In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, every individual must take full responsibility for his or her own actions...especially that little twerp, Edmund.
We learn a bunch of big-deal lessons about guilt and blame in this book: like, when the responsibility is too great, someone else may step in and take it over, but only when absolutely necessary. Or that the Powers That Be don't assign blame for failure, but people who learn to accept their own failings will take responsibility for them anyway. Or hey: that blaming others for one's own problems is demonstrably foolish, and getting caught up in cycles of guilt and blame may interfere with the work that needs to be done.
And we have to say—even if you're not a Christian and you balk at the Christian lessons in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe—there's a lot of wisdom to be gleaned from these pages about how to be an all-around good person.
Questions About Guilt and Blame
- Is Peter really to blame, even in part, for Edmund's betrayal?
- At what point does Edmund start feeling guilty for betraying his brother and sisters to the White Witch? Why?
- How is Edmund's guilt finally expunged?
Chew on This
Peter is guilty of pushing Edmund further away and treating him rudely, which, although a small transgression, contributes to Edmund's larger betrayal.