The youngest Pevensie brother, Edmund, is the mischievous child among his siblings in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He is a representation of the possibility of what can go wrong when a child is not properly taught and does not follow set boundaries. Edmund’s subversion of set standards is the cause of a great deal of the troubles the Pevensies face in Narnia. For example, when he goes to the White Witch’s castle instead of listening to the others when they say Aslan is the true leader. In order to redeem himself, he must first be renewed and return to an earlier state. He is not allowed to stay indignant, but is reformed when he learns that Aslan is really the true ruler, and Jadis is not. He is allowed to do so because of his status as a child who is still developing. Edmund’s corruption and later redemption show that he is not really wicked, but has an innate goodness. Edmund does not always remember all of the rules he is supposed to follow. When the White Witch gives him the enchanted Turkish Delight,“At first Edmund tried to remember that it is rude to speak with one’s mouth full, but soon he forgot about this and thought only of trying to shovel down as much Turkish Delight as he could” (38). The Turkish Delight has negatively affected him and is part of the reason he loses his manners. When he starts to speak with his mouth open, he has lost his manners and his awareness of his self. This is due, partially because he is possessed by the Turkish Delight. Edmund is also young and perhaps is not as imbued with etiquette as he would be if he were an adult. The idea that, “The child imagines that he suffers with the hero his trials and tribulations, and triumphs with him as virtue and is victorious” (Bettelheim, 9) s... ... middle of paper ... ...c child who is an innocent and has no place in the world of the wicked. His troubled self’s resolution comes at the end after Edmund has spoken to Aslan, the true ruler and god of Narnia. Both Edmunds own initiative and, less directly, religion lead Edmund back to before he was spoiled by the school he went to and the enchantment of the witch’s candy. Lewis therefore is following the Romantic tradition of innocence as a part of childhood since it was not Edmund’s fault he performed the incorrect behavior and was drawn to the side of evil. Works Cited Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. New York: Vintage, 2010. Print. Lewis, C. S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. Print. Morgenstern, John. "Children and Other Talking Animals." The Lion and the Unicorn 24.1 (2000): 110-27. Print.
Perrault, Charles. "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood." in Folk & Fairy Tales. Eds. Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek. 2nd edition. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press Ltd., 1996. 40-48.
As intended in the story Edmund is a static character and represents wit, deception, and the wicked. Yet with all these amazing traits comes the consequences of using the for evil and not good. Sadly and ironically him trying to kill Edgar eventually leads to Edgar killing him out of the rage he feels after their father dies. What goes around always comes around good or bad and Edmund just got the bad side
fact that Edmund has a lack of love from his parents is evident in his
Lewis, C. S. & Co., Inc. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1978. Lindskoog, Kathryn Ann. "
As discussed earlier ‘bastards’ were look down upon in society and seen as a mistake to the point where they were used as insults to their parents. Edmond uses the persuasive technique of inclusive language in the lines "Well then, Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land. Our father’s love is to the bastard Edmund". In this quote Edmond uses the term ‘our’ to emphasise the fact that him and Edgar have the same father. Additionally, Edmond also implies that he thinks "bastards" are as good as "legitimate" sons through this textual
...e matures through the story. Upon his arrival in Narnia, he was ill tempered and had a very devilish personality. “…but Edmund could be spiteful, and on this occasion he was spiteful. He sneered and jeered at Lucy and kept on asking her if she'd found any other new countries in other cupboards all over the house” (Lewis 14). He wanted to be a “realistic” thinker, resulting in him thinking adversely from his siblings. This fit him into an “evil” moralistic standpoint. However, after he witnesses the cruelty of the Witch, he realizes that he does not think along the same lines as her and begins to shift moralistic viewpoints. After being saved by Aslan, he realizes that he has acted in a negative way and reverses his decision-making, resulting in his shift to “good”. “Edmund shook hands with each of the others and said to each of them in turn, ‘I'm sorry’ (Lewis 76).
He frees himself from her “clutches” and learns that he needs to make decisions for himself and the well-being of others. With his newfound confidence, Edmund suits up for battle and goes to war against the witch. He was ultimately saved Narnia by destroying the witches wand. “...There were statues dotted around all over the battlefield, so apparently the Witch had been using her wand. But she did not seem to be using it now.” (Lewis 143) This quote is where Lucy and Susan, Edmund’s sisters, see that he destroyed the witches wand. To further this quote, it shows how Edmund has gained confidence and grown as a person. He becomes a much more loving and accepting brother, completely different from his old and bitter self. He know plans ahead and reviews all of his choices before making one. The reader can tell that Edmund has definitely gone through a huge metamorphosis and he will continue to change as time
I initially felt bad for Edmund. It must have been difficult growing up constantly second to
Edmund, the bastard son of Gloucester is not pleased with his status as a bastard. Edgar the legitimate son of Gloucester stands to obtain the lands, wealth and power of his father. Edmund thinks this is unfair and begins a plot to banish his brother and obtain the lands of his father. He begins by writing a fake letter from Edgar saying that he wants to murder his father and wishes to take power by force. Edmund uses his deceiving abilities to make the letter seem genuine. He lies to his father about how he came into possession of the letter: “It was not brought me, my Lord; t...
The theme of this book is fantasy. Fantasy, in a sense, does not connect with reality. While imagination, on the other hand, is based off of events from reality. This book is considered to be such a theme because of Lucy’s discovery of the magical world of Narnia inside the wardrobe. She walked inside to find moth balls and fur coats. As she ventured further into the wardrobe, she soon discovered pine needles, coldness, and snow at her feet. An entirely different world was lain out before her. How strange it must’ve been for Lucy to discover such a thing! As the story goes on, the four children meet several characters who all happen to be tal...
The protagonists in this book are the Pevensie children: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. Even though they have just stumbled into the realm of Narnia, they are quick to protect it from the hands of the White Witch. Peter is fair and just. Even though he is a little bit of a control freak, he always does the right thing. Susan is beautiful and gentle. There is more to her than meets the eye. Edmund is stubborn and does not like to be told what to do. Even though he betrays his siblings and follows the White Witch. he does what is right in the end. Lucy is very kind and faithful. She believes in Narnia even when no one else does. She always does what is right.
Edmund’s discontent with the notion of bastardy is brought up furthermore in his soliloquy at the beginning of scene two: “Thou, nature, art my goddess. To thy law/ My services are bound. Wherefore should I/ Stand in the plague of custom…” (II.1-3). The notion of bastardy in Lear pushes Edmund to place his faith in his born traits as opposed to the system that has labeled him an outsider his whole life. He believes he is equal to his brother in every way—his mind and shape as true—and the only reason he is not aloud to prosper is because of a preconceived idea of the ideal child. Inevitably, Edmund wants to rebel against the system that has stifled him for so long. Gloucester is primarily responsible for Edmund’s actions because he in no way raised him equal to Edgar. Edmund’s goal to usurp his brother and earn the power he believes he deserves is due to the notion of bastardy in the play; Edmund questions “why brand they us with ‘base, base bastardy’” in his first soliloquy (II.10) . After all, even Kent attested to his fine demeanour. But, the steadfast notion of bastardy at the time drove Edmund to the point of betrayal because there was no hope for him in playing by the rules as they are fundamentally opposed to a bastard’s prosperity. With this soliloquy, Edmund positions himself as the more disserving
Within The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis creates a question in the reader's mind on whether or not the story was meant to symbolize a Christian allegory. Throughout the story, Lewis utilizes the use of symbolism through his characters, their actions, and the places they travel. All of the main characters in the novel symbolize something within the Holy Bible. The Pevensie children are evacuated from war-torn London and sent to live in the country with Professor Kirke, an eccentric old man. While playing hide and seek on a rainy day, Lucy, the youngest Pevensie, discovers a colossal wardrobe in an empty room. She decides to hide inside, but "she had, of course, left the door open, for she knew that it is a very silly thing to shut oneself into a wardrobe" (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lewis, 7). She discovers that the wardrobe has no ending and it leads to a world full of snow and strange creatures. Lucy meets a faun, Mr. Tumnus, and she follows him back to his home. Mr. Tumnus confesses that he is a servant of the White Witch, Queen Jadis. He states, "I had orders from the White Witch that if I ever saw a Son of Adam or a Daughter of Eve in the wood, I was to catch them and hand them over to her" (Lewis, 21). This is when the reader sees the first sign of symbolism. Lucy is extremely trusting. She represents children and their absolute innocence. When she enters back into the real world, she starts yelling that she is back and she is alright. However, her siblings have no idea what she is talking about. After they hear her story, the three eldest Pevensie children f...
Edmund lusted for all of his father’s power, lying to his gullible brother and father aided him in his plan for total authority along with destroying their lives. As bastard son of Gloucester, Edmund wanted to receive all of the power destined for his brother, Edgar, who was Gloucester’s legitimate son. Edmund stated his disapproval of his brother, “Wherefore should I/ Stand in the plague of custom, and permit/ The curiosity of nations to deprive me/ For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines/ Lag of a brother? Why bastard?”(1.2.2-6). Edmund wanted the respect and love that Edgar received even though he was Gloucester’s bastard son. He claimed that he was not much younger or “moonshines lag of a brother” therefore he should be considered just as smart and able-minded as any legitimate son. He built up hatred toward Edgar and in order to get rid of him he convinced his father that Edgar had betrayed him through a letter. The letter that Edmund made read, “If our father would sleep till I waked him, you/ should enjoy half his revenue for ever, and live/ the beloved of your brother, Edgar”(1.2.55-57). Edmund portrayed Edgar as the son that would kill Gloucester only to inherit his money and share his inheritance with Edmund. Gloucester believed Edmund, sending out guards to kill Edgar for his betrayal...
Lewis, was a book which changed children’s fantasy metaphorically and literally. In the book, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie stumble upon Narnia, a frozen land under control of the White Witch, through a wardrobe inside the house. Levy and Mendelsohn describe how the fantastic is contained in the sense that “the true fantastic is found at the heart of the home” (41). This book follows that same idea that there is a separation between the real world and the alternative world Narnia. When Lucy finds Narnia and rushes back to tell the others about it, they do not believe her at first because it sounds made up. It is not until the others stumble upon the alternative world themselves that they are blown away by the fantastic elements and characters. In Narnia, there are many fantastic characters including the faun Mr. Tumnus, the White Witch, talking beavers, dwarves, centaurs, minotaurs, and Aslan the talking lion who represents a godly figure. These four siblings have to learn who to trust and who they cannot trust. Levy and Mendelsohn point out that “Lewis changed the mood and direction in ways that have endured, although other forms were to emerge in the 1970’s … understanding that much children’s fantasy would be otherworldly, either physically or spiritually” (106). In James E. Higgins, A Letter from C. S. Lewis, Lewis describes how "[t]he Narnian books are not as much allegory as