When it comes to works of fiction, it is always very interesting to see where the author draws inspiration from for the main characters and what the underlying motivations are. message of the story in question. Disillusioned with faith as a child, CS Lewis would find himself re-embracing Christianity in his adult life, which likely played a major role in the not-so-subtle biblical messages presented throughout The Chronicles of Narnia. Where antagonists can sometimes play the role of the unsung and misunderstood hero of the story, Lewis uses The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe to bring to life a villain who is evil and assimilates him into the reality of evil and of temptation. In this article, which will focus on the character of the White Witch in Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I will examine the general qualities and role of her character in relation to other characters . and the author's intention to write his character the way he did and how I think he could have been improved. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The White Witch's role as the story's main antagonist reveals her as one of the most obviously villains perverse and remorseless of all works of fiction. During Tumnus' introduction of his character in chapter two, the reader can assume many things about the essence of his character simply because of the facts given or lack thereof. Firstly, the fact that she is called the White Witch and is never referred to by a real name sets her apart from the rest of the characters and says a lot about her character before the reader even learns more about her. This already has a negative connotation because white refers to the pale and ghostly nature of her skin and the white snow of the endless winter it caused. The witch is clearly referring to the powers she possesses but unlike a good witch, she uses her powers for evil. By identifying her as the reason it is "always winter and never Christmas", she can quickly be recognized as a malevolent person, a cold and power-hungry woman whose identity is centered on her position of power and on the use of his magical abilities. wrong. Her surprise at Lucy's innocence and kindness speaks to how the White Witch has brainwashed the Narnians into believing that humans are the enemy. And when he reveals that it's her job to report all humans to her, it shows the lengths she's gone to prevent any potential threats to her throne from allowing the prophecy that speaks of her overthrow to come true, something . a good and just ruler would not have to give it so much importance. But what gives the reader the best insight into the witch's nature is Mr. Tumnus's fear that she will: ...have my tail cut off, my horns cut off, and my beard plucked out, and she will wave her wand on my darling. clove hooves and transform them into horrible, solid hooves like those of a miserable horse. And if she is extremely angry, she will turn me to stone. (Lewis, age 15) Something this detailed is difficult to fabricate, so it lets the reader know that what he is describing cannot be far from the truth and that the complexity of the punishment indicates that it is not punishes not for justice but rather for pleasure. or the love of evil. Where she could simply imprison those who wrong her or have them punished in a more humane mansion, she prefers to transformstone creatures. Additionally, the lack of a king or any mention of a traditional companion also adds to the perception that she is so sinister, unpleasant, and focused on maintaining ultimate control of Narnia that she is incapable of showing love. loving and perhaps unlovable. The reader can deduce from her relationship with the Dwarf, who is perhaps the closest thing to a companion she has in this book, that in any case, relationship she maintains, the White Witch must always being the dominant one and submission is a necessity. Her character seems to be defined by the selfish and recklessly cruel way in which she rules Narnia and by the use of her dark magic to keep the Narnians oppressed and afraid of her. His magic and lack of emotion then constitute his greatest strengths, as it is what allows him to have influence over others and commit wicked acts without worrying about how it affects his victim, such as this is evidenced by the numerous cases where she transforms creatures into creatures. stone for small offenses. However, his weakness lies in his greed for unquestioned power and his sense of entitlement to a throne that was never meant for him. Her rules only benefit her and are intended to manipulate situations in her favor, as she would likely be killed if she applied her laws to herself. A great example of this is when she is about to kill Edmund but is interrupted by Aslan and says, "You know that every traitor belongs to me as lawful prey and that for every betrayal I I have the right to a kill... And therefore, this human creature is mine. His life is lost to me. His blood is my property. (Lewis, 41 years old) This mentality is what allows him to seize the throne by force and kill without mercy. She could have earned more respect from the Narnians and worked with them during her reign, but instead she chose to rule with fear and, as a result, herself constantly fears the usurpation of her throne. Her unlimited authority made her superior to everyone else in her mind, and that, coupled with her aforementioned sense of entitlement, is what led her to believe she stood a chance against Aslan and his eventual demise. The White Witch occupies an important place in the story. as a general symbol of wickedness and sin and its influence is felt most strongly by Edmund. She is as purely evil as Aslan is good. She is the source of all evil that lurks in Narnia and her works depict the evil that is always present in life, whether it is sin, cruelty, hatred, lies or selfishness . She does everything she can to disrupt and destroy those around her in order to take control of Narnia, but she struggles to maintain the upper hand. One of her powers was her ability to recognize Edmund's insecurity and use her magic to act on it, causing him to become as power hungry as her, but without him realizing it. mistake of what he had done. In chapter six, when he speaks to Peter about her, he says, “If it comes to that, which is the right side? How do we know the Fauns are right and the Queen (yes, I know, we've been told she's a witch) is wrong? We really don't know anything either. (Lewis, 60) Even though Edmund knew deep down that he was wrong about the possibility that the Witch was good, he wanted to convince himself that it could be true so that he wouldn't feel guilty about working with her and against his brothers and sisters. It also influences the way Narnians live and behave. His spell on Narnia which produced an endless winter makes its presence felt at all times and creates a melancholy connotation which gives the Narnians nothing elselooking forward to the many days of winter to come. In one case, a fox wanted to toast the queen, but when the witch asked him where he and his flock got the food and he replied that he got it from Santa, the witch was so in anger that she returned them. all in stone. She was so blinded by the arrival of Santa Claus and what his arrival foreshadowed about Aslan's return that she did not think about the fox's life and how it would affect him. However, through this continued wickedness and unfair treatment of animals, Edmund is able to realize the error of his ways. Lewis successfully creates an archetypically evil antagonist in the White Witch, and her role as a purely evil creature makes her synonymous with Satan. in relation to Aslan, like God and representative of all things evil. At a fundamental level, the world of Narnia imposes justice and will not allow wickedness to truly or permanently take root, just as it cannot take root in Edmund. Whereas Lewis intended to create a story that could serve as a metaphor for Christian temptation and the power of Christ through the use of symbolism and conflict, his unwavering greed and need to advance at the expense of others make him a perfect person. Narnia's symbol of sin and basic goodness is the perfect symbol of the innate goodness of people before evil was introduced. The moment that best shows her wicked nature is when she deceptively discusses her plans for Edmund by saying, "There are whole rooms full of Turkish delight, and besides, I don't have any children to Me. I want a good boy who I can raise as a prince and who will be the king of Narnia when I'm gone. (Lewis, 26) Much like the serpent that tempts Eve in the book of Genesis, the White Witch tempts Edmund with food that leaves anyone who consumes it eternally wanting more. In this case, he represents humanity and its willingness to sin for the objects of its desire and throughout the rest of the story, Edmund experiences a deep desire for more Turkish delights, which symbolize human greed, the one of the seven deadly sins. Likewise, here, the witch represents the temptation that Satan possesses which allows him to entice people to give in to sin. Although she already planned to use him to discover her siblings and secure her power, her ability to hide her intentions and appeal to her own greed and selfishness is a quality that every good villain should possess. An important indicator of the role of the witch, in the Book of Revelation, found in the Christian Bible, Satan reigns over all of Earth before God finally comes to take all of his followers to heaven. In The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, the White Witch claimed to be the rightful ruler of Narnia in Aslan's absence and once she returns, winter ends and the Witch is dethroned. These are all examples of the underlying biblical message that appears throughout the story and in the identities of most of the characters. However, the lack of depth or real motivating factor makes him a rather two-dimensional character, in my opinion. While I understand how the White Witch's tendency to perform unnecessary evil acts adds to the biblical metaphor by equating her inherently evil nature with that of Satan, it is at least believed that Satan achieved her desire to promote evil as revenge for his expulsion from Heaven. . And while providing incentive for his evil acts may give too much complexity to the intended child audience and lead other readers to sympathize or identify with his character, without it one wonders what the situation is in his together and..