Character Growth

At the beginning of the novel Digory was very impulsive and only thought of what he wanted, as many children do. This is especially seen when him and Polly are in the world Charn. This is world where they rang the bell to revive Jadis. After Polly told Digory it wasn't safe to ring the bell he hurt Polly so that he could get to the bell to hit it. The writing on the bell as well warned against ringing it. But as a child he didn't consider the consequences of his actions.

Later in the book when he is sent to go retrieve the fruit he find Jadis at the tree. Jadis tempts Digory to eat the fruit. This is where you start to see some growth in his personality. He takes responsibility for what he is supposed to be doing. He considered the consequences of eating the fruit. After determining the pay off would be better to not eat the fruit he gave it to Aslan as he was told. This was big for Digory because he is just so young. It was a big step in growing up and doing what you know you have to do even if you don't want to.

The Creation's Innoocence

My other favorite part the of the creation scene is the creatures that Aslan made. I really like them because of their innocence. I think their innocence can be compared to Adam and Eve when they were created. They were both like children in many ways. Adam and Eve were cool chilling around in the nude and Aslan's creatures weren't even sure what making a joke was supposed to be like or what laughing was. There was this genuine and pure personality that has been so untainted by the world. Even when they saw an evil person they just felt bad for him instead of taking a dislike to him or looking down upon him like most adults would.

I really enjoyed  reading that small chapter just because it was refreshing. It was just kind of blissful. I'm not one for horror or really grotesque things. Especially since many books now can be very perverse or just a little weird. It was a nice little break from the average setting that I usually find in books.

The Power of Temptation

I wanted to talk about sin because when you think of the creation of Adam and Eve often what will follow is the serpent. In the garden of Eden the Lord told the couple to enjoy the whole garden except for the tree of knowledge. The serpent in the end was successful and tempted Eve to eat the fruit.

Many times in this novel temptation for sin was there. The scene that mirrors the biblical story the most is when Jadis told the young boy to eat the fruit saying that he would be as smart as she was, have eternal life, and be able to heal his mother. Where this story differs is when Digory decides to not eat the fruit.

I feel as though after the characters experienced the creation it made it easier to trust and obey Aslan. After seeing him create something so beautiful they trusted him more, especially Digory. When Aslan ordered him to travel far across the mountains for an apple that he was to bring back to him, Digory neither ate it or took it to his mother. Although Digory knew the apple had power and even after the witch, Jadis, tempted him, he refused to do something he knew was wrong. He mentioned that he trusted Aslan and his wishes.  Because of this Digory was rewarded and he was able to heal his mother's sickness.

I think Lewis wanted to particularly show this relationship between the boy and Aslan because it showed that even though you might not understand what's going on or why you are asked to do things that Aslan, or God, knows what's going on. By doing what he asks you are showing that you trust him and when that happens you are rewarded. As Lewis wanted to teach bible lessons to his children this would probably be one of the messages he wanted to highlight.

Summary

This is a short summary of the book just to understand and get a feel for the background of the story.

Digory and Polly two young children that are tricked by Digory's uncle to wear these magical rings. The rings allow you to jump to different worlds.

The first important world they entered had a bell that said ring me and suffer or regret not ever knowing. Digory couldn't help himself and he rang the bell. This is when Jadis, the witch, unfroze and was awakened.

When trying to get away from Jadis they all landed in another world that was empty. This is the world where Aslan appeared. At this time he sang his song and created Narnia. Digory, realizing that Aslan was an important and powerful being he went up to him and asked him how to heal his mother. Aslan then told him to go fetch a fruit from a tree far away.

Once Digory arrived at the tree Jadis had already eaten one of the fruits which made her very powerful. Digory escaped the witch with a fruit and returned it to Aslan. After planting the fruit the tree grew and from the food the tree produced Digory was able to heal his mother.

C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis is an incredible author. I have read many of his books and all the ones I haven't read are patiently sitting on my book shelf waiting to receive some love. I picked to do Magician's Nephew out of the Narnia series because I enjoy the setting and storyline the most.

As I started reading up about C.S. Lewis I learned a lot about his childhood. Many of his experiences are mirrored in this novel such as having a sick mother and being forced to live in someone's house that is not your own. In the beginning of the book the young girl, Polly, find the the young boy crying. I found this to be rather sad since I knew that Digory really reflected C.S. Lewis and it made me realize that this was a critical moment in his life. C.S. Lewis himself must have had a lot of heart-ache in his childhood. I can only imagine being 7 and wondering why mom is always sick in bed and why he is living in a strange home. But these hardships definitely did not hinder his writing talent.

Creation

The creation of Narnia in this novel presents a unique setting for the characters. The creation was described as Aslan sweetly singing and from his song plants bloomed, colour appeared, and beasts from the ground were made. This imagery enhanced the story and made it simpler to picture and understand for younger readers, which is what Lewis intended. After the creation of the land Aslan mimicked some events that happened in the bible. He created the beasts from the ground. As well, he made his own Adam and Eve by declaring that the cabby and his wife from the young boy's world shall be the King and Queen of this new land, Narnia.

He played out the creation of the Earth as something so jolly and happy that the characters in the book couldn't even understand. They said they couldn't described their feelings of joy and it was unlike anything they have ever witnessed.

I personally loved how Lewis did this. It is by far my favourite chapter in any of the Narnia books. The vocabulary he used was rich and it made your imagination go wild. I read it over a few times just so I could imagine it in the depth and colour that he meant it to be viewed in. It allows you to grasp and make this very well-known part of the bible almost tangible. Lewis truely brought what the creation of the world looks like to life.

Literary/ Critical Essays

Title:Animal carnivals: a Bakhtinian reading of C. S. Lewis's The Magician's Nephew and P. L. Travers's Mary Poppin
Author: Catherine L. Elrick
Website: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-SORT&inPS=true&prodId=AONE&userGroupName=ko_pl_portal&tabID=T002&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=6&contentSet=GALE%7CA97074158&&docId=GALE|A97074158&docType=GALE&role=
Summary:   
In the Magician's Nephew as well as Mary Poppins the author gives the underrated and opressed class of people a "powerful central figure".  This carnivalesque type scene is present in both of these novels in which the animals are able to speak or interact as a human would. This is so the humans, which are normally viewed as the very top of the food chain, to take notice to what's below it. In this case, it's the animals which in our society we do not view on the same level as ourselves. We see them as pets and food instead of a complex thinking and feeling being.   By giving this class of beings that appear lower on the food chain a powerful figure that can stand up for them they are recieving our awknoledgement. In the book The Magician's Nephew Jadis implies that she wishes she could shoot the animals if she had a gun. But the Cabby, who later became the first king of Narnia, stood up for the animals. He asked the queen how she could stand to shoot the creatures. This is just an example of the many ways the power of a lower class manifests itself in The Magician's Nephew and very similarly in Mary Poppins.     Title: Christianity in Narnia
Author: Dominique Wilson
Website: http://ojs-prod.library.usyd.edu.au/index.php/SSR/article/view/132/152
Summary: The Chronicles of Narnia series is brimming with chrsitian reference and underlying morals. From the creation of Narnia, just like in Genesis when God created the Earth, to the last battle which can be compared to the last book in the bible revelation. This series introduces readers, in particular children, to the christian faith and what it means to have a relationship with God.   Aslan, the lion in Narnia, serves as their God figure while Jadis, the witch, is comparable to Lucifer.  The story is the constant battle to do what's morally right. The book with the the most distinct and recognizable scene is the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in which the crucifixion of Aslan takes place. This is referencing to the gospels in the bible where the sinless Jesus is crucified so that his people can be forgiven for their sins. This is a good example of why the books can make the bible easier to understand and make the story feel more real. "In reading the real story, the fatal knowledge that one ought to feel in a certain way often inhibits the feelings." (Peter Kreeft, CS Lewis, A Critical Essay. 1998) This is important because this was the purpose of the book series. To present the christian faith and stories in a new light. One that can be easy for more people to understand and experience.