"Someday you will be old enough to read fairy tales again..." - A personal appreciation for The Chronicles of Narnia

 

     Dear Reader,

   I didn't know whether I wanted this to be a standard book/movie review, but I think the best thing I can offer to uphold my promise of writing the truth and staying true to myself, is if I write what effect this series and its character had and still have on me, rather than my basic opinions. I am no critic and therefore I find the idea of sharing my opinions rather futile. If one is interested in the story then by all means dear reader, look it up! Don't take others' word for it! Follow your curiosity and delve deep into the magical creation of C.S. Lewis! However, through this reflection shall I dare call it, I intend on digging through the roots of what Narnia truly means to me and maybe through this, maybe just maybe, I can encourage you to listen and let Narnia's voice reveal itself to you.

   So... here it goes.

   Ever since I was a young girl I'd always loved the wondrous world of Narnia: Where centaurs thrived, lions could talk and seasons danced to an eternal melody of youth and nostalgia. It was something I was always fixated upon, being able to escape into a new world which was devoid of pain and suffering and full of the most enrapturing sights and tales. 

  Many come to grow and know Narnia through their parents, through a librarian recommending a good read or even simply through stumbling across the films... But not me, funnily enough I was lucky to have C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe as part of my syllabus of books that I needed to analyse and study. When I was first introduced to this spellbinding tale, I was a young fledgling dreamer in an imaginary world where work and stress did not exist so much so that like any other child I'd hate having to study, despise and loathe my teacher when they assigned homework and cry at my desk when trying to understand the brain-wracking mathematics known as algebra. 

   English Literature however, proved to be somewhat different.

   As I listened to my dear passionate teacher read the first words penned by C.S. Lewis, I knew I'd be hooked. The way the imagery toyed with my mind and the characters that flowed and came alive through these pages proved to be a form of solace in my heart when all I saw was confusion. At just 11-years-old I didn't know who I wanted to become and with the new path full of a plethora of subjects I had never had before awaiting my attention, I was lost. 

   Growing up I was never a bookworm nor was I a fanatic of literature. I found it uncompelling, mundane and inexpressive but for some reason as I ventured through seventh grade, friendless, with new shining shoes and a brand-new crisp and fresh uniform, I devoured the tale of the Pevensies too many times to count that I scored high in the exam due to having known these four children like the back of my hand. What's more is that I didn't just know them I felt as though I had lived with them. I needed to feel something different, I needed to feel that like them, I was the main character of my story fulfilling some century-old prophecy. It is through them that I learnt four pillars which still help me trudge on till this day.

   Peter taught me that as we grow older we must begin to overcome the inevitable and welcome it with courage and strength for like him we may become magnificent.

Edmund through his clever and boyish attitude taught me that ambition and strength only come with humility and acceptance and if we want to be successful, we need to let go of the mortal thoughts and emotions which can hold us back. Like him in that respect, we too may become just.

   Susan taught me that although one must be logical and mature we must also be kind and caring. Like her, we may become gentle.

   

   And last but not least, Lucy taught me that even though one can be a small voice in a choir of singers, it does not matter, for one's tiny melody is still roaring and proud like the rest's forming part of something much larger. And therefore like her, we may be valiant.

   It is through them and the journey that they venture, that I took on to reading more and more books across my secondary school years. It is through them that I was able to become a Gryffindor, an assassin, a fairy, demigod, a swashbuckling pirate or even a normal peasant girl who managed to free a Fate from his curse!

   We are all called to be many things and although that may seem daunting, I believe that sometimes, who we want to become is who we already are, and who we need to become is who we need to believe in just like characters we read in novels. It's one thing enduring a gargantuan pile of things with them but another when we actually learn from them and their flaws. This is what Narnia was for me and what it still is. Like many it is one of our many dreams but to me, it will always and forever be home.

Yours,

   

Pearl's Odyssey (2025) All rights reserved ©