Sibling Differences in Narnia

This article was originally published in The Catholic News Herald of the diocese of Charlotte.

I never tire of revisiting certain authors and books, especially C.S. Lewis and his Chronicles of Narnia. In fact, the older I get, the more I find to love in these books. It makes me appreciate the dedication that Lewis wrote for the first book, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” in which he tells his goddaughter that “someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”

During my latest reading, I was struck in a new way by the characters of Lucy and Edmund Pevensie. Though close in age and coming from the same family, Lucy and Edmund have very different experiences and reactions to the enchanted world of Narnia, and this seems very analogous to so many real-life families when it comes to faith.

In “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” Lucy Pevensie finds her way into an incredible land through a magic wardrobe. Soon, all four of the Pevensie children have found their way into Narnia, where they encounter all kinds of fantastical creatures, including the evil White Witch and the good lion, Aslan.

But not all of the children react in the same way. Edmund is the second of the children to find his way through the wardrobe. While Lucy’s first meeting is with a kind, well-meaning faun, Edmund’s encounter is with the White Witch herself. She speaks endearingly to him, giving him treats and enchanted candy, promising to make him a prince and one day a king. She sets herself in Edmund’s eyes as the rightful ruler of Narnia, and one who has given him special favor.

Edmund’s initiation to Narnia is one of deception and sweet lies, which his heart tells him are false but which he still gobbles down.

Later, once all the siblings have entered Narnia, this poison in Edmund’s heart is revealed to the reader when the children first hear the name of Aslan, the great Lion who represents Jesus Christ in Lewis’ mythology. Upon first hearing this name, Peter, Susan and Lucy all respond with reactions of inexpressible delight. Edmund, on the other hand, “felt a sensation of mysterious horror.” This corruption of Edmund’s character culminates in his betrayal of his siblings to the White Witch; though ultimately, he does repent and is redeemed though the mercy and sacrifice of Aslan.

Same upbringing, divergent paths

It would be easy to dismiss these reactions among the children as a literary device, but how many of us know families, perhaps even our own, where a sibling or two (or more) have left the faith, despite all having received the same upbringing? They’ve received the same education, witnessed the same examples, and yet at some point their paths diverge.

It’s made clear that Edmund is not a bad type by nature, but neither his siblings nor the readers are given his full story. The other children at first know nothing about his meeting with the Witch, the lies she told him and the promises she made, and so they couldn’t understand how his perception of Narnia and of Aslan had already been tainted.

Toward the end of the book, readers are given just a tidbit more about how Edmund had started behaving poorly after beginning to attend a new school. What happened to him at this new school? What was he exposed to? What lies were fed to him there?

In real life, even more than in fiction, every person’s history is unique, and we can never know the entirety of anyone’s story. Perhaps your own sibling or child has stopped attending church and you don’t understand why. Perhaps you have tried to talk to them about Christ and share your love of the faith with them, but it only seems to drive them further away. In his book “Life of Christ,” Fulton Sheen discusses how Jesus even in His own time could create such disparities: “He would act on one soul in one way, and another in another way, as the sun shines on wax and softens it, and it shines on mud and hardens it. There is no difference in the sun, only in the objects on which it shines.”

Why do some harden, others melt?

We can never know the lies that someone has been told or the impressions they’ve been given; lies that have settled in their hearts and caused them to harden rather than melt when exposed to Christ’s light. Edmund began to change with something that must have happened at his new school, something the rest of his siblings were not exposed to and were never told about, and perhaps this is what made him vulnerable to the deceptions and bribery of the Witch that caused his heart to recoil at the name of Aslan.

But just as Edmund was redeemed and forgiven by Aslan, we also live with the reality of Christ’s mercy and forgiveness. If we have loved ones whose faith has lapsed, we must continue to pray for them and be willing to welcome them back with open arms – the way that Lucy, Peter and Susan welcomed Edmund back without hesitation.