The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is all about the ties that bind. Family is about as important to the Pevensie kids as it is to, say, the Corleone clan. The curse of the White Witch can only be broken by a group of humans. Even the forces of Good and Evil work together as a team...or like a family.
As far as this book is concerned, the idea of "every man for himself" is rubbish. You have to stick together in order to accomplish anything—and you have to stick together through thick and thin.
Questions About Family
- Why does it matter that the four children in this story are brothers and sisters? How would the book be different if they were simply four friends?
- Describe the relationship between Mr. Beaver and Mrs. Beaver. Are they meant to represent the "ideal" Narnian family? Explain your answer.
- Why are there several important bachelors in this story? Consider especially the Professor and Mr. Tumnus.
- Note that Aslan is described as the Son of the Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. What do you think this means? How does it increase our understanding of Aslan to think of him as a son?
Chew on This
By making Peter, Susan, Lucy, and Edmund siblings instead of just friends, C.S. Lewis develops them as a small community, rather than individual heroes.
In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, single men are kindly and generous, but single women are dangerous and threatening.