Growth in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

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Growth and expansion are essential for the physical and spiritual well-being for all. Both humans and animals need to experience growth throughout a life time in order to have a fulfilled and complete life. Growth and expansion comes from overcoming difficulties, learning from mistakes, exploring, and change. In the novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S Lewis demonstrates theses attributes and presents the importance and effect growth and expansion possesses. The growth from the children in the novel comes to be most important to the physical and spiritual well-being of Narnia, its occupants, and even themselves. Edmund grows from learning from his mistakes, Peter grows from the difficult situations he overcomes, and arguable the most important growth was the expansion of the children’s habitat by Lucy finding Narnia through the wardrobe. Not only the growth and expansion by the children supported the well-being of everything but its inhabitants such as Aslan, Mr. Tumnus, and Father Christmas also played a role with growth and expansion that helped. All the growth and expansion experienced in this novel are substantial to keeping Narnia, its inhabitants, and the children balanced and in a sound physical and spiritual state.

        The growth and expansion experienced by the children in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are a key element for the physical and spiritual well-being of Narnia, its inhabitants, and themselves. Edmund is the second youngest of all the children and is as mean and spiteful as a young boy can be at the beginning of the novel. The transformation of Edmund going from a self-centered traitor to being brave and honest is important because his destruction of the White Witches wand was key to her demise ‘“It was all Edmunds doing, Aslan” Peter was saying. “We’d been beaten if it hadn’t been for him” ‘(178). The seduction by the White Witches magical box of Turkish delight and promises of being a prince blind Edmund into being a traitor to his family “The moment that Edmund tells her that we’re all here she’ll set out to catch us this very night”(Lewis 87). After Edmund attempts to bring his brother and sisters to the White Witch he begins to witness how cruel she is when he is treated like a slave rather than a prince. Edmund tries to rationalize the witches behaviour but it is when the White Witch petrifies a group of innocent forest animals when Edmund start to change for the good. This growth in Edmund is complete after Aslan saves him from the White Witch and gives him a speech. Peter’s growth from a boy being irresponsible and not a leader, to being a responsible man whose a courageous leader always taking command is apparent through the novel. Peter’s immaturity at the beginning is evident when he is unknowing how to handle his siblings with unnecessary yelling at Edmund when he could have easily been mature and talked it out. Peter’s growth becomes apparent after he takes responsibility for his actions for yelling at Edmund “That was partly my fault, Aslan. I was angry with him and I think that helped him to go wrong” (128). Peter’s growth continues when Aslan could have easily saved his siblings from a wolf but yet Aslan allows Peter to be the one who comes to their rescue. Peter’s growth is complete from a boy to a man after the last battle against the White Witch when he commands his army to victory “It was strange to her to see Peter looking as he looked now- his face was so pale and stern and he seemed so much older” (178). The changes Peter underwent helped defeat the White Witch protecting the well-being of Narnia and everything in it. The youngest child Lucy found Narnia through a wardrobe and even though no one believed her she was driven to prove to the rest she was not lying. The growth by Lucy is the most important due to how if she didn’t find Narnia the children would have not arrived there to save it.  “it’s a magic wardrobe. There’s a wood inside it, and it’s snowing, and there’s a Faun and a Witch an it’s called Narnia” (25). The growth and expansion by the children end up being most important to the well-being of Narnia and everything in it since it was them who helped overthrow the evil witch.

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        The growth and expansion in this novel didn’t all come from the children. But rather there was growth experienced by the inhabitants of Narnia that also played a role in the well-being of Narnia and everything in it. Mr. Tumnus had orders to catch all humans and turn them into the White Witch. This was his intent with Lucy but once he got to know her he couldn’t go through with it “I had orders from the White Witch that if ever I saw a son of Adam or a daughter of Eve in the wood, I was to catch ...

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