In spite o the accusations of being a misogynist and encouraging the young minds to embrace such theories related to gender stereotypes, Polly and Diggory, the first two children to populate the series, are far from impersonating stereotypes. Polly appears to be a smart and sensitive young girl, wiser to some degree than her friend, Diggory. In opposition to the children who regardless of their gender, seem to share similar degrees of intelligence, courage and common sense, the adults they describe as part of their reality are more likely to express what to some degree could be the result of certain personal convictions of the author in the two fields of gender that are not very flattering for women in general.
Nevertheless, the novels of the Chronicles are valuable, among other things, because of their potential to enchant, keep the reader interested and intrigued all the way up to the very end and last but not least, make one start asking questions. As mentioned before, the way the stories are presented is not illustrating a strong will to present indisputable truths, but merely to entertain children while making adults stop and reflect on their own condition and the condition of the world they are living in.
The second book of the series, from the story's chronology point-of-view, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, introduces the four Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. The story is a fairy tale, but what the author witnessed in the real world: children war refugees are incorporated in the novel, in the spirit CS Lewis cultivates all along the series. The four children "were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids. They were sent to the house of an old Professor who lived in the heart of the country, ten miles from the nearest railway station and two miles from the nearest post office" (Lewis, the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, p. 3).
The battle between good and evil continues, but the border between the two becomes more blurry. Tumnus, the faun Lucy first encounters could be on either side, for example. And as the story develops, he reveals himself as being on the side of the latter. Children are finding out about a different kind of weakness, the kind that makes someone harm others in spite of one's own will. This is yet another proof of CS Lewis' rather sensible way of presenting his young readers with darker sides of the human existence.
The writer's sensitivity and creative mind have helped him create a series of novels destined to young readers that impresses and dazzles them, while introducing them into the world of adults. The books are not meant to shock children or win them over by cheap means, but they function as open windows into the world that encourages one to use one's mind and listen to one's soul.
Lewis CS. Baynes P.. The Magician's Nephew, Book 1. HarperCollins, 1994
Lewis CS, Baynes P. The Chronicles of Narnia: The lion, the witch and the wardrobe. HarperCollins, 2000
Lewis CS. Dorsett LW. Mead, ML C.S. Lewis' Letters to Children. Simon and Schuster, 1996
Hooper W.C.S. Lewis: A Complete Guide to His Life & Works. HarperCollins, 1998
Lindsley a.C.S. Lewis: His Life and Works. C'S. Lewis Institute. Discipleship of Heart and Mind. Last updated on Tue, 2009-09-29. Available at: http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/cslewis/index.htm
Sample Source(s) Used
Lewis CS. Dorsett LW. Mead, ML C.S. Lewis' Letters to Children. Simon and Schuster, 1996
Hooper W.C.S. Lewis: A Complete Guide to His Life & Works. HarperCollins, 1998
Lindsley a.C.S. Lewis: His Life and Works. C'S. Lewis Institute. Discipleship of Heart and Mind. Last updated on Tue, 2009-09-29. Available at: http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/cslewis/index.htm
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