Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by

¶ … Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Specifically it will discuss how Lewis uses greed as a theme throughout the story. When Edmund arrives in Narnia for the first time, he meets the White Witch, who feeds him Turkish Delight, a delectable candy that he begins to crave. As his cravings grow worse, Edmund becomes greedy and selfish, and his greed turns him against his brothers and sisters. Only when Edmund can overcome his greed can he rejoin his family and regain his kindness.

From their very first meeting, the White Witch knows how to control Edmund, and this is quite important to the story. Her control creates a rift between the children, and makes them easier to conquer in her eyes. To control Edmund, she feeds him candy and he gorges on it, only wanting more and more to be satisfied.

Lewis writes of this first meeting, "At first Edmund tried to remember that it is rude to speak with one's mouth full, but he soon forgot about this and thought only of trying to shovel down as much Turkish Delight as he could, and the more he ate the more he wanted to eat, and he never asked himself why the Queen should be so inquisitive" (Lewis 38).

Because of his greedy need for the candy, Edmund goes from being a decent young boy to a boy who is easily manipulated by the White Witch. This is another danger of greed. It colors how a person sees others in the world. While before, his brothers and sisters were his friends and playmates, now they threaten his enjoyment of Turkish Delight, and they become his enemies.

Edmund becomes selfish along with greedy, and these are two traits that are unattractive and dangerous, and that is what Lewis is attempting to show with Edmund's greedy nature. Edmund distances himself from his family, who he should remain loyal to, and becomes increasingly loyal to the White Witch, which could be dangerous for him and his family. Edmund's increasing loyalty to the White Witch blinds him to her faults and the dangers of knowing her.

He tells the other children, "All these people who say nasty things about her are her enemies and probably half of it isn't true. She was jolly nice to me, anyway, much nicer than they are. I expect she is the rightful Queen really" (Lewis 96-97). He says this because of his greed and his total need for the Turkish Delight. He can never get enough, and he certainly can never share what he has with others. This is another important aspect of greed throughout the story.

Edmund cannot share his newfound treat with his family, he has to keep it to himself, and this indicates the danger of greed, and how it can consume a person's life. It makes Edmund selfish, distrustful, dishonest, and mean, and these are all traits to avoid. Edmund changes because of his greed and need for the candy, and he does not change in a good way.

He becomes evil, almost as evil as the White Witch, and it alienates him from his family and the people who can save him from his greed and selfishness. Here, Lewis is showing the reader how the sin of greed can take over a person's life and consume them, creating a new and different person. He shows how easily Edmund is tempted by evil, and how he is so easily led into the White Witch's trap.

She wants Edmund to betray his family, and he almost does, but his heart can never be as evil as the White Witch's. He can be tempted and lured, but he cannot be totally converted because he is good in his heart. Lewis' theme clearly illustrates the dangers of greed, and how it can come to rule a person's life. He also shows that eventually, a good person will see the error of his ways, and overcome his greed to lead a better life.

Throughout the story, Edmund is bad, but he is not as evil as the Witch, and this indicates that his heart is pure, even if he is easily swayed by the Witch. Lewis is showing that even the most pure of heart can be tempted, and it is how they deal with that evil that sets them apart. As the story continues, Edmund becomes more enmeshed in the Witch's trap. The thought of Turkish Delight consumes all of his thoughts, and ruins just about every other part of his life.

Lewis writes, "He had eaten his share of the dinner, but he hadn't really enjoyed it because he was thinking all the time about the Turkish Delight -- and there's nothing that spoils the taste of good ordinary food half so much as the memory of bad magic food" (Lewis 95). Here, Edmund is again the young, "good" boy trying to please his family, while being swayed by the Witch and her evil ways.

Here, Lewis shows that Edmund's heart is pure, and that he is not totally black and evil like the Witch. He wants to do the right thing, and "enjoy his dinner," but he cannot get the thought of the candy out of his mind. The Witch lures him with her evil ways, and tries to turn him completely black and evil. Greed may have tainted him, but it has not completely consumed him. In his heart, he is still a good boy who.