I began reading The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis. C. S. Lewis writes in a very interesting way. His writing is very easy to understand. However, he does use some words and wordings that are now considered archaic. That is because the book was written in 1955 and the story is set even farther back in time. That’s over fifty-five years old. He uses description and foreshadowing that make the reader always want to read the next page. One of his interesting descriptions was how he described the character Digory.

“The face of the strange boy was very grubby. It could hardly have been grubbier if he had first rubbed his hands in the earth, and then had a good cry, and then dried his face with his hands. As a matter of fact this was very nearly what he had been doing.”

-The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis

Two characters, Polly, a young girl, and Digory, a young boy, end up finding themselves transported by magic to a Wood between Worlds. They are very daring to try ponds in that woods that lead to worlds other than their own. On one such jump, they end up in Charn, a world much older than the present world.

“Low down and near the horizon hung a great red sun, far bigger than our sun. Digory felt at once that it was also older than ours: a sun near the end of its life, weary of looking down upon that world.”

-The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis

I think it is unique how C. S. Lewis characterizes and provides personification for the sun of Charn.

As the children are traveling through the rooms of Charn, they come upon a room filled with images of kings and queen. The images faces are described as in the start being nice looking faces, but as the children move on down the line, the faces become crueler and meaner. At the end, they come to a lady whom Digory describes as very beautiful. I am surprised that the children did not see that she was at the end of cruel faces and fear her.

Digory comes upon a bell with an inscription that reads:

            “Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;

            Strike the Bell and bide the danger,

            Or wonder, till it drives you mad,

            What would have followed if you had.”

            -The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis

Digory then follows up reading the inscription with stopping Polly from returning to safety and hitting the bell. Clearly he had little restraint on his curiosity enough to wonder if his actions that were to follow would put anyone in danger. The beautiful image at the end came to life, and immediately the children could recognize that she was cruel even though they still did what she said without thinking. She wants to go to Digory and Polly’s world, and I am eager to find out what happens next.