Topics for Discussion

1. How well does The Magician's Nephew answer your questions about the origins of Narnia?

2. Should Asian be angry at Digory? Is Digory at fault for bringing evil into Asian's new world?

3. Why does Digory not eat the fruit he picks in the walled garden? Why is it important that he brings the fruit uneaten to Asian?

4. Is Digory a better person at the end of The Magician's Nephew than he was at the start? How has he changed for the better or for the worse?



Lewis remarks that The Magician's Nephew "is a very important story because it shows how all the comings and goings between our own world and the land of Narnia first began." He had no trouble with the idea that life might exist on other planets, and before writing The Magician's Nephew, he had written three science fiction novels about what life on other planets might be like: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. In The Magician's Nephew, Lewis imagines the creation of a.....

Plot Summary

The sixth book in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew is in fact a prequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and tells the tale of the creation of Narnia and how evil was introduced into this magical land. Seen through the eyes of two children, Digory and Polly, the story weaves through several different worlds and examines the differences between good and evil hearts.

Digory Kirke and his ailing mother move into the London home of Letty and Andrew Ketterly, who are brother and sister. Digory soon meets Polly, the young girl who lives next door, and they begin spending a great deal of time together. They decide to try to get into the empty house that is attached to their row houses. Misjudging the distance, they wind.....

Digory Kirke

Digory is a young boy who has moved to London with his sick mother to live with her sister and brother. Digory meets Polly one day, and the two of them begin their explorations and adventures. Digory follows Polly to the Wood between the Worlds. They go to Charn, where Digory chooses to ring the golden bell with the hammer, awakening the evil Queen. In an attempt to save London from the Queen, Digory and Polly use the Rings again and wind up in Narnia. There, Digory is given the task of obtaining a silver apple from the garden on top of the hill. Digory is tempted to return to London with the apple to save his mother, but chooses to return to Narnia with it instead. Aslan gives him another apple, which does.....


Objects/Places

Uncle Andrew's Attic Study

The room is furnished as a sitting room, with books on the shelves. There is a fireplace and a high backed chair that sits in front of it. Filling most of the middle of the room is a big table, piled high with books and writing materials. The magic Rings are also on the table.

Polly and Digory accidentally enter the room when they are trying to reach the deserted house on the other side of Digory's home. Uncle Andrew makes them stay, and then tricks them into using the Rings for his 'experiment.' When the children return with the Witch, they first come to the attic room.

Charn

In their exploration of the pools, Digory and Polly land in Charn, a very old world with a big, red, cold sun. Queen Jadis destroyed.....

Setting

Digory and Polly live on a city block in London where all the houses share a common attic, from one end of the street to the other. It is while exploring this attic that they enter Uncle Andrew's study. The study is not particularly interesting, except that it has some rings in it that, when worn, can transport their wearers to other places. One place is the Wood between the Worlds, which is composed of trees and a scattering of pools of water. The pools seem shallow, but when a person steps in one, that person drops though onto another planet. "It's not the sort of place where things happen. The trees go on growing, that's all," says Digory about the woods, but pools that transport people to other worlds make the place seem active enough......


Social Sensitivity

The Magician's Nephew can be read as a great adventure, and it is likely that the adventure is what appeals most to its readers. An undercurrent to the adventure is kindness and mercy. After Digory brings evil into Asian's beautiful new world, he is given a chance to redeem himself, and in so doing, he brings peace and freedom from evil.....


Literary Qualities

Part of what Lewis wanted to do in The Magician's Nephew was explore the Godlike creation of an entire world. Therefore, he draws on the Bible for the pattern of creation. He begins with a world that "was uncommonly like Nothing," much as "the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep."

(Genesis 1:1) in the Bible. Genesis 1:2 says that "the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Lewis imagines the movement of God's spirit as a song: A voice had begun to sing. It was very far away and Digory found it hard to decide from what direction it was coming. Sometimes it seemed to come from all directions at once. Sometimes he almost thought it was coming out of the earth beneath.....


Themes

Creation vs. Destruction

One of the central contrasts in the novel is between creation and destruction, or beginning and end. This contrast can be seen most effectively through the creation of Narnia and the destruction of Charn.

When Digory and Polly arrive in Charn, they feel that Charn is dead, cold, and empty. There are no people and no other forms of life. The landscape is in ruins. The buildings often don't look very safe, and the place looks like it has been deserted for years. A red sun hangs in the sky, and Digory feels that it is much older than the one in London. It feels to him like a sun that was at the end of its life, tired of being in the sky and looking down on Charn. After Digory wakes Queen Jadis,.....



Themes and Characters

The Magician's Nephew features a complex interaction among its characters, but Digory Kirke is the main character. At the start of the novel, Digory and his mother are living with his aunt, because his mother is deathly ill and cannot care for him. One important aspect of The Magician's Nephew is how Digory matures from chapter to chapter. At the start of the novel, he is impulsive and determined to have his own way, even when having his own way hurts others. When on Charn, he actually hurts Polly in order to ring the bell that revives Jadis.

On the other hand, Polly, who lives down the block from Digory, is not as driven in her behavior as Digory. After all, her mother is not dying. She just wants to make friends, and crawling through.....


Style

Points of View

In The Magician's Nephew, Lewis writes in a third person omniscient perspective. The narrator is not a part of the story, although he does address the reader at several points in the story. This narrator is privy to the thoughts and feelings of Digory and Polly, in particular. The reader is able to especially see the sadness, hope, and temptations of Digory. By knowing Digory's thoughts, one can recognize the motivations behind his actions, and also how he feels about the events in Narnia.

The focus on the thoughts and feelings of Digory and Polly help to center the story on these characters and their adventures. This is important for several reasons. First, the focus on Digory and Polly helps to draw younger readers into the story. By allowing the reader to see their.....

Quotes

"But what she noticed first was a bright red wooden tray with a number of rings on it. They were in pairs - a yellow one and a green one together, than a little space, and then another yellow one and another green one. They were no bigger than ordinary rings, and no one could help noticing them because they were so bright." Chapter 1, pg. 9

"It was too late. Exactly as he spoke, Polly's hand went out to touch one of the rings. And immediately, without a flash or a noise or a warning of any sort, there was no Polly. Digory and his Uncle were alone in the room." Chapter 2, pg. 14

"The stuff of which both were made had all come from the wood. The stuff in the yellow Rings had the power.....


Suggested Essay Topics

Compare and contrast the four worlds that Digory and Polly find themselves in. In what ways are they similar? In what ways are they different?

Polly, Digory, and Cabby can all understand Aslan and the other animals. Why can't Uncle Andrew? What about his personality and actions make him unable to hear?

Describe the scene between the Witch and Digory in the garden on top of the hill. Why do you think he chose to return with the apple for Aslan instead of bringing it to his mother?

Discuss the religious parallels that Lewis uses within the story. Why do.....


1. How well does The Magician's Nephew answer questions about the history of Narnia that arise in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?

2. Should The Magician's Nephew or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe be read first in "The Chronicles of Narnia"? Why?

3. How does the creation story of The Magician's Nephew differ from that found in Genesis? What is significant about the differences?

4. How is Jadis "terribly practical?" Why would this be evil?

5. What events in The Magician's Nephew foreshadow events in other novels in "The Chronicles of Narnia"?

6. What are the examples of Digory wanting to learn in The Magician's Nephew?

How does his desire to learn affect his.....