Blog #2: Narnia Character Analysis: Pevensie brothers- Cole Guinther

 When reading the Chronicles of Narnia, one of the most noticeable aspects of C.S. Lewis' stories is the personalities he represents in each of the Pevensie brothers and how different they are from one another. In the identity each of them possess, their actions reflect this identity and therefore the circumstances in which they're placed in. This is especially evident in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. By recognizing each character's identity, I believe we can better understand the symbolism of each.

To begin, Peter is represented as the leader of the four. He seems to be the character most people look up to the most- this correlates with his eventual role as the high king. While he initially approaches some situations with doubt in himself, Peter takes up positions of high responsibility and overcomes each obstacle. I find Peter to be a very admirable character not only because of his leadership and success, but in his way of facing fears head on. Contrastingly, I feel that he has trouble understanding Edmund's personality and their differences in morals, which leads to some of Edmund's wrong actions.

Next, Edmund is a character that I feel is the most controversial because of his insecurity and inability to face doubt with an ethical behavior. While I feel that some of this is due to his troublemaker personality in general, I also recognize that this may be rooted in his relationship with his older siblings pre finding Narnia- especially the "tough love" connection with Peter. I believe he also recognizes how people see him differently than Peter and is bound to receive comparisons between each other, which makes it even tougher. Instead of looking up to Peter and striving for the same successes and recognition as his older brother, it seems that responding in a opposite fashion is more desirable to him. This dynamic is very interesting to me, and especially relatable between typical siblings in our own lives.

C.S. Lewis' decision to make each of these male characters on two sides of the personality spectrum was a great decision on his part. Their decisions and brotherly dynamic may be the root of certain conflicts in the story, but in the end their familial bond seems to overcome most obstacles. This is a perspective that many of us can recognize in our own lives.


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