Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy are four children that are sent to live in the country, far away from their home in London during the air-raids of World War 2. They are sent to live with an old Professor in his old, famous, house.
One thick, rainy day, the children are bored and decide to explore the Professor’s large, strange house. They travel from room to room, noting all the eccentricities they discover. They first discover the typical spare bedrooms, but soon they find other rooms that are less typical. One room is "a very long room full of pictures and there they find a suit of armor…” After that, they find a room “all hung with green, with a harp in one corner…” Then they find a “whole series of rooms that lead into each other and are lined with books…And shortly after that, they look into a room that is quite empty except for one big wardrobe…” They all search the room and conclude there is nothing else there, then leave. That is, all except Lucy.
Lucy approaches the wardrobe, opens it, and finds only mothballs and fur coats. She loves nothing more than the smell and the feel of fur. She climbs into the wardrobe, among the coats, and rubs her face against them. She continues deeper into the wardrobe, finding a second row of coats. She continues deeper into the wardrobe only to discover she never finds the back, but instead, a strange darkness. Surprised by a crunching under her feet, she kneels down to find that it isn’t wood she is touching but soft, powdery snow. She continues onward, realizing that the soft fur of the coats that once rubbed against her face and fingertips is no longer there, but is replaced by something hard and prickly like a tree branch. And then there is a light, then a moment later she finds herself standing in the snow-covered woods, at night. She is no longer in the countryside of merry old England. She is now in Narnia.
Lewis hooks you fast, right from the first chapter. There is no needless buildup as to who this Professor is that the children are staying with, or why they couldn’t have endured the air raids with their parents. It simply is and you are forced to accept the circumstances. Few writers have the confidence of Lewis to do that. To just start the story and feel no need to burden the reader with useless and utterly unnecessary facts that don’t actually drive the story forward.
The symbolism and character development are top tier. The famous Christian author is not afraid to make comparisons of his work and his characters to that of the Bible and the famous biblical personas. The book is thick with Christian symbolism.
As for the character development, Lewis puts on a showcase of how to quickly and easily (in only a couple of hundred pages or the length of the book) show character relationships in the initial stages of these relationships, followed by their development over time, showcasing a linear progression of growth. Moreover, Lewis skillfully delves into individual character flaws, exploring the circumstances and events that catalyze personal growth. Through his narrative, characters come to understand the importance of their growth not only to themselves but also to those around them.
My only complaint about this book would be that Lewis could have easily doubled the length of the book. At times, the story feels rushed to get to the next thing without first allowing the events of the present to breathe. Or maybe that’s just me being selfish, wanting more from this classic tale.
If you liked this book, check out our "The Book vs. The Movie" blog to see how it compares to the movie!
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