Every Chapter, Analyzed: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - Chapter 1

Every Chapter, Analyzed is a series focused on analyzing one chapter of a fiction novel from a Biblical worldview. You can see all the posts in this series by clicking here.

Book: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Chapter 1: Lucy Looks into a Wardrobe

Introduction

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis is one of the most beloved works of fantasy, especially in Christian circles. While J.R.R. Tolkien rejected the idea that his works were allegorical, Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia has some blatant allegory to the Christian faith.

With that in mind, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe will be an excellent starting point for this series as we analyze fiction novels chapter by chapter from a Biblical perspective.

This first chapter, titled “Lucy Looks into a Wardrobe,” introduces us to the Pevensie children and the magical world of Narnia for the first time.

As a short sidebar, I’ve never understood why the series is always sold in chronological "Narnian" timeline order instead of the publication order. I’ve always thought that The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a significantly better starting place for the series instead of The Magician’s Nephew. Let me know what reading order you think is the best in the comments below!

But now back to the story!

As I read through this chapter, I think there are two big ideas that we can look at from a Christian perspective and apply to our own lives. The first is that rain might "ruin" your day, but it also leads to life. And the second is that sometimes we need to take a risk, trust God, and just open the door.

So, let’s jump in.

Rain Leads to Life

At the beginning of this chapter, the Pevensies are very excited to be out in the country and explore the grounds of this new place they find themselves in. But a rainstorm comes, and they are forced to stay inside, putting a damper on their grand plans.

“I say, let’s go and explore tomorrow. You might find anything in a place like this. Did you see those mountains as we came along? And the woods? There might be eagles. There might be stags. There’ll be hawks.”

”Badgers!” said Lucy. ”Foxes!” said Edmund. ”Rabbits!” said Susan.

But when next morning came there was a steady rain falling, so thick that when you looked out of the window you could see neither the mountains nor the woods nor even the stream in the garden.

Let’s hone in on that last sentence. Has there ever been a time in your life when the rain and fog were so thick that you couldn’t see what next steps to take? Your plans and dreams seemingly out of reach.

The Pevensies’ dreams were spoiled by the rain. Edmund’s reaction was one of disappointment and frustration, while Peter’s was one of optimism and opportunity. Peter sees the start of a new adventure when the one they had planned for was no longer an option.

These two reactions can inform us in our own lives. When faced with a seemingly closed door or ruined plan, will we proceed with optimism, or will we become stagnant in frustration?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

When we lean on our own understanding, we become frustrated and can’t see the correct path ahead, but when we trust in the Lord, our paths are made straight despite us thinking it may be the wrong path. The Lord knows the best path, not us.

Even though the rain ruined their plans, a new door was open for them -- the entrance to Narnia -- which would give them a whole new world to explore and life to live. But it was Lucy who took the first risk and opened the door.

Just Open the Door

After the Pevensies get over the rain ruining the outdoor exploring, they decide to do some inside exploring since the house they are in is one which has all sorts of hallways and rooms that might result in their getting lost if they aren't paying attention.

“It was the sort of house that you never seem to come to the end of and it was full of unexpected places.”

This explanation of the house reminds me of how life feels. There are so many paths you could take throughout life, and a lot of the time, you aren’t completely sure how things will turn out if you make a certain decision.

As they continue to explore the house, they come into one room that is mostly empty except for a large wardrobe. Peter notes that there is nothing in the room worth exploring, so all of the kids leave the room. All of them except Lucy.

“Nothing there!” said Peter, and they all trooped out again - all except Lucy. She stayed behind because she thought it would be worthwhile trying the door, even though she felt almost sure that it would be locked. To her surprise, it opened quite easily, and two mothballs dropped out.

Lucy takes a risk that maybe the door will be open despite her strong feeling that it will be locked. She is rewarded for trusting in that pull of her heart that maybe there would be something interesting and worthwhile in the wardrobe.

In a similar way, we as Christians need to be listening for the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that we can be responsive to the will of God. Sometimes we can feel that God is pushing us in a certain direction, and we have to decide if we will follow it or instead choose our own way that is based on our own understanding, to reference the previous point.

But the best decision that we can make is the one that aligns with God’s will for our life, even if we think a door is locked or there is nothing in the door that is worthwhile. Pursuing God’s way will seem like a risk in many situations because it will be counter to what our culture values.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life - is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. - 1 John 2:15-17 (ESV)

This passage from 1 John reminds us that we are not to love the things of the world because the world is passing away. This is a simple command but difficult to consistently execute as we walk the Christian life because of all the things in the world that attempt to distract us from doing the will of God.

If we as Christians can run the race, persevering in the pursuit of God’s will, we will be rewarded with an imperishable prize, as we read in 1 Corinthians 9.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV)

Bringing this back to the book, Lucy is rewarded with an imperishable prize in the discovery of Narnia. A new world, a new adventure, and a new life are waiting for her. If we listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and just open the door, we too can share in this reward.

Conclusion

Well, that will do it for this first post in the Every Chapter, Analyzed series. What did you think of this first chapter of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? Did you pull out any other tidbits that speak to a Biblical worldview? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments.

I’m planning to go through every chapter in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. If you have a book that you want me to analyze next, leave a comment below!