The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe: Chapter 1

Scout · #1 Nov 10, '05, 11:44 am

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe: Chapter 1: Lucy Looks Into A Wardrobe.

At the very beginning of the chapter, we are introduced to the four children (Peter, Susan, Edumund and Lucy) on their first night in the Professor's house. We are informed that this is to get them out of London during the air-raids of World War II.

Discussion: What do you think it was like for the four children to be away from their parents? What do you think their lives were like before they moved into the Professor's house? How would you have felt if you were in the same situation the four children were in?

Scout

mvinca · #2 Nov 10, '05, 2:24 pm

Well, I think it would have been a little scary for the children, especially Lucy and Edmund, being the younger ones. The air raids would just add to the normal fear of being away from home (especially if it were for the first time). Peter seems to be pretty self sufficent, so it probably wasn't for him like it was for the others. This can be seen in his taste for adventuring around the house and making the most of it.

I'm not sure how I would have felt. I would think being away from your parents in that time setting was much less common as when I grew up. It is a little more normal now, so I'm not even sure if I can relate.

LuzEstrella · #3 Nov 10, '05, 3:24 pm

The kids seemed happy to be there.They did not seem very fearful and they were looking forward to exploring their surroundings.
They probably had a very happy childhood and their parents seem to have taught them to be curious and trusting.
They seemed to look upon this experience with wonder and a sense of adventure.
I wonder how they came to know this Professor?
The children have most likely not experienced anything like death or heavy losses. This story took place during the air-raids and the kids did not even seem to give it a second thought.

As far as how I would have handled the situation...I would have been fearful of being in a house without my parents and not being so sure as to how to behave there. But since the author does talk about many books being available in the house, I would personally be thrilled and lost among the books. Apparently the children were not bookworms!

Oh and did you all read the dedication at the beginning of the book by C.S. Lewis to Lucy Barfield, his granddaughter? It was lovely and it was beautifully sentimental. What a beautiful gift to her....

MommaKat · #4 Nov 10, '05, 4:35 pm

I have one question. Why didn't you start with the Magician's Nephew? It explains Narnia.

JeanneH · #5 Nov 10, '05, 4:39 pm

First off I am enjoying the book.

I would not have liked to be separated from my parents but being with my brothers and sister would have helped. Sounds like an old and creepy house, with plenty to explore. Seems like they had the run of the house.

It doesn't seem to me that they minded being away from their parents.
I too, would like to have known how the family knew the professor.
Jeanne

WanderAimlessly · #6 Nov 10, '05, 4:42 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by MommaKat

I have one question. Why didn't you start with the Magician's Nephew? It explains Narnia.

I think the decision was made on title suggestions. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was the first on the books to be written and is the most well known. The Magicial's Nephew (the equivalent to to the Book of Genesis) was the last to be written.

In addition, the movie on the LWW is comming out on December 9th.

PF

Jim95437 · #7 Nov 10, '05, 7:37 pm

I stayed away from my parents quite a lot when I was a child. I stayed with my grand parents and liked it alot. Staying at the Professors house could have been like that. It certainly sounds like an adventuresome house. The children were probably very thankful to be away from all the bombing. I would think their lives would be miserable in London, certainly very fightening. I think I would have felt very thankful to be there and like Peter, looking forward to adventure.

Barbara Ann · #8 Nov 10, '05, 8:01 pm

There was a little boy in our parish that reminded me very much of Edmund. Both of his parents and his aunt were deployed to Iraq at the begining of the war. He stayed with his uncle while they were in Iraq. He was very brave and looked after his younger cousin.

It is very apparent that these are English children of the 30's and 40's at that time Children often spent a lot of their childhood away from home at boarding schools.

**Church Militant** · #9 Nov 10, '05, 11:55 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scout

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe: Chapter 1: Lucy Looks Into A Wardrobe.

At the very beginning of the chapter, we are introduced to the four children (Peter, Susan, Edumund and Lucy) on their first night in the Professor's house. We are informed that this is to get them out of London during the air-raids of World War II.

Discussion: What do you think it was like for the four children to be away from their parents? What do you think their lives were like before they moved into the Professor's house? How would you have felt if you were in the same situation the four children were in?

Scout

I was thinking about some of this very stuff tonight after I finished the first chapter.

The blitz in London had to be a horror for the kids of that day as war is for any child caught up in one.

I got the distinct impression that in spite of the war the kids were actually pretty happy to be away from their folks. After all Peter does say "We have fallen on our feet and no doubt" and the boys at least seem to be happy that they can pretty well do as they please. Susan has a maternal streak and Lucy seems to be sort of unsettled.

I think they feel protected in that they are far from the war which I'm sure cut into their happy go lucky childhoods. They seem to think the professor is odd but likeable.

Me? Yer kiddin' right? I'd've been all over that place and right with Lucy in that closet.

I was wondering what the significance of Lewis using a Faun as a character? I don't know much about the mythology of that creature. What were they supposed to be like and do? Interesting that he chose to draw from mythology like that...

I also wondered about the packages (like Christmas packages Lewis says)...why is the faun carrying them? It's a very curious set up for his first chapter.

Am I the only one who sensed Lucy's disorientation as she moved farther into the wardrobe? First the 2nd row of fur coats, then like pine needles I guess and then snow underfoot and cold a forest at night with a lampost. What's up with the lampost anyway?

Another thing that is very very curious that I guess he uses to show that Lucy is a bit frightened by stumbling into Narnia is the repetition of her thoughts about how silly it is to close oneself up in a wardrobe and the note that she looks over her shoulder and can still see the open door in the distance, which reassures her I think.

I wonder if this isn't an idea planted by Lewis to begin to teach his goddaughter Lucy that when she looks for reassurance from God that it will be there even if it seems distant. The Little Flower would resonate with that I think...

BTW...I was sort of surprised to discover that I had completely forgotten the first book in this series, but as I looked the set over at B&N today I could easily recall the books that I liked and remembered most. The best reason for this book right now is that it's a fairly easy (though deep) read, will not eat up a great deal of time with the approach of Advent and the holiday season, and the movie will be coming out on Dec. 9th and this will give us a great way to use this as faith sharing tool, which is what it was meant for with his own nieces & nephews.

Pax vobiscum,

Barbara Ann · #10 Nov 11, '05, 7:17 am

C. S. Lewis's use of mythology is indeed very interesting. As I have read the book before I won't give it all away. But I will say that mythology is important to understanding the book on a higher level. We must remember that children of the forties were a little more familiar with mythological heros than those of today who are familiar with superheros (which have their origin in mythology, but that is a different topic) I am going to do some research on C. S. Lewis's use of mythology

KatarinaTherese · #11 Nov 11, '05, 9:47 am

I don't think I would have been very lonely, with my siblings there. But it would probably depend on how aware I was of the situation (like if I really understood what an air raid was).

And it would be so cool to explore a great big house!

It reminds me of when my brother was in a play, and they rehearsed at the local high school (which is one of the biggest in the country, I've been told). One day I found an open door, and slipped off by myself, and just explored for an hour or two. It was so much fun! I can definitely picture myself in that house.

I also think it's rather neat that Lucy was the one to find Narnia first. It wasn't Peter, or Susan, or Edmund - it was the youngest, smallest, and the most childlike of them all. Too bad I wouldn't have been Lucy (I'm the oldest of 6 kids, so nope).

David Zampino · #12 Nov 11, '05, 9:53 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scout

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe: Chapter 1: Lucy Looks Into A Wardrobe.

At the very beginning of the chapter, we are introduced to the four children (Peter, Susan, Edumund and Lucy) on their first night in the Professor's house. We are informed that this is to get them out of London during the air-raids of World War II.

Discussion: What do you think it was like for the four children to be away from their parents? What do you think their lives were like before they moved into the Professor's house? How would you have felt if you were in the same situation the four children were in?

Scout

I don't know if any issues of fear would necessarily be attached to being away from their parents, as Peter, Susan and Edmond had already been living at school, which was not an uncommon arrangement in England at the time.

I suspect that their lives would have been what we might call "middle class" because their parents could afford to send them to such a school.

The parent's relationship with the Professor was never explained in any of the books, but I'm curious as to what it would have been.

It is interesting to note that Lewis himself had evacuees from London living with him during the War.

David Zampino · #13 Nov 11, '05, 9:56 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by WanderAimlessly

I think the decision was made on title suggestions. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was the first on the books to be written and is the most well known. The Magicial's Nephew (the equivalent to to the Book of Genesis) was the last to be written.

In addition, the movie on the LWW is comming out on December 9th.

PF

Actually, "The Last Battle" was the last to be written. The current trend is to re-number the books in chronological order, rather than the order in which they were written -- something I first saw in Australia in 1982. Allegedly, it was Lewis's wish -- but frankly, considering the shenanigans which have gone on with his literary estate, I'm not convinced that this was the case.

Lady Cygnus · #14 Nov 11, '05, 11:34 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Church Militant

[font=Microsoft Sans Serif][color=Navy][size=3]I was thinking about some of this very stuff tonight after I finished the first chapter.

The blitz in London had to be a horror for the kids of that day as war is for any child caught up in one.

I got the distinct impression that in spite of the war the kids were actually pretty happy to be away from their folks. After all Peter does say "We have fallen on our feet and no doubt" and the boys at least seem to be happy that they can pretty well do as they please. Susan has a maternal streak and Lucy seems to be sort of unsettled.

I think they feel protected in that they are far from the war which I'm sure cut into their happy go lucky childhoods. They seem to think the professor is odd but likeable.

I got the impression that the children were used to being separated from their parents. In later books it talks about them going away to boarding school, which Lucy starts next year(?). They probably took it in stride and, as they were still fairly young, didn't give the war much thought. It seems to be something vague in the background.

Quote:

I was wondering what the significance of Lewis using a Faun as a character? I don't know much about the mythology of that creature. What were they supposed to be like and do? Interesting that he chose to draw from mythology like that...

I also wondered about the packages (like Christmas packages Lewis says)...why is the faun carrying them? It's a very curious set up for his first chapter.

I always thought of fauns as fun loving and happy little critters (but then I've only read about them in Narnia). I thought the packages were just to put the faun in a daily chore. When you meet someone on the street they are often carrying packages or such from shopping, this is the same.

Quote:

Am I the only one who sensed Lucy's disorientation as she moved farther into the wardrobe? First the 2nd row of fur coats, then like pine needles I guess and then snow underfoot and cold a forest at night with a lampost. What's up with the lampost anyway?

the lampost is explained in a the Magician's Nephew...I won't give it away

Lanasshoebox · #15 Nov 11, '05, 2:18 pm

Awaiting the use of a car to go buy the book, i have read over the responses with much excitement...as i have never heard of C. S. Lewis before. I have heard of the book title..this is all. After reading up on what the comments are about him, i am excited to read, learn and share what i can with my 6 and 7 year old girls. Especially with the movie comming out as well. Mostly because of the adventure in such a tender spiritual setting. I can not wait.

The only question i have is for the use of the word Faun!

Can i get some background here....is it word like smurf, or is it a person, ferry, etc. and what can you tell me about them.

Thank you,

Lana