The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
In C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, we
see mind, body and spirit clearly in the characters of Susan, Edmund,
and Lucy Pevensie. Peter Pevensie is a 4th character who is transformed
through his interactions with his siblings. This transformation model is
common,
and especially so in fantasy fiction. At the beginning of the story,
Peter just wants to be a leader within his family and doesn't want to
have any part of Narnia's struggles. By the end of the story, he is
crowned High King of Narnia, Peter, the Magnificent.
Edmund cares only about himself. This is illustrated in the story through his obsession with Turkish Delight. He accepts the treat from the White Witch, the personification of evil in the story. He even begins to ignore her as he "...thought only of trying to shovel down as much Turkish Delight as he could, and the more he ate, the more he wanted to eat."
The White Witch promises Edmund he could become a prince of Narnia, maybe even a king, if he would bring his siblings to her castle. She also promised as much Turkish Delight as he wanted. When all four siblings get into Narnia and begin to learn about the evil of the White Witch, Edmund isn't convinced. Instead of listening to what the Beavers had to say, "...he thought about Turkish Delight and about being King."
Even when his mind wasn't on Turkish Delight, it was on his own desires. When Lucy wants to go and try to help the Faun, Mr. Tumnus, Ed says, "A lot we could do! When we haven't even got anything to eat."
Ed is also motivated by things like spite and revenge. When Lucy first tells the others about Narnia, Ed reacts in a very body-like manner. "Edmund could be spiteful, and on this occasion he was spiteful." Later, when he is making his way to the White Witch's castle, he keeps going despite the cold so he can "pay Peter out for calling him a beast."
Susan uses knowledge and logic when problems arise. When Ed complains about the rain, Susan says, "Ten to one it'll clear up in an hour or so." When Lucy first tells them about Narnia, and that she's been gone for hours, Susan says, "We've only just come out of that room a moment ago, and you were there then," suggesting Lucy could not have logically been gone for hours. Susan also argues they can take coats with them because they aren't really leaving the wardrobe.
In Narnia, Susan works as an information gatherer, especially when talking to the Beavers, who don't realize how little the siblings know about Narnia. She is the first to ask, "Who is Aslan?" Mr. Beaver says "we all know what that means," when describing what happened to Mr. Tumnus, and Susan replies, "No, we don't."
Susan and Lucy both perceive something is wrong with Aslan when he is preparing to meet the White Witch at the Stone Table. Susan's perception is based on her observations of Aslan's behavior. After Aslan is resurrected, Susan thinks he is a ghost and then asks, "But what does it all mean?"
Lucy is the first to enter Narnia. When she comes back, she makes a point to let the others know she is alright. From her perspective, she has been gone for hours and wants the others not to worry. In Narnia, a magical country accessed through a wardrobe stored in a spare bedroom of an old professor's house, Lucy wants to pretend they are Arctic explorers. Even in a magical land, she wants to use her imagination.
While the others are trying to find a way to explain Lucy's experience with the wardrobe, she has a very simple explanation. "It's a magic wardrobe." She even defines herself as a spirit character when she says, "I don't care what you think, and I don't care what you say..." In other words, "I'm not a mind character and I'm not a body character." Lucy also readily accepts the existence of Fauns and talking animals, but the others have to be convinced.
When Aslan is troubled, Susan sees it in his behavior, but Lucy just feels something is wrong. After Aslan's resurrection and the White Witch's defeat, Lucy goes around the battlefield healing the wounded with a magic cordial she received from Father Christmas. In the end, she has been given a name appropriate of a spirit character - Queen Lucy, the Valiant.
The Body Character: Edmund Pevensie
Edmund cares only about himself. This is illustrated in the story through his obsession with Turkish Delight. He accepts the treat from the White Witch, the personification of evil in the story. He even begins to ignore her as he "...thought only of trying to shovel down as much Turkish Delight as he could, and the more he ate, the more he wanted to eat."
The White Witch promises Edmund he could become a prince of Narnia, maybe even a king, if he would bring his siblings to her castle. She also promised as much Turkish Delight as he wanted. When all four siblings get into Narnia and begin to learn about the evil of the White Witch, Edmund isn't convinced. Instead of listening to what the Beavers had to say, "...he thought about Turkish Delight and about being King."
Even when his mind wasn't on Turkish Delight, it was on his own desires. When Lucy wants to go and try to help the Faun, Mr. Tumnus, Ed says, "A lot we could do! When we haven't even got anything to eat."
Ed is also motivated by things like spite and revenge. When Lucy first tells the others about Narnia, Ed reacts in a very body-like manner. "Edmund could be spiteful, and on this occasion he was spiteful." Later, when he is making his way to the White Witch's castle, he keeps going despite the cold so he can "pay Peter out for calling him a beast."
The Mind Character: Susan Pevensie
Susan uses knowledge and logic when problems arise. When Ed complains about the rain, Susan says, "Ten to one it'll clear up in an hour or so." When Lucy first tells them about Narnia, and that she's been gone for hours, Susan says, "We've only just come out of that room a moment ago, and you were there then," suggesting Lucy could not have logically been gone for hours. Susan also argues they can take coats with them because they aren't really leaving the wardrobe.
In Narnia, Susan works as an information gatherer, especially when talking to the Beavers, who don't realize how little the siblings know about Narnia. She is the first to ask, "Who is Aslan?" Mr. Beaver says "we all know what that means," when describing what happened to Mr. Tumnus, and Susan replies, "No, we don't."
Susan and Lucy both perceive something is wrong with Aslan when he is preparing to meet the White Witch at the Stone Table. Susan's perception is based on her observations of Aslan's behavior. After Aslan is resurrected, Susan thinks he is a ghost and then asks, "But what does it all mean?"
The Spirit Character: Lucy Pevensie
Lucy is the first to enter Narnia. When she comes back, she makes a point to let the others know she is alright. From her perspective, she has been gone for hours and wants the others not to worry. In Narnia, a magical country accessed through a wardrobe stored in a spare bedroom of an old professor's house, Lucy wants to pretend they are Arctic explorers. Even in a magical land, she wants to use her imagination.
While the others are trying to find a way to explain Lucy's experience with the wardrobe, she has a very simple explanation. "It's a magic wardrobe." She even defines herself as a spirit character when she says, "I don't care what you think, and I don't care what you say..." In other words, "I'm not a mind character and I'm not a body character." Lucy also readily accepts the existence of Fauns and talking animals, but the others have to be convinced.
When Aslan is troubled, Susan sees it in his behavior, but Lucy just feels something is wrong. After Aslan's resurrection and the White Witch's defeat, Lucy goes around the battlefield healing the wounded with a magic cordial she received from Father Christmas. In the end, she has been given a name appropriate of a spirit character - Queen Lucy, the Valiant.
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