A central character in the book "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis is the White Witch, who is primarily referred to as the Queen Jadis. She is depicted as a powerful and sinister sorceress, skilled in the dark arts of magic. One of her abilities is necromancy, the practice of communicating with the spirits of the dead. The concept of necromancy in the story plays a significant role in the overall plot and showcases the menacing nature of the White Witch.
This series focuses on teenage twins (a boy and a girl) that might be the fulfillment of prophesy. They find they can do magic and get swept up in a fight among the “Elders” that might destroy our world and all of humanity. It is pretty standard stuff, but the writing is good and there is great use of historical characters that have become immortal. Shakespeare, Nicholas Flamel, Machiavelli, Joan of Arc and many others make large or small appearances.
You may also notice that most of these characters are orphans Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe kids , and that seemed appropriate for my main character too. If we don t all get a little scrambled by the whole thing, one of the students points out that it s like I have a hundred parts of me anyway, never mind on the Internet.
The concept of necromancy in the story plays a significant role in the overall plot and showcases the menacing nature of the White Witch. Although necromancy is not explicitly shown in detail in the book, the White Witch's ability to control and manipulate people is hinted as being related to her command over the spirits of the dead. She exercises her powers by turning her enemies into stone statues, effectively freezing them in a state between life and death.
Mitzi Bytes
Let’s take it as a given that I’m going to be hard on anyone who tries to write an adult novel imitating the plot of my favorite children’s book, Harriet the Spy. It’s like someone coming along and trying to “update” the recipe for my favorite comfort food. (No, I don’t want bacon or truffles or anything else in my macaroni and cheese, thank you.) So I’m holding Kerry Clare to an almost impossibly high standard for her novel Mitzi Bytes, and it’s no wonder she falls short.
“Mitzi Bytes” is a name made up by Clare’s protagonist, Sarah, wife of a computer programmer and mother to two little girls, one in kindergarten and the other in second grade. Sarah has been writing her blog under this pseudonym for fifteen years and has achieved some success, with a couple of books developed from her blog writing and ad revenue from her site. The blog began as an online journal-type dating tell-all site and morphed into a mommy blog. As the novel begins, someone has connected Sarah with her online persona and is threatening to expose her.
If you know Harriet the Spy, you can see that Clare has set up some interesting observations about a woman’s public identity in the age of online journaling, a worthy successor to Louise Fitzhugh’s exploration of the role of honesty in the formation of a child’s identity. And yet Fitzhugh manages universality in a way that Clare does not.
It’s not for lack of trying. The parts of Clare’s book I like best are about motherhood and identity, especially how the former can erase some of the latter. For example, when Sarah’s husband asks her if there’s “anything I need to know?” on a day she’s upset, she knows that “what he was asking her was if tonight was the night he had to leave work on time because she had her book club, if she wanted any groceries picked up on his way home, and if there was something else she needed him to remember. These were practical things. He was certainly not inquiring as to the status of the depths of her soul, the reason for her fear and dread, about her strange mood this morning. He didn’t want to know any of that.”
Sarah thinks that her relationship with her readers online is that “we’re all just figments of one another’s imaginations.” I don’t agree with this, but then I’ve never gone by a pseudonym or shied away from consummating my online relationships by meeting in real life. There is a section in which Sarah talks to younger people about a “a blog….Like Tumblr….blogs were for old people.” The young people—her students—tell her that “online you can be who you really are.” When Sarah says “I wonder about the consequences, though…of these divided selves. If we don’t all get a little scrambled by the whole thing,” one of the students points out that “it’s like I have a hundred parts of me anyway, never mind on the Internet.”
When the friend who has told everyone Sarah’s online name finally confronts her in person, she asks “what is the point of what you’re doing?” and Sarah thinks “she’d asked herself the same question many times, and she’d never been able to come to a satisfying answer. And whenever she got close, it was always different from what she’d answered before. Her blog was a record, a place where she worked out what she thought of things, where she reflected on the world around her, which was not the same as being a reflection of it.” The friend doesn’t like the way her life is reflected by the mirror Sarah holds up to it. In fact, as other people confront Sarah, we see that they believe she has written about them, when in fact she has not–they’re applying what she’s said about someone else to themselves.
Sarah, as Mitzi, finally articulates something important about why her writing is important to her: “It’s a virtue, I think, having an open mind. It’s not waffling or flip-flopping, but instead it’s the gift of perspective, which is a far more complicated gift than obliviousness is.” And for Sarah, as for many other writers throughout history, writing is a way of defining her perspective. (Rohan–who alerted me to the existence of this novel—has more thoughts about identity in her review.)
What’s sad about the end of Sarah’s story is that she is content to let her husband validate her identity when he says “I need you….you’re everything. This whole life—you’re the centre. You made it for me, the kind of life I never could have imagined for myself. And without you, none of it means anything.” How lovely, I thought. He’s not going to be saying that any more when their little girls have graduated from college and left home. Then Sarah is either going to have to move into the center of something else, or she’s going to become one of those fussy former home-makers who bustle around the house with a set of holiday decorations for almost every month, demanding that the adult children come home for Easter, Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July (in African-American families, maybe it’s Juneteenth; in British or Canadian families, perhaps spring bank holiday and Orangeman’s Day).
At the end of the novel, Sarah becomes a journalist (like blogging, sadly, a dying endeavor).
The part of this novel that I like least is Clare’s strange idea of homage, naming Sarah’s two friends Janie (a chemist) and Beth-Ellen, who “tended to be underestimated.” There’s also a throw-away line about how her husband’s sister calls him “Sport” and an overly-contrived scene of Sarah hiding in a dumbwaiter. Like I said, though, mine is an impossibly high standard. It’s not a bad novel; it’s just that it’s not a masterpiece.
Returning-
This chilling display of power highlights her control over both the living and the deceased. The main idea behind the introduction of the necromancer aspect of the White Witch's character is to emphasize her cruelty and tyranny. Through her necromantic abilities, the Queen Jadis instills fear and submission in those who oppose her. This adds to the atmosphere of danger and suspense in the story as the main characters, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, navigate the treacherous world of Narnia under the White Witch's rule. Furthermore, the introduction of necromancy underscores the battle between good and evil in the story. Aslan, the great lion and the embodiment of good, represents the force of righteousness, while the White Witch embodies evil. The necromantic powers possessed by the White Witch serve as a stark contrast to the benevolent and divine qualities of Aslan, emphasizing the moral struggle that the characters face in their quest to defeat the Witch's reign. In conclusion, the inclusion of the necromancer aspect in the character of the White Witch in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" serves to deepen the sense of menace and danger associated with her. By showcasing her ability to control the spirits of the dead, the story highlights the cruel nature of the White Witch and underscores the central theme of the battle between good and evil..
Reviews for "The Necromancer's Symbolism in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: Themes of Betrayal and Temptation"
1. Emily - 2/5 stars - I was really disappointed with the character of the Necromancer in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". I felt that he was not developed enough and his presence in the story felt forced and unnecessary. The way he was portrayed as evil and feared by all the other characters seemed clichéd and predictable. I would have preferred if the author had focused more on the dynamic between the children and their adventures in Narnia, rather than introducing this random and underdeveloped villain.
2. Jack - 1/5 stars - The Necromancer in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" was a complete letdown for me. His character lacked depth and felt like a cheap attempt to add conflict and suspense to the story. Rather than exploring the rich world of Narnia and the relationships between the children, the author wasted time on this forgettable villain. I found myself skimming through parts that involved the Necromancer, as I simply didn't care about his presence. Overall, I was highly disappointed with this aspect of the book.
3. Sarah - 2/5 stars - The introduction of the Necromancer character in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" felt unnecessary and confusing. It didn't add much to the overall plot and only served as a weak attempt to create tension. I was hoping for a more engaging and immersive experience in Narnia, but the inclusion of this poorly developed villain took away from the other elements of the story that I was more interested in. I would have enjoyed the book more if the focus had been on the children's journeys and their growth as characters.
4. Mark - 2.5/5 stars - While I enjoyed "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" overall, the character of the Necromancer fell flat for me. I found him to be one-dimensional and lacking any real depth. His role in the story seemed forced and his interactions with the other characters felt contrived. I wish the author had spent more time fleshing out the Necromancer's backstory and motivations instead of presenting him as a generic villain. This would have added more complexity to the story and made it more enjoyable for me as a reader.