Analysis Of 'The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe'

“I am almost inclined to set it up as a canon that a children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story.” C.S. Lewis ' quote brings about some interesting question. What makes a classic? How can we test fantasy literature to see if it is, or can be a classic for all ages? Two important factors to consider in these questions are how good and evil are depicted and explained to the audience. Is the villain evil for evils sake? Or does the villain believe he is in the right under bad circumstances? We must also consider how the author uses narrative voice to tell their story to the audience. Does the author talk down to the readers? Or do they keep their voice light and playful? Looking at the course readings from the

Lewis shows us that evil can appear good to some, such as Edmund 's first impression of the White Witch. What Lewis also shows us is that even when you make bad decisions what can make others consider you as “evil” you can always be redeemed, like when Aslan forgives Edmund for his mistakes and betrayal, and taking Edmund 's place by letting the White Witch kill him on the Stone Table. Lewis also uses his narrative voice to lead children to a moral lesson with his hidden biblical messages within the story, (Aslan sacrificing himself for Edmund 's sins and rising from the dead again sounds awfully similar to a certain bible story about that one Jesus guy). Because of Lewis ' leading to lessons in a gentle way over a condescending point and jab at the reader, as well as a an almost perfect balance of complex and easily understood villain and saviors makes this a truly enjoyable story for both younger and older

Rowling helps us truly connect with not just the main character, but many of the secondary characters as well. She takes our simple ideas of good and evil and makes us reexamine our choices by throwing stereotypes out the window. While Voldemort, in this story, is a purely evil for evils sake character, that only truly appears within one chapter of the book, his presence is always felt by Harry and the audience. Over the course of the story, we are constantly waiting for Professor Snape to prove himself to be a dastardly villain that he appears to be (due to his harsh treatment of Harry and his general creepy appearance). However we are thrown off kilter when we discover that not only was the unthreatening Quirrell is our mysterious villain, but that Snape was slyly helping Harry throughout the entire story. Like C.S. Lewis, Rowling doesn 't condescend her audience within the story and gently leads the reader into the direction of her stories messages and morals. The downside to her narrative, however, is that she created so many new words that it can leave both a younger and an older readers head spinning. This one detail prevents this modern classic from being enjoyed by