The Magician’s Nephew holds a special place in the world of Narnia—and in my heart, too! Though it’s now considered the first book in the series, C.S. Lewis actually wrote it near the end, after he had already imagined the full sweep of Narnia’s history. That’s part of what makes The Magician’s Nephew themes so rich and worth exploring in the classroom—they echo throughout the other books in the series and resonate with students today.
This novel doesn’t just tell the story of how Narnia began—with its first tree, its first evil, and its first doorway between worlds. It also invites students to wrestle with timeless themes like power, temptation, responsibility, and the words we choose to speak.
In what follows, I’ll walk you through four key themes that are especially worth exploring with your students, along with classroom-ready prompts to spark discussion and deepen engagement.
1. The Creative (and Destructive) Power of Words
One of the most striking themes in The Magician’s Nephew—and one that resonates deeply in any classroom—is the extraordinary power of language. In Lewis’s world, words aren’t just a means of communication; they’re a force of creation and, at times, destruction.
Aslan sings Narnia into being—not with commands or violence, but through music. His voice brings light, order, trees, stars, and life itself into existence. It’s a breathtaking image of how beauty and harmony can emerge from something as simple—and as profound—as a song. This act of creation isn’t loud or aggressive; it’s generous, intentional, and full of wonder.
In sharp contrast stands Jadis and her use of the “Deplorable Word.” Uttered in cold ambition, it wipes out every living being in Charn, leaving behind silence and ash. Where Aslan’s song builds, Jadis’s word annihilates.
Lewis invites us to consider the moral weight of language. Words can heal or wound, uplift or destroy. For students, this theme opens a space to reflect on how they use language in their own lives—especially in an age shaped by social media, where words are constantly in motion and rarely forgotten.
Discussion Ideas for Your Classroom:
- Compare Aslan’s act of creation with the Genesis story. How does Lewis use light, sound, and order in similar (or different) ways?
- Explore how words can strengthen or damage relationships. Ask students to reflect on examples from stories, history, or their own experience.
2. Who Listens and Who Refuses to Hear: Characters’ Perspectives on Creation
The creation of Narnia doesn’t just introduce a new world—it reveals how characters respond when faced with something far greater than themselves.
Polly and Digory, though young and unprepared, approach Aslan’s song with humility and awe. They don’t understand everything they’re witnessing, but their openness allows them to receive the wonder of it. They listen—not just with their ears, but with their whole hearts.
Uncle Andrew, on the other hand, refuses to hear. Literally. He covers his ears and insists on interpreting the scene through the narrow lens of his own ambition. He dismisses the animals as mindless beasts, missing entirely the miracle unfolding around him.
Through these contrasting reactions, Lewis makes a compelling point: our ability to understand is shaped by our willingness to listen. True comprehension often demands humility—the courage to admit we don’t have all the answers, and the openness to be changed by what we encounter.
Discussion Ideas for Your Classroom:
- What prevents Uncle Andrew from understanding what’s happening? How does his mindset differ from Polly’s or Digory’s?
- Invite students to reflect on times when being open-minded led them to grow—or when closing off new ideas held them back.
3. Temptation, Moral Courage, and the Freedom to Choose
At the heart of The Magician’s Nephew lies a timeless and deeply human conflict: the tension between desire and doing what’s right. This theme comes vividly to life in Digory’s moral journey.
When Digory steps into the walled garden and faces Jadis, he’s confronted with an agonizing choice. The Witch tempts him with a powerful offer: the magical fruit that could cure his ailing mother. It’s a moment of raw emotional intensity—his longing to help his mother is sincere, urgent, and entirely understandable. But accepting the fruit means defying Aslan’s clear instructions.
What makes this scene so powerful is that the temptation isn’t evil in itself—it’s love that fuels Digory’s desire. And yet, Lewis shows us that even good desires can lead us astray if we lose sight of what’s right. In resisting the temptation, Digory chooses integrity over impulse, and in doing so, he grows. His decision marks a turning point: not only does he stay faithful to Aslan’s trust, but he also becomes someone who can be trusted.
For students, this moment offers a compelling invitation to think about their own choices. What does it mean to be free? Is freedom doing whatever we want—or is it having the strength to choose what’s right, even when it’s hard?
Discussion Ideas for Your Classroom:
- Why is Digory’s decision so meaningful? How does it show that he’s grown?
- Can students think of moments—real or fictional—when someone had to resist a strong desire to make a better choice? How do those moments help us understand what real moral courage looks like?
4. Power, Destruction, and Corruption: Charn as a Warning
Few scenes in The Magician’s Nephew are as haunting—or as thought-provoking—as the lifeless ruins of Charn. Jadis’s former kingdom isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a warning.
Charn is a once-great world reduced to silence by its own greed and violence. Jadis herself admits to using the “Deplorable Word” to destroy every living thing rather than lose her power. This isn’t fantasy for fantasy’s sake—it’s a chilling metaphor for the devastation that follows when power is sought without responsibility.
The silence of Charn is more powerful than any explosion. It speaks to the erasure not just of people, but of culture, memory, and meaning. In this way, Charn echoes real-world histories—of empires, regimes, and ideologies that have left ruin in their wake.
This chapter offers students a powerful opportunity to reflect on the responsibilities that come with leadership, and the long-term consequences of choices made in pursuit of control.
Discussion Ideas for Your Classroom:
- How does Charn reflect the dangers of power without ethics? What parallels can be drawn to historical events or figures?
- Why do you think Lewis made Charn so quiet and still, rather than chaotic or violent? What effect does that silence have?
Last Thoughts: Choosing Wonder, Embracing Responsibility
In the end, The Magician’s Nephew is more than a fantasy adventure. It’s a meditation on how we use our words, how we make our choices, and how we respond to the wonder around us. For middle school readers, it offers something rare and valuable: the chance to reflect on their own hearts and hopes, and to ask what kind of world they want to help create.
A Note for Teachers
If you’re eager to explore these themes further with your students, I’ve created a complete classroom resource available on Teachers Pay Teachers. It includes engaging activities, vocabulary work, chapter crosswords, biblical comparisons, and a final assessment—everything you need to guide your students through this rich and rewarding novel.
You can find it here:
Let’s help our students not just read The Magician’s Nephew, but encounter it—with curiosity, insight, and imagination.
Warmly,
Chiara