‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis is a book about four children who are sent away from their home due to danger, and who find themselves in a magical world. The Pevensie children are named Lucy, Edmund, Peter, and Susan. These children are sent away from their hometown of London because of the bombings. They are sent to a professor's house, in which Lucy discovers a faraway country named Narnia. The Queen is feared by many and is also a witch with magical powers. But the Pevensie children form an alliance with Aslan, the King of the Jungle, and he is also a lion. They form an alliance to defeat the White Witch and make sure she doesn’t kill all humans. The novel ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ exhibits the theme of good versus evil because the White Witch enchants Edmund, Aslan sacrifices himself for Edmund, and lastly, the White Witch declares war on all humans.
Firstly, the book represents the theme of good vs evil when the White Witch enchants Edmund. This is an example of evil. In this situation, the Witch tricks Edmund into eating some Turkish delight that is enchanted. This enchantment makes Edmund never want to stop eating it, and would make the consumer want to eat it no matter what. This made Edmund betray his family against his will. Because of this enchantment, Edmund does some things that he would never do, such as betraying his siblings. The Turkish delight started playing with his head. For example, he thinks to himself: “All these people who say nasty things about her are her enemies and probably half of it isn't true. She was jolly nice to me, anyway, much nicer than they are. I expect she is the rightful Queen really. Anyway, she'll be better than that awful Aslan!” (Lewis, p.39). Therefore, when the Witch enchants Edmund, it is an example of evil.
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Secondly, Aslan sacrifices himself so Edmund could live. This is a very large example of good. In this situation, Aslan cuts a deal with the Witch that she could kill him if she spares Edmunds’s life. This shows that Aslan is very brave and good at heart. The fact that Edmund betrayed them before this emphasizes that Aslan is a very good king. But of course, he does this knowing that there is Deeper Magic, which brought him back from the dead. Despite this, Aslan sacrificing himself and then coming back was a big part of the story because it was a major blow to the Witch’s confidence and it showed us that Aslan is truly a wonderful being. When Lucy asks Aslan after he comes back to life a question about what Deeper Magic is, he responds: “It means that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards” (Lewis, p.69). This shows us that Aslan is a very intelligent king, but even though he knew this, he also knew there was still a risk, and stood up to it for Edmund. All in all, Aslan’s sacrifice for Edmund was life-threatening but well-planned.
Lastly, the White Witch declares war on all humans. This is an example of evil. This is evil for many reasons. One is why she declared war on humans. She does it for her own selfish needs. She declares war because of some prophecy that says that “down at Cair Paravel there are four thrones and it's a saying in Narnia time out of mind that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit in those four thrones, then it will be the end not only of the White Witch's reign but of her life” (Lewis, p.36). For herself, she is prepared to kill millions. This is also evil because murder is always going to be bad. In conclusion, because the Witch declares war on humans, and she is prepared to murder millions, she is purely evil.
The theme of good versus evil is very evident in the book ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’. This is because the Witch enchants Edmund, because Aslan sacrifices his own life for a traitor, and because the Witch declares war for her own selfish needs. As previously mentioned, the Witch enchants Edmund so he craves Turkish delight constantly. Aslan gives up his life so Edmund can stay alive. Finally, the Witch declares war against humans for her own selfish needs. ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis, tells us readers about the theme of good versus evil, which is mainly represented in the book in many places and many situations.
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