The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Slowly, Edmund falls further into the clutches of gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins:

He had eaten his share of the dinner, but he hadn’t really enjoyed it because he was thinking all the time about Turkish Delight—and there’s nothing that spoils the taste of good ordinary food half so much as the memory of bad magic food (98).

Edmund’s pursuit of the Turkish delight means he is unable to appreciate the delicious and nutritious meal at the Beavers’ home or fully participate in the experience of bonding and storytelling that his other siblings share. Edmund’s obsession with tasting the magical sweets again prevents him from being grateful for what he has in the present moment—his constant need to consume means he has lost the capacity to give or receive anything positive to or from anyone else.

The appearance of Father Christmas alleviates the tension of the children’s hurried flight from the White Witch. At a glance, it may seem odd that Lewis chooses to place Father Christmas in Narnia, when most of the other magic creatures are based on classical mythology—for example the satyrs, naiads, and dryads. However, Father Christmas is more than a curious piece of entertainment; he tells Mr. Beaver, “[The White Witch] has kept me out for a long time, but I have got in at last” (117). Father Christmas’s return signals that the Witch’s magic is weakening and that change is coming to the country; his visit precedes the arrival of spring. The episode also reinforces the novel’s Christian symbolism in a way that is accessible to children. Symbolically, a world in which it is “always winter and never Christmas” is a world into which Jesus hasn’t been born, but Lewis does not allude to this directly, substituting instead the semi-secular—and, for children, highly familiar and much beloved—figure of Father Christmas.

Father Christmas also delivers gifts to the children that will prove vital in their fight against the Witch. These gifts are not childish presents but dangerous weapons or useful items that reflect the seriousness of the siblings’ situation. The gifts also anticipate the role the children will play in the upcoming battle. Peter receives a sword and shield because he becomes a brave and skillful warrior, Susan receives a bow and arrow and a horn that she uses to warn and aid those she is loyal to, while Lucy receives a restorative elixir that she heals Edmund with, and which reflects her intensely caring nature. Lucy’s ability to save those who are wounded parallels Aslan’s own power to reanimate the creatures that the Witch has turned to stone.

Father Christmas’s gifts also display a gender distribution; Peter’s gifts of a sword and shield assume he will be directly involved in battle, while the girls’ gifts are intended to be used away from the front line. Father Christmas tells both Lucy and Susan that they are not to fight in the war because “battles are ugly when women fight” (119). This patriarchal point of view establishes women as healers, carers, and supporters of men. Mrs. Beaver, who is skilled in domestic affairs, exemplifies the ideal feminine and motherly characteristics. In Lewis’s conception, one of the problems with the White Witch is arguably her traditionally masculine behavior: her use of violence, her pursuit of power, and her refusal to conform to gender norms. One might also recall that she is a descendant of Lilith, whose supposed “sin” lay in her refusal to obey her husband, Adam.

Edmund witnesses the first piece of real-time violence in the novel when he sees the Witch turn the party of forest animals into stone. Up until this point, the reader has only heard secondhand accounts of the Witch’s evil deeds, as has Edmund. Now, he is horrified by her actions: “Edmund, for the first time in this story, felt sorry for someone besides himself” (127). By revealing Edmund’s ability to sympathize and feel compassion, Lewis confirms that the boy is not truly evil but rather that the Witch led him astray and preyed on his weaknesses, much like the devil is thought to. This flicker of realization opens the possibility that Edmund can seek redemption. Metaphorically, Edmund’s selfish resolve begins to thaw with the coming of spring, making room for love, courage, and forgiveness.