Assignment III

Foster explains that weather in a work of literature, "is never just weather." It always symbolizes a major theme of the novel. One novel where choice of weather is a device used for symbolism is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Narnia is under the control of the White Witch which symbolizes Satan. With the help of four children, Narnia is soon to be back under the control of it's true leader, Aslan, who symbolizes Christ. When Edmund first enters Narnia, it is covered in snow and ice, and is also currently under the control of the White Witch. Snow clearly symbolizes the absence of life. Those who have not given their lives to Christ and accept His forgiveness are believed to go to Hell for the rest of eternity. Although Hell is thought to be the opposite of snow and cold, they both symbolize similar attributes. When winter begins arriving, leaves fall off of trees and flowers stop growing. Only a small portion of nature can survive in these conditions. In fact, some mammals completely separate themselves from these conditions by hibernating all winter. The life of nature withers away until the arrival of spring and summer. When Aslan once again gains control, the snow melts away and an image of nature in the spring and the summer becomes apparent. Those who go to Heaven are believed to have eternal life. Just like those souls, the nature of spring and summer reflect abundance of life and the variety of living beings that can survive.