Towards the end of World War II, many colonized countries began rebellions against their imperial colonizers and some were successful in gaining independence. Most notably, India, was led by a revolutionist, Mahatma Gandhi, who sought and won the Indian Independence movement in British-ruled India. While the world saw this politically unstable atmosphere of colonized locations gaining their freedom; the populace of these imperial nations found themselves thrust into the ethical foray of granting independence to colonized nations. Meanwhile, the world stood and took notice of how a country, such as India, was able to seek out and win their independence from Britain and soon other national rebellions ensued. Herein, C.S Lewis began writing a
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This theory usually deals with characters and locations that are pushed off to the margins and are not usually seen. Additionally, the theory explores the spatiality within the text and how it functions and parallels that of Europe vs. non-Europe relations. When a reader critically examines the origins of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, they note the obvious allegorical connections between the Bible and the story of Narnia. However, viewing this world and novel with a post-colonialist perspective, it reveals the complexity of many more discourses about the purpose of characters and locations. By looking at the world with this viewpoint, we can expose the 1000-year-old oppression through colonization that the White Witch renders over the land of Narnia and how that affects the inhabitants. We can look at the origins of Narnia and the White Witch to draw parallels between Europe’s relationship with its colonies. Additionally, we can explore how domestic conflict can affect and be affected by international conflicts as seen through the characters of Edmund Pevensie, the traitorous sibling who is redeemed, and Aslan, the all-mighty who must sacrifice himself to save Edmund. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe cannot be completely reconciled to a strictly post-colonial reading, but rather looking at the work with such a lens opens …show more content…
Her face was white - not merely pale, but white like snow or paper or icing-sugar, except for her very red mouth. It was a beautiful face in other respects, but proud and cold and stern.” (Lewis, 16). It appears to denote a seemingly strong parallel to “White colonialism” and their haughty pride in obtaining “wealth” as symbolized by the Witch’s gold crown. European Colonizers often thought themselves more beautiful than their conquered darker-skinned natives. Pale skin, light eyes and an overinflated sense of civility ushered in an era of presumed dominance. The White Witch, a suitable name in description, shows the obvious parallel between Europe and its colonies. The native Narnians are “animals” with human qualities or animalistic half-human creatures; while The White Witch more closely resembles a “human” and can superficially be considered “civilized” due to her clothing, gold, imperialist language, Fortress, etc. The symbolism of the color white for this story functions as evil and death as the white snow covers the once rich land of Narnia with the kind of permafrost that paralyzes life itself. Likewise, the White Witch is aptly named by the Native Narnians and Aslan, but does not refer herself as the ‘White Witch’, rather she is “her Imperial Majesty
This theory usually deals with characters and locations that are pushed off to the margins and are not usually seen. Additionally, the theory explores the spatiality within the text and how it functions and parallels that of Europe vs. non-Europe relations. When a reader critically examines the origins of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, they note the obvious allegorical connections between the Bible and the story of Narnia. However, viewing this world and novel with a post-colonialist perspective, it reveals the complexity of many more discourses about the purpose of characters and locations. By looking at the world with this viewpoint, we can expose the 1000-year-old oppression through colonization that the White Witch renders over the land of Narnia and how that affects the inhabitants. We can look at the origins of Narnia and the White Witch to draw parallels between Europe’s relationship with its colonies. Additionally, we can explore how domestic conflict can affect and be affected by international conflicts as seen through the characters of Edmund Pevensie, the traitorous sibling who is redeemed, and Aslan, the all-mighty who must sacrifice himself to save Edmund. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe cannot be completely reconciled to a strictly post-colonial reading, but rather looking at the work with such a lens opens …show more content…
Her face was white - not merely pale, but white like snow or paper or icing-sugar, except for her very red mouth. It was a beautiful face in other respects, but proud and cold and stern.” (Lewis, 16). It appears to denote a seemingly strong parallel to “White colonialism” and their haughty pride in obtaining “wealth” as symbolized by the Witch’s gold crown. European Colonizers often thought themselves more beautiful than their conquered darker-skinned natives. Pale skin, light eyes and an overinflated sense of civility ushered in an era of presumed dominance. The White Witch, a suitable name in description, shows the obvious parallel between Europe and its colonies. The native Narnians are “animals” with human qualities or animalistic half-human creatures; while The White Witch more closely resembles a “human” and can superficially be considered “civilized” due to her clothing, gold, imperialist language, Fortress, etc. The symbolism of the color white for this story functions as evil and death as the white snow covers the once rich land of Narnia with the kind of permafrost that paralyzes life itself. Likewise, the White Witch is aptly named by the Native Narnians and Aslan, but does not refer herself as the ‘White Witch’, rather she is “her Imperial Majesty