Mattias S. Højgaard 1t – Laust Kaarill 1t
Engelsk B
Analytical essay
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Introduction
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe “The Chronicles of Narnia” is a novel written by C. S. Lewis.
It was released on October 18th 1950. The plot of the book takes place in Narnia. It is a land frozen
in eternal winter. Four children enter a wardrobe leading them into Narnia, which is enslaved by
the power of the White Witch but Aslan, the Great Lion sacrifices himself for the greater good. The
Novel is a fantasy with the themes being childhood, supernatural powers and the main one being
good vs. evil.
The structure and messages of the novel
Starting at the technical literary points, the novel is written with an omniscient third-person
narrator, which gives the reader an ideal understanding of the different characters at all times
during the story. With this versatile point of view the author, C.S. Lewis, creates a great basis for
conveying a quite easily understandable message through the novel. The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe is a novel that touches on a few different themes and or messages, the main theme
arguably being childhood and family. The reader is introduced to the children of the story right
away and the entire novel then revolves around these children and their bond through thick and
thin to the end of the story. A substantial theme of the novel, apart from the fight between good
and evil, is betrayal. We as readers are first introduced to this theme when Edmund betrays his
siblings and joins the white witch in Narnia. With this theme of betrayal follows a secondary
theme of forgiveness. This theme shows when Edmund's siblings, together with Aslan the great
lion, choose to forgive Edmund and free him from his sins. These rather religious themes of
betrayal and forgiveness are backed by multiple christian symbols such as the “crucifixion” of
Aslan and the resurrection of Aslan as well.
The characters
In the novel we meet 4 children. They are Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy. They are siblings with
Peter being the oldest and Lucy the youngest. Lucy is the first one to discover til entrance into
Narnia. She therefore has a big part in the story because if she did not find it, they might not have
discovered it. Lucy is open and curious and has the ability to believe in fantastical things. This is for
example seen in chapter 1 "Lucy felt a little frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as
well"(page 7). It shows that she likes to explore and experience new things that she has never
seen before, compared to Susan “the mother” of the children. She is concerned and helpful as she
and her siblings travel through Narnia. She may not be the most adventurous but she is practical,
intelligent and kind. Edmund is a little mean, he has a tendency to get angry or be irritated quickly.
He Is the character who changes the most throughout the story. In the beginning he is very selfish,
Mattias S. Højgaard 1t – Laust Kaarill 1t
Engelsk B
but in the ending he has changed a lot. Peter is a little like Susan. In the beginning he is a little
frightened by Narnia, but throughout the story he learns what it means to be brave to protect the
ones you hold dear.
The White Witch is the main enemy in the story. She is very powerful, she has the ability to turn
people into stone. The Witch is merciless, cruel, power-hungry, and sadistic. She is the “Queen of
Narnia”, a title she has given herself. She controls the entire land. She enchants Narnia with
eternal winter.
Aslan, the Great Lion, repeatedly shows in the book why he is a leader. He comes in a time of need
as the character everyone puts their trust in. He is very righteous and forgiving when he forgives
Edmund. Aslan is symbolized as Jesus when he is resurrected (chapter 15). Aslan plays a big role in
the strategy against defeating the White Witch.
Settings and atmosphere
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe takes place in two different worlds, just like a lot of other
fantasy novels. This creates a story divided into two different “main settings”. The primary world
here being the real world where the four kids live at the old professors’ house. Meanwhile there is
a secondary world, that is reachable through a portal in an old wardrobe, this is the world of
Narnia. When categorizing the real world as the primary world and Narnia as the secondary world,
we base that on the fact that the children originate from the real world which makes it the
primary world even though the majority of the novel takes place in the world of Narnia. Narnia is
described as being filled with supernatural creatures, landscapes and objects, making for a very
classic fantasy setting. The characters of the novel also range from regular humans to mythical
creatures like the faun and even creatures who posses magic powers like the witch. This
combination of supernatural settings and creatures, creates a magical and fantastic atmosphere
for a novel like Narnia.
Conclusion
Narnia’s themes of childhood, supernatural powers and good vs. evil are repeatedly shown in the
book. The children and Aslan representing the good against the White Witch representing the evil
being opposite each other throughout the entire story, resulting in a happy ending which is very
typical for child-fantasy stories.