Derek and Melissa’s Family

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

by Derek—2005.08.15 @ 1414

My Rating: 5 out of 5

I vaguely remember reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe a long time ago--with glimpses of the lone lamp post and a snow-filled forest from my memory--but I couldn't say authoritatively that I had. But with news of the coming movie adaptation, I thought now was as good a time as any.

It took me a chapter or two to really get into the story--the book is written specifically with a younger audience in mind so the structure, length, and language is geared for easy reading. I also had read a lot about C.S. Lewis and the Christian overtones throughout. With this background in mind, it was easy to pick out the allusions and I thoroughly enjoyed them. The book was fun and full of adventure.

I really liked how Lewis took the character Edmund and placed him as one of the antagonists. Lewis skillfully pitted brother against sister in a way that hit home to me. Ultimate betrayal. Ultimate sacrifice. Deceptions. Revenge. Unconditional love.

The ending, however, took a little while to settle in. Lewis has the four "Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve" living in Narnia for many years. He ages the children into adulthood and then, suddenly, they are back at the lamp post, chasing the white stag through the forest and find themselves walking through a wardrobe. When then emerge, they are the same age as when they first entered Narnia, as if no time had passed. Perhaps if I were younger, this simplistic ending would be satisfying, but for me, it was difficult. I'm probably not alone in wishing I could go back in time "knowing what I know now" and live things over again. For Edmund, Lucy, and the others, this was a reality. Their manners, speech, and demeanor had all changed and now they were back "home." What would that be like? Well, for Lewis, he conveniently lets them forget, as if it were a distant memory.

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