The desire to explore and experience new things is front and center in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. And C.S. Lewis doesn't try to sugar-coat either the dangers or the thrills of exploration.
He also doesn't limit the definition of "exploration." It might mean investigating the outdoors, the indoors, a magical world that exists in another dimension, or even one's own psychological world. When a closet filled with mothball-smelling jackets becomes a portal to a winter landscape, anything is possible,
Questions About Exploration
- Why do Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy make their most exciting discoveries when exploring the Professor's house, instead of the woods around it? What is the symbolic significance of finding more inside than outside?
- Is it simply bad luck or fate that causes Edmund to meet the White Witch when he first explores Narnia on his own?
- What are Susan's objections to exploring Narnia? Do you agree or disagree with her reasoning?
- What does Peter mean when he says that exploring Narnia is going to be "exciting enough without any pretending" (6.23)?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The innocent desire of the Pevensie children to explore the world around them is contrasted with the selfish sightseeing conducted by the tourists who view the house with Mrs. Macready.