“The Magician’s Nephew” Conclusion
C.S. Lewis Read-Along, Vol. 6, Issue 17
Of all the Narnia books, The Magician’s Nephew might be the most deeply personal to C.S. Lewis. At the heart of the story is a little boy facing the death of his mother. This was a grief Lewis knew all too well, having lost his mom, Flora Hamilton Lewis, when he was just 10.
Unfortunately, this grief became real for me during my preparation for this read-along. My mother died last October on my birthday. I certainly did not lose her as early as Lewis lost his mother. Still, regardless of when that loss comes, there is a grief unique to saying goodbye to the person who first welcomed you into this world.
I’m a writer and a reader because my mom read to me. I entered Narnia through her voice at bedtime. If you’ve gained anything from my writing about Narnia and Lewis, you owe her a debt of gratitude.
I hope you’ll be able to thank her one day when you meet her in God’s new creation. Similarly, I hope to meet Lewis’ mom and thank her for inspiring him.
As Lewis wrote the Narnia series, he was working through his grief and writing his spiritual autobiography, Surprised by Joy. Perhaps that’s why it took him so long to finish this book.
The other Narnia books flowed out almost effortlessly. The Magician’s Nephew was pulled out over several years. The pain was still too real, but he eventually turned it into a beautiful story.
The development of The Magician’s Nephew is in some ways the story of the book itself. Digory and Polly struggle through pain and hardship, but in the end, Aslan uses it all for good.
Reading The Magician’s Nephew, we’re reminded that God is lovingly crafting our story from the beginning to the end. Even the difficult moments are no match for His storytelling prowess.
We may not see our heartbreak immediately reversed as Digory saw with his mother’s healing—Lewis didn’t—but we know that our current circumstances are only part of the story God is writing. Our story is not over until He says so.
In the meantime, even when we feel our life resembles the ruined city of Charn, we trust that God is “working all things together for the good of those who love and are called according to His purposes.”
We can trust Him because, like Digory, we can look into His face and see that He cares for us. He is a God acquainted with suffering, acquainted with grief. Evil has entered His good creation, but He has seen to it that the worst has fallen on Himself.
Regardless of what we encounter, we hope because we have seen His face.
Below, you’ll find brief summaries for each article with links to the full piece. I’ve removed the paywall from the introduction, but the read-alongs for each chapter are still for paid subscribers only.
There are also links to the more than 130 resources used to develop the read-along, including 35 from Lewis himself. Some are books available for purchase, but many are free articles and podcasts to more deeply explore Lewis, Narnia, and The Magician’s Nephew.
The Magician’s Nephew introduction — Lewis said the story “tells the creation and how evil entered Narnia.” It also describes much of his own personal journey.
Chapter 1 “The Wrong Door” — This is a story that starts with a male and a female in a garden. No, it’s not that Story, but it does reflect that story and reminds us of our need to overcome temptation and discover the right door that leads to redemption.
Chapter 2 “Digory and His Uncle” — Lewis gives us iconic and interesting villains, but he does that without making them somehow praiseworthy or morally complicated. Readers may appreciate Uncle Andrew as a fictional character, but no one admires the character of his person.
Chapter 3 “The Wood Between the Worlds” — We, as individuals and as humanity, are not the center of the universe. There is something and Someone behind it all that provides the gravity to the world and focus to the story.
Chapter 4 “The Bell and the Hammer” — Despite his earlier bravery in going after Polly, Digory shows he could easily become like his uncle. Our individual, everyday choices matter because of the trajectory they set for our lives.
Chapter 5 “The Deplorable Word” — Digory is learning from his mistakes, but Jadis will refuse. The elevation of self automatically leads to the dismissal of others, but that ultimately leads to the downfall of self.
Chapter 6 “The Beginning of Uncle Andrew’s Troubles” — Digory and Polly’s interaction with Jadis in different circumstances serves as an apt illustration of how temptation comes across in various situations. We must resist even when it seems impossible because victory may be waiting in the next moment.
Chapter 7 “What Happened at the Front Door” — Hope and longing, even in the most difficult circumstances, is something that followed Lewis throughout his life. He saw the longing as pointing beyond itself to a real joy that awaited us.
Chapter 8 “The Fight at the Lamp-Post” — Both Lewis and his friend J.R.R. Tolkien craft creation myths in their worlds that involve singing. They highlight for us the beauty and brokenness involved in creating.
Chapter 9 “The Founding of Narnia” — Not all fears are the same. Some are appropriate senses of awe. Others hinder us from becoming what we should be. Uncle Andrew had the chance to encounter the first, but the second kept him in a place of exploitation instead of experience.
Chapter 10 “The First Joke and Other Matters” — Using Uncle Andrew, C.S. Lewis demonstrates that “the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed.” Meanwhile, the Talking Beasts of Narnia learn that “jokes as well as justice come in with speech.” Both are good and necessary.
Chapter 11 “Digory and His Uncle Are Both in Trouble” — Both Uncle Andrew and Digory face the consequences of their actions. For his part, Digory accepts the need for confession. Meanwhile, the Cabby begins to accept his new (but true) identity as king of Narnia.
Chapter 12 “Strawberry’s Adventure” — First, Digory is focused on Aslan’s paws. He wants something from him. But then “in his despair, he looked up at its face.” That changes everything. When we look to God’s face, we can appreciate that the greatest thing we can have is God’s presence.
Chapter 13 “An Unexpected Meeting” — In writing his own garden scene, Lewis draws on a multitude of biblical and literary inspirations because he wants to push us deeper to find wisdom in ancient texts. But within his own story, he gives us a perspective on temptation that can help us navigate those moments in our own lives.
Chapter 14 “The Planting of the Tree” — As Digory finds his contentment in Aslan and trusting in His goodness, he discovers the good Lion gives good gifts. Our trust in God’s goodness is rewarded, but always in His ways in His timing. When we try to circumvent those, we find suffering.
Chapter 15 “The End of This Story and the Beginning of all the Others” — Lewis connects Narnia’s creation and dangers to the modern world while pointing readers back to the source of meaning and renewal. We gain hope despite our circumstances by looking to God’s face.
Further up and further in
Resources used and referenced during the read-along
Books by C.S. Lewis
The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 1: Family Letters, 1905-1931
The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 2: Books, Broadcasts, and the War, 1931-1949
The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 3: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy, 1950-1963
Books about C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis: The Companion and Guide — Walter Hooper
Past Watchful Dragons: The Origin, Interpretation, and Appreciation of the Chronicles of Narnia — Walter Hooper
Companion to Narnia: A Complete Guide to the Magical World of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia — Paul Ford
Into the Wardrobe: C.S. Lewis and the Narnia Chronicles — David C. Downing
Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis — Michael Ward
The Narnia Code: C.S. Lewis and the Secret of the Seven Heavens — Michael Ward
The Keys to the Chronicles: Unlocking the Symbols of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia — Marvin Hinten
The C.S. Lewis Readers’ Encyclopedia — Editors: Jeffrey Schultz, John G. West, Jr.
Becoming C.S. Lewis: A Biography of Young Jack Lewis — Harry Lee Poe
The Making of C.S. Lewis: From Atheist to Apologist (1918-1945) — Harry Lee Poe
The Completion of C.S. Lewis: From War to Joy (1945-1963) — Harry Lee Poe
C.S. Lewis: A Life — Alister McGrath
The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis — Alan Jacobs
C.S. Lewis: A Biography — Roger Lancelyn Green, Walter Hooper
Articles
Star Wars: Rebels Executive Producer Dave Filoni Inspired by Magician’s Nephew — The Lion’s Call
“Sub-creation or Smuggled Theology: Tolkien Contra Lewis on Christian Fantasy,” C.S. Lewis Institute — David Downing
“Tolkien vs. Lewis on Faith and Fantasy,” CSLewis.com — David Downing, Devin Brown
“Narnia and Middle-earth: When Two Worlds Collide,” Catholic Culture — Joseph Pearce
“The Music of Creation in Tolkien and Lewis,” The Wheel Journal — Andrej Strocaŭ
“Planting Toffee Trees,” Midnight Ink — Karissa Riffel
“Songs of Creation: In the Beginning Tolkien and Lewis Created Narnia and Middle-earth,” Jokien with Tolkien — Josh aka J.R.R. Jokien
“Into the Wild Woods: On the Significance of Trees and Forests in Fantasy Fiction,” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 36: No. 1, Article 4 — Weronika Łaszkiewicz
“Lewis and Clarke in the Caves: Art and Platonic Worlds in Piranesi,” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 40: No. 1, Article 5 — Julie Dugger
“… And There Shall The Lilith Repose,” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 14: No. 4, Article 1 — Heather Blasdell
“C. S. Lewis and Artificial Intelligence: An AI Ethics Problem,” Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal: Vol. 19: Issue 1, Article 7 — Justin Edgerly
“C.S. Lewis’ Passages: Chronological Age and Spiritual Development in Narnia,” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 11: No. 3, Article 10 — Doris Myers
“The Lore of Wood and Stone: Magic in the Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings,” Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal: Vol. 3: Issue 1, Article 5 — Louis Markos
“The Face of the Materialist Magician: Lewis, Tolkien, and the Art of Crossing Perilous Streets,” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 35: No. 1, Article 2 — Robert Boenig
“Recasting the Discarded Image: C. S. Lewis on the Modern Side,” Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal: Vol. 7: Issue 1, Article 5 — Sanford Schwartz
“Narnian Stars,” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 37: No. 2, Article 10 — Ruth Berman
“C.S. Lewis’ Aesthetics,” Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal: Vol. 3: Issue 1, Article 7 — Adam Barkman
“Why Father Christmas Appears in Narnia,” Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal: Vol. 3: Issue 1, Article 6 — P.H. Brazier
“C.S. Lewis, Platonism, and Aslan’s Country: Symbols of Heaven in The Chronicles of Narnia,” Inklings Forever: Published Colloquium Proceedings 1997-2016: Vol. 7, Article 5 — Dennis Fisher
“Toward a Narnian Valuation of Nature: Participatory Ontology,” Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal: Vol. 2: Issue 1, Article 3 — Jeff Sellars
“The Talking Beasts as Adam and Eve: Lewis and the Complexity of ‘Dominion,’” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 38, No. 1: Article 7 — Jean Graham
“‘The whole art and joy of words:’ Aslan’s Speech in the Chronicles of Narnia,” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 24: No. 1, Article 3 — Joy Alexander
“Conflict, Forgiveness, and the Healing of Harms in C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia,” Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal: Vol. 10: Issue 1, Article 9 — Jeffrey A. Misener
“Putting Eternity in Reader’s Hearts: C.S. Lewis and the Art of Sehnsucht,” Papers Presented at Previous Colloquia: 4 — Torri B. Frye
“C. S. Lewis: Christian Educator for a Post-Christian Era,” Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal: Vol. 7: Issue 1, Article 8 — Mark A. Pike
“‘They Have Quarreled with the Trees:’ Perverted Perceptions of ‘Progress’ in the Fiction Series of C.S. Lewis,” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 32: No. 2, Article 6 — Deborah Klein
“A Beast’s Best Friend: Interspecies Friendship in the Thought of C. S. Lewis,” Inklings Forever: Published Colloquium Proceedings 1997-2016: Vol. 10, Article 59 — Edwin Woodruff Tait
“Narrating Pain: C.S. Lewis and the Problem of Evil,” Inklings Forever: Published Colloquium Proceedings 1997-2016: Vol. 4, Article 27 — Samuel Joeckel
“Flight Instructor for the Soul: C.S. Lewis’s Vision of Human Freedom through an Imaginative Obedience,” Inklings Forever: Published Colloquium Proceedings 1997-2016: Vol. 6, Article 13 — Corey J. Kinna
“An Introduction to Narnia - Part II: The Geography of the Chronicles,” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 2: No. 3, Article 5 — J.R. Christopher
“Paradise Retold: Lewis’s Reimagining of Milton, Eden, and Eve,” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 37: No. 1, Article 3 — Benita Huffman Muth
“Mount Purgatory Arises near Narnia,” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 23: No. 2, Article 7 — Joe Christopher
“A Darker Ignorance: C. S. Lewis and the Nature of the Fall,” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 24: No. 1, Article 5 — Mary Bowman
“In Defense of the Fairy Tale: C.S. Lewis’s Argument for the Value and Importance of the Fairy Tale,” Inklings Forever: Published Colloquium Proceedings 1997-2016: Vol. 4, Article 31 — Constance Rice
“Always Winter and Never Christmas: Symbols of Time in Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia,” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 18: No. 1, Article 2 — Nancy-Lou Patterson
“‘Happily Ever After’ for the Twenty-First Century? Sex, Love, and Human Identity in C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia,” Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal: Vol. 10: Issue 1, Article 8 — Monika B. Hilder
“The Psychology of Hell: Privation, Exclusion, and Banishment as Symbols of Hell in the Life of C.S. Lewis,” Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal: Vol. 12: Issue 1, Article 6 — Reggie Weems
“Grief Observed: Pain and Suffering in the Writings of C.S. Lewis and Frederick Buechner,” Inklings Forever: Published Colloquium Proceedings 1997-2016: Vol. 7, Article 2 — Victoria S. Allen
Podcasts
Wade Center Podcast “Into Narnia, Vol. 6, The Magician’s Nephew” — Marion E. Wade Center, Wheaton College
The C.S. Lewis Podcast with Alister McGrath “#23 The Magician’s Nephew” — Premiere Insights
Works by others
Paradise Lost — John Milton
Education of Uncle Paul — Algernon Blackwood
The Wood Beyond the World — William Morris
She: A History of Adventure — Rider Haggard
Ayesha: The Return of She — Rider Haggard
King Solomon’s Mine — H. Rider Haggard
The Sword in the Stone — T.H. White
Mistress Masham’s Repose — T.H. White
The Story of the Treasure Seekers — Edith Nesbit
Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Treasure Island — Robert Louis Stevenson
Jane Eyre — Charlotte Brontë
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien — Editor: Humphrey Carpenter
The Lord of the Rings — J.R.R. Tolkien
The Silmarillion — J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit — J.R.R. Tolkien
Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth — J.R.R. Tolkien
The Wood Beyond the World — William Morris
The Idea of the Holy — Rudolf Otto
A Modern Utopia — H.G. Wells
Men Like Gods — H.G. Wells
Sideways in Time — Murray Leinster
Star Maker — Olaf Stapledon
Dark Matter — Blake Crouch
Piranesi — Susanna Clarke
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell — Susanna Clarke
Summa Theologica — Thomas Aquinas
Everlasting Man — G.K. Chesterton
Lilith — George MacDonald
Decent Into Hell — Charles Williams
On the Incarnation — Athanasius of Alexandria, Sister Penelope Lawson (Translator), C.S. Lewis (introduction)
The Divine Comedy — Dante
Roman de la Rose — Guillaume de Lorris
The Monkey’s Paw and Other Tales of Mystery and the Macabre — W.W. Jacobs
Previous articles in the C.S. Lewis read-along:
Entries for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair and The Horse and His Boy.
Coming Soon
In the next year, we will finish the Narnia series with The Last Battle, but we will also do a Narnia movie and Greta Gerwig watch-along to prepare for Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew in theaters.
When the movie was releasing on Thanksgiving, I had planned on the movie watch-along being this fall. But now that the release date has changed, we may change our dates as well. Let me know what you think.
Which would you like to do next: the Narnia and Gerwig movies or The Last Battle?
Thank you for all your research and writing. I have enjoyed this trip through The Magician's Nephew. I am looking forward to The Last Battle.
Enjoyed this. My condolences upon the passing of your mother.
My vote is for "The Last Battle."