Presented by
Annie Williams and
Julio Angeles
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Name: Clive Staple Lewis
Born: November 29 1898 Died: November 22,1963
C.S. Lewis is most famous for The Chronicles of
Narnia, but has written other fiction, like The
Screwtape Letters and The Space Trilogy. He was a
close friend of J.R.R. Tolkien and both were leading
English figure at Oxford University.
Many writers have been inspired by Lewis, like
Daniel Handles (A Series of Unfortunate Events) and
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter)
Sadly, his death was not covered due to the
assassination of President Kennedy on the same day.
BO O K I N F O R M ATI ON
Publication Date: 1950
Author: Clive Staple Lewis
Publisher: Geoffrey Bless
Illustrator and Cover Artist: Pauline Baynes
Place of Origin: United Kingdom
Series: The Chronicles of Narnia (first book in the series)
Genre: Fantasy
Translated into: 41 languages
Although written and published first, it’s the second book
in the series’ internal chronological order, after The
Magician’s Nephew.
The Pevensies
THE MAIN
CHARACTERS
• Peter: is the oldest and acts as the leader of the siblings and
always looks after them. Peter is courageous, determined and
strong willed. Through the book, many view him and his
siblings as figureheads and symbols of hope.
•Susan: is the second oldest , she is understanding, caring
and tender hearted. Susan acts as the moral compass to the
group and helps protect her younger siblings together with
Peter.
•Edmund: the third oldest of the kids, he feels jealous of the
respect Peter has over his other siblings which leads him to
be tricked by the White Witch, and ends up causing a lot of
trouble and grief to his relatives. He is later pardoned and
welcomed back by his friends and siblings
•Lucy: the youngest of the kids, she is courageous, daring
and curious. She is the first to discover Narnia and interact
with Mr. Tumnus.
Professor Digory Kirke: he takes the Pevensie children under
his care when they are evacuated from London. He is the
only one who believes that Lucy has been to Narnia at first
and helps persuade Peter and Susan that Lucy is telling the
truth, and seems to know more about Narnia that he leads
on.
"Either your sister is mad, or
she's lying, or she's telling the
truth. She's not mad and you say
she never lies, so we must assume
she is telling the truth”
- Prof. Kirke to Susan and Peter
Mrs. Macready: housekeeper for Prof. Kirke
Mr. Tumnus: the faun, is the first creature that Lucy meets in
Narnia. He is shy at first but later befriends Lucy. Although
all the Narnians had been ordered to capture any Sons of
Adam or Daughters of Eve that they come in contact with
by the White Witch, Tumnus changes his mind and decides
to let Lucy go.
Mr. and Mrs. Beaver: they provide shelter for the children at
their home in Beaversdam, and inform them about Aslan
and the prophecy of four children that will end the rule of
the White witch. In this moment Edmund escapes to see the
Witch, leaving his brother and sisters behind.
Father Christmas: makes his appearance once the White
Witch’s magic is beginning to weaken and delivers gifts to
the Pevensies that help them through their journey.
Mr. Tumnus
Aslan: the lion, and the symbol of all that is good and right in
Narnia. Aslan is the true ruler of Narnia, and is one of the
central characters in the seven books. Despite his tender and
loving nature towards his friends and allies, he is “not a tamed
lion”, and he is both powerful and dangerous when the need
arises. On this book, Aslan protects, guides and gives advice to
the Pevensies, and makes the ultimate sacrifice for one of
them.
Aslan
The White Witch
Jadis, the White Witch: the self proclaimed queen and ruler of
Narnia and all of its inhabitants, she is arrogant and cruel and
rules the land with an iron grip. She has cast a spell on Narnia
that makes it “always winter but never Christmas”. Knowing
that if the prophecy about the Sons of Adam and Daughters of
Eve is fulfilled it would bring about her doom, she orders that
if any are found to be handed over to her. She uses Edmund’s
weaknesses to get him to betray his kin and side with her, as
well as gaining information about the children. Any who dare
oppose her are turned to stone.
• It’s the beginning of World War II in 1940 and the Pevensie children are evacuating London. They are taken in by
Professor Digory Kirke who lives in the country side.
• One rainy day, the kids decide to explore the house; Lucy, being curious about the wardrobe in an empty room that
she finds, decides to open it and ventures for the first time into Narnia and meets the faun, Mr. Tumnus. He invites
Lucy to his home for tea, and tells her all about Narnia and the White Witch.
•Lucy returns through the wardrobe, to find out that only a few seconds have gone by while she was in Narnia. She
tries to convince the others about Narnia but fails due to the wardrobe returning to normal. On another day, while
playing hide and seek, Edmund and Lucy decide to hide inside the wardrobe and find out that it leads to Narnia
again.
•Lucy disappears in the forest before Edmund could catch up with her, and encounters the White Witch, who
introduces herself as the Queen of Narnia, and offers some Turkish Delights to him . She promises to make
Edmund Prince, and eventually King if he could take the rest of his siblings to her castle, then departs. Edmund and
Lucy return home, and Lucy starts telling Susan and Peter about Narnia again, when asked by the older siblings
about this, Edmund denies it saying that they were only playing, which makes Lucy angry at his brother’s lies.
•Later on, the house gets some visitors and all the children decide to avoid them, so they decide to go into the
wardrobe to hide. All of them enter Narnia and Lucy decides to go to Mr. Tumnus’ cave, but upon arrival, find that
the place has been trashed by Maugrim of the secret police and Tumnus has been taken prisoner.
•While wondering what to do, they meet Mr. Beaver, who guides to his residence in Beaversdam, and with Mrs.
Beaver, explain to the children the prophecy that must be fulfilled in order to overthrow the Witch, mention that
Aslan, the great lion and true king of Narnia, is “on the move again.” While the Beavers talk, Edmund runs away
towards the Witch’s castle to inform her about his siblings and get rewarded, but is instead imprisoned and treated
harshly for not bringing them to her. She orders her minions and Maugrim to find them and bring the castle.
•After learning of Edmund’s betrayal, Mr. Beaver decides to go to Aslan’s camp, where all of the Narnians who
desire freedom from the Witch are mustering. While on the way there, they meet Father Christmas, who gives
them presents: The sword, Rhidon and a shield for Peter; a bow with a quiver full of arrows for Susan, and a
magical horn, which, when blown, brings forth aid; to Lucy he gives a small bottle with magical cordial that heals
any injury, along with a small dagger to defend herself.
•Edmund is brought forth towards the Stone Table, where he is to be killed by the Witch. But to his luck, he is
rescued by a party of Narnians and taken to Aslan’s camp. Maugrim in pursuit, arrives near the camp and finds a
surprised Susan and Lucy, and is later killed by Peter, for which he gains the title Sir Peter Wolfsbane. The White
Witch goes to the camp later on to demand that Edmund is hers, due to the ancient law (deep magic) that states
that all prisoners belong to her. Aslan has a plan, and negotiates with Jadis. The result is that Aslan would be
handed over to the Witch instead of Edmund. Peter is appointed General of Aslan’s army and is given control of
the faith of Narnia while in Aslan’s absence.
•Aslan, as promised, goes to the Stone table, where the White Witch awaits. Aslan is humiliated and bound,
beaten and his mane cut, all while Lucy and Susan, who had followed him in secrecy witness this. After the Witch
and her minions leave to confront Peter’s Army, they both go forth towards the table and begin to cry. They
decide to go back and help Peter, who by this time is fighting the Witch and her army, but are surprised when the
Stone Table cracks and Aslan is resurrected by Deeper Magic. They hurry towards the Witch’s castle, where they
free all the stone turned prisoners, among them Mr. Tumnus, and head towards the battlefield. They arrive just in
time to help Peter and save a mortally wounded Edmund, and Aslan slays Jadis, bringing her dark reign to an end.
•At the end, the children are crowned Kings and Queens of Narnia, and, 15 years later, return to their world were
they turned into children again. They find Ms. Macready still showing the visitors around, and tell the Professor
about their adventure. The professor doesn’t doubt them, and says that they will return to Narnia, but never
through the Wardrobe again.
The possibility of the impossible/faith: by having faith in the children, the Narnians
are able to recover their land and gain freedom from their suppressor; the children by
having faith in themselves and each other are able to overcome obstacles and mature
mentally.
Death/War: constantly present; the book opens with evacuation of the children from
London to the country side due to the constant threat of air raids and finishes with a
great battle- the children and Narnians against the White Witch and her minions.
Forgiveness/ Redemption: after the betrayal of one of their siblings, Aslan sacrifices
his life in exchange for Edmund’s absolution. Edmund, to redeem himself, fights the
With in the battle for Narnia and breaks her wand, greatly increasing the odds of victory
for his side. Later, Edmund is crowned King, and the time when he was a traitor to be
forgotten.
Coming of age: throughout the trials and obstacles that the children faced in Narnia,
they were able to understand what it was to take responsibility: not just for their own
actions and decisions, but to be responsible for other people as well.
Bravery/Courage: through the book, we see the Narnians and the kids become more
ascertain to stop Jadis and overthrow her dark rule. They stand for what they believe in
against unfavorable odds and emerge victorious.
C.S.Lewis became widely know for The Chronicles of Narnia, which secured his place
in children’s literature stardom. At the time this book was published, it was common
that children’s books to be realistic, while fantasy and fairy tales were only thought
appropriate for young kids. The book received various amounts of criticism for the
amount of violent and scary incidents and their influence on the young reader. More
criticism came in part due to the Christian symbolism that the book has: Aslan and his
resurrection at the Stone Table, the title of Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve
that the Pevensie children were referred as. Some Christian organizations even wanted
to ban the book due to it’s “paganism and occultism.”
Despite the negative comments, critics and reviewers agreed that it gave female
characters more important roles, like Lucy: without her Narnia wouldn't have been
found, displayed courage and determination beyond her age and saved many wounded
Narnians and a dying Edmund with the vial that Father Christmas gave her. The
publishers of the book feared that the negative criticism would affect the book and
affect Lewis’ career and future works. Bu, as more people came in contact with the
series, they began to appreciate them, and they, along with Lewis became widely know
and liked.
Due to its depiction of violence, war and death, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe would be
best used as follows:
Age Range: 8 and up
Grades: 6 and up
Older kids would be able to get a better meaning of the book an series, but it is advised that
younger readers read along with their parents due to some vivid and scary descriptions, for
instance, when Aslan is going to be sacrificed at the stone table, it would be frightful towards
younger children.