The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Appreciation

   In 1950, C.S. Lewis created: four children, a magical wardrobe that leads to a magical land, and a humongous house owned by a mysterious man; better known as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

        "It was the sort of house that you
        never came to the end of, and it
        was full of unexpected places." p.6

   The Professor's house is truly mysterious. There are so many rooms that aren't used, and so many unusual objects. The most unusual- the wardrobe itself.

   Four siblings, Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter are sent to live in the house of the mysterious Professor. In that house they find a wardrobe. The wardrobe leads the children to the land of Narnia. With the company of two beavers and the powerful lion king Aslan, they embark on a quest to defeat the evil White Witch who has taken over Narnia.
   The children are successful and become kings and queens of Narnia. They rule Narnia for many years, but in the end they return to the human world.

   In Narnia their are many mysteries. They are what hook the reader. The reader has no choice but to read on to figure out the source of them. For example, when Tummus started crying when Lucy tried to go home, I wanted to know what had happened. I made a note asking whether Lucy had opened up an old wound. As I continued to read, I found out that Tummus was allied with the White Witch. Throughout the story, many other mysteries occur. Edmund is one of the biggest of them all. He can't quite choose a side. One minute he is trying to defend the White Witch, and the next is spent fighting with her. Another mystery is the house of the Professor. It is humongous, and contains the wardrobe.

   Narnia itself is a mystery. It is a land full of magic ruled by a lion. Sometimes Aslan can't overpower the Witch, but sometimes the White Witch is an easily-gotten-rid-of annoyance. The mystery is why this happens. It could be the mystery of the Professor's house leaking into Narnia; or it could be the magic of Narnia leaking into Professor's house. Either way the connection of the two cannot be described in more depth than a mystery.

   Throughout my life I have worshiped the responsibility of Susan, the bravery of Peter, the determination of Lucy, and the important lessons that Edmund learns along with the Witches true colors. The children are my friends, and every time I reread The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe our friendship strengthens.

   The mystery of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has made each experience reading it fresh and unique because there is always a new mysterious adventure through Narnia just beyond the front cover. The book itself is quite a mystery.

Entry #7: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe- Reaserch on C.S. Lewis

   To start this essay, I Googled "C.S. Lewis". Tons of websites and blogs about him popped up. I clicked on one and read the top paragraph. It was about how great C.S. Lewis was. It was the same for all of the next few websites. I got interested in what they had to say. I have loved The Chronicles of Narnia all my life, but had no idea how much people had actually appreciated it's author. I got this quote from this website.

For more than fifty years, the world C. S. Lewis created in Narnia has captured our hearts and imaginations. Both children and adults have discovered that rereading the books leads to entirely new experiences and insights. In the midst of these breathtaking stories of adventure, betrayal, and discovery in a magical land are profound messages about the true meaning of life.

   I thought that this quote is a good summary of why I re-read and re-read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe again and again.
   On some other websites, I found lists of essays by C.S. Lewis. I decided to read the essay The Necessity of Chivalry. I was amazed at the ideas that C.S. Lewis wrote about. He wrote about the different form of chivalry: giving a woman a seat on a train, or fighting in the army. I looked up the dictionary definition of chivalry on the Merriam-Webster online dictionary and came up with a gallant or distinguished gentlemen.
   After reading The Necessity of Chivalry, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I can see a connection between the two. C.S. Lewis shows chivalrous characters in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Some examples are The Professor and Aslan. Both are wise and brave. By choosing such wise characters to be chivalrous was a way of saying that great people and creatures are chivalrous; so chivalry is good.
   For my final segment, I read C.S. Lewis's Obituary. I defiantly agree with the author when he said:

"Clive Staples Lewis had a natural literary gift."

   His stories ans essays have made an amazing impact on many people's lives. Although his most famous books are fantasy, they capture real life. The characters are real people that are almost friends to me. I will never forget the first time I truly read The Chronicles of Narnia. I remember walking through the wardrobe myself.

Entry #6: A Note in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

    In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I noticed that Edmund has a theme of betrayal. First he betrays Tummus by telling The White Witch about him helping Lucy, then he betrayed Lucy by telling Susan and Peter that Narnia was just a game, and thirdly he betrayed his family and Aslan by slipping off to the Witch.
   I did not noticed this when I was younger, but something is up with Edmund. He is young and innocent to most people, but to me he was a little shady from the beginning. He never paused before putting someone down. That is partly what lead him to the unforgiving White Witch.
   Even though Edmund talked to Aslan, that doesnt mean that he won't break his word. Aslan has a power over most creatures, but Edmund's connection to The White Witch might have affected that power.
   Although Edmund isnt a very likeable character, and has made mistakes that have threatened people's lives, he made a big impact on the fate of Narnia. If he hadn't told The Witch about Aslan being in Narnia, or about Tummus sparing Lucy, the story would have a different ending. All of the Narnians would go on with their lives in winter with no Christmas. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, would go on with their lives with The Professor.
   This shows that characters can be heros for a mistake that they made. Edmund made the mistake of betrayal. Because of his betayal, Narnia was emancipated from The White Witch's power of winter.
   In real life, this shows that people should be forgiven for their mistakes. Forgiving people could make an important change in both of your lives. It might not be as important as saving a world, but it wouldn't be worth missing out on it to hold a useless grudge.