The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is a classic that I was first introduced to at Sunday School, very many years ago. I’ve read it a couple of times since and of course watched the film starring Tilda Swinton as the white witch and it certainly hasn’t lost its magic. If anything, I probably enjoyed it more this time around than ever before.
I loved it originally for the pure magic of entering a magical snow covered land through a wardrobe where it was normal to have tea with a faun (Mr Tumnus) and meet animals who could talk (Mr and Mrs Beaver). I also loved the appearance of Father Christmas, into the land that was “Always winter but never Christmas.” His delivery of useful gifts such as the sewing machine to Mrs Beaver and the Dam to Mr Beaver makes me smile.
Reading it as an adult I still love the magic of the story but I also have a better understanding of the meaning and Christian allegory. The Lion Aslan giving his life as the ultimate sacrifice and then coming back to life is so powerful. It would be hard to not be moved by the heartbreak of Lucy and Susan watching over Aslan’s body.
“If you’ve been up all night and cried till you have no more tears left in you – you will know that there comes in the end a sort of quietness. You feel as if nothing was ever going to happen again.”
So, if you fancy a magical read with a deeper meaning this Christmas, then look no further than ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’.
I love this book. Loved the film too.