The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

By C.S. Lewis

Copyright 1950

 If I remember correctly, this was the first chapter book I read aloud to my oldest daughter.  She would have been five and I would have read it to her as she lay in bed before falling asleep.  Since her sister was only two, she wouldn’t have been able to listen quietly like a big girl of five could.

In this story, two sisters and two brothers are sent away from war torn London to stay in the English countryside.  They had the fortune of staying in an expansive old home owned by an old Professor and looked after by a housekeeper.  The children were largely left alone to play and explore.  The youngest child, Lucy, is the first to come upon the wardrobe that takes her into the world of Narnia.  I can imagine how nice it would have been for her to have tea with her friend Tumnus the Faun.  Her older and wiser siblings did not believe Lucy at first, but fortunately, the teasing stopped when they eventually came to visit Narnia together.  

There are several lessons that I have taken from this book.

Always listen to the youngest – they are most likely telling the truth!

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a beautiful allegory of love and mercy – and the triumph of good over evil.

But the most important lesson I learned from this book was brought home to me when I had the opportunity to see the actual wardrobe that inspired the tales of C.S. Lewis at Wheaton College.  Here in front of me was a sturdy, handmade old wardrobe – one that could be found in any fine home in the English countryside.  Yet just beyond that ordinary looking door was found the magical world of Narnia.

What seems so ordinary can be a doorway to the miraculous.  Not only that, but these wonders are accessible to the most common, ordinary person.  Another world exists so close to ours that it can be accessed by the opening of a door.  Our lives are full of doors.  One never knows what wonders lie beyond them if we dare to look.