The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The seasons in Narnia are a recurring motif that represents the struggle between the opposing forces of good and evil. At first, Lucy Pevensie tumbles into the snowy woodland of Narnia and believes it is a magical paradise. The white snow holds connotations of purity and peace, but just as the snow covers the ground and obscures everything in sight, this pretty and wintery picture only disguises the realm’s more sinister goings-on. It emerges that the whole of Narnia is suspended in the White Witch’s icy grasp—an extension of her own white flesh, which is “not merely pale, but white like snow or paper or icing-sugar” (37). The Witch is a personification of death itself. Unlike Aslan, who can restore petrified creatures to life with his breath and is himself resurrected, the Witch’s power lies only in her ability to deprive others of life; she turns creatures to stone, she inflicts a severe winter that means nothing in Narnia can grow, and the continuation of her reign depends on her preventing the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy by killing at least one of the four siblings. Narnia’s unending winter therefore symbolizes death, scarcity, and stagnation; nothing can grow or change in Narnia.

The seasons fluctuate in tandem with the strength of the Witch. When Edmund Pevensie approaches the Witch’s castle and stronghold, the weather becomes colder: “First the snow stopped. Then a wind sprang up and it became freezing cold” (101). However, once Aslan returns, the lion’s power starts to weaken the hold the Witch has over Narnia, and the snow begins to thaw. The beginning of spring also follows the children’s encounter with Father Christmas. Spring chronologically follows the festive period, but Christmas also celebrates the hope of redemption and eternal life for humanity through the birth of Jesus; spring symbolizes this new life, new beginnings, and growth. The thaw signals that the Witch can’t keep the forces of good at bay any longer. Just as the Witch’s winter was enchanted, the spring is the result of Aslan’s power overcoming her malevolent magic.

The coming of spring also highlights more personal transformations. Lewis conveys the emotional power of spring through Edmund, with the young boy recognizing it as a sight that inspires hope: “Unless you have looked at a world of snow as long as Edmund had been looking at it, you will hardly be able to imagine what a relief those green patches were after the endless white” (129). The emerging vegetation of spring draws together many instances of new life in the novel, including how the children start a new phase of their life when they first enter Narnia, the new lease of life Aslan brings to the realm, Edmund’s new chance at life following his redemption, Aslan’s resurrection, and the restoring to life of the petrified stone creatures.