted by Mr. Beaver who can talk and leads them to his house. The Beavers tell them of a prophecy that the White Witch's power will end when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve fill the four thrones at Cair Paravel. The Beavers tell them of the great lion and rightful king Aslan. Edmund sneaks out to the White Witch’s castle alone. He sees the gardens filled with Narnians she has turned to stone. He reports back to her about Aslan. She is furious that he is alone and worse About Aslan’s return. The Beavers leave their home to lead the children to Aslan. The Witch’s powers are weakened and the snow starts to melt. It is Christmas. Father Christmas appears and gives Lucy a dagger and healing flask, Susan a bow and arrows and a horn for calling help, and Peter a sword.

            They arrive at Aslan’s camp at the Stone Table. Peter kills a wolf-man who is trying to attack Susan. They chase a second wolf-man to the White Witch’s camp where they rescue Edmund. The White Witch goes to Alsan’s camp and demands that she is able to execute Edmund for treason according to the old rites of the land. Secretly, Aslan takes Edmunds place. He is tied down to the stone table and killed with a knife by the White Witch. Lucy and Susan discover Aslan’s body and weep over him as mice chew through the ropes. Peter and Edmund lead the Narnian army against the White Witch’s forces. Dawn breaks and so does the Stone Table and Aslan is restored to life. They rush off to join the last battle against the White Witch.   

Critical Evaluation: This work by C.S. Lewis came at a time where books for older children were supposed to be realistic. The time for fairytales and stories of magic were supposed to be for young readers. They were considered to be indulgent and possibly harmful as it might stunt the mature growth of a child in their teen years. Quite the opposite happened. Teen and adult readers were more encouraged to read about a magical land, In the United Kingdom, it became just as common to read the Narnia Series as it was to read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Some ideas like Fimbulwinter, or the great winter before Ragnarok the end time, are a direct influence from Norse mythology and can be attributed to his friendship with fellow scholar J.R.R. Tolkien. This work also mixes the folklore of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen with the overarching themes of Christianity. The ideal of sacrifice for the sins of others is considered a metaphor for Christ’s crucifixion. It is always good to have options in a collection that can be related to religion as there are some teens and parents that are searching out literature and reading material that they can relate to their faith.

Author Information: Born on November 29, 1898, in Belfast Ireland, C.S. Lewis went on to teach at Oxford University and became a renowned apologist writer, using logic and philosophy to support the tenets of his Christian faith. He is also known throughout the world as the author of The Chronicles of Narnia fantasy series, which have been adapted into various films for the big and small screens. Source - http://www.biography.com/people/cs-lewis-9380969#awesm=~oDIeMx9TagwqCM

Curriculum Ties: Mythology; Religion

Challenge Issues: Magic, Violence, Turkish Delight (Drugs)

Booktalk Ideas: Exploring New Worlds – One could start the talk by talking about all of the different places on the earth. One could then lead into the talking animals and fantastical things about Narnia.