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Narnia The Volumes
In the first volume called "The Magician's Nephew", a boy named Digory and his friend Polly accidentally stumble into the forbidden attic of Digory's uncle. The uncle uses magical glowing rings to tempt Polly into entering a spatial dimension called Charn, and Digory follows her. They discover a frozen old world, and Digory inadvertently released Jadis, an evil White Witch, from her prison.
She follows them to their own world and when they try to bring her back to Charn, they accidentally bring her into Narnia. This is how their tale begins. Caughy (42) emphasizes that fact that because it was Digory who released the witch from her prison, it befalls on him to protect Narnia from her evils.
Later on, in the volume The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lucy Pevensie discovers the entrance to Narnia through a wardrobe in the house of none other than Digory, who is now an old professor.
Afterwards, Edmund joins her and they discover the wondrous and dangerous things that lie within that kingdom. In subsequent volumes, siblings Susan and Peter join and also visit Narnia, as well as Eustace, their cousin and his friend Jill, at different occasions. While they aren't responsible for the new evils of Narnia, say scholars like Bruner & Ware (124-126), they become the ones who must help the Narnians, and they do so willingly.
Generally speaking, it is quite easy to see that the Chronicles of Narnia are not merely adventure stories of young children, but elaborate tales which deal with many subjects like overcoming one's transgressions and sins, resisting temptation, conquering one's fears, fighting physical and spiritual battles, the subject of good and evil and the overall maturation and personal growth of man, as Kilby (212) and Murray (155) illustrate in their books.
The stories are full of theological and biblical references and have many similarities to both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Right it the very beginning, in the first volume, we learn of Digory, a young boy, is living with his aunt and uncle because his mother is dying and he needs their care. After he and his friend Polly discover his uncle's secret attic, his uncle tempts her to enter another spatial dimension.
Digory shows his character and bravery by immediately following her, even though he doesn't know if he'll ever be able to get back. This is a first indicator of his good and caring nature. However, when they are in Charn, a frozen world, Digory isn't able to resist his temptation and curiosity and he rings a bell in spite of the fact that he's read a warning inscription cautioning against it.
By ringing the bell, he has awakened Jadis, the evil White Witch. The children manage to get back to their own world (with the witch in tow) and later enter Narnia, accidentally bringing Jadis in there too. There Digory learns of a divine creature called Aslan who can heal his mother.
He is given a task by Aslan- he must plant a tree that will protect Narnia. He locates the garden in which the seeds he needs are, and there he is once again tempted. He knows that the fruit in the garden can help heal his mother, but Aslan told him that he's only allowed to take one fruit from the garden, and it will be used to protect Narnia from the evil Jadis.
Digory manages to withstand his temptation and do the right thing. Miller (53) and Anderson (156) emphasize that Digory finds the strength and grace to resist what his heart desires because he knows it would be wrong to do so. So he brings the fruit to Aslan, ensuring that the tree that will protect Narnia will grow and Narnia will be protected.
And this, Bustard (24) claims, is the reason why Aslan rewards Digory for his good behavior and proper conduct by healing his mother.
What the first volume actually illustrates to us is the issue of temptation and how to overcome it, the effects of sin on creation, why the divine being (Aslan of Narnia who represents God) allows pain and suffering, and his sovereignty in his kingdom, states Hooper (45).
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