Once Upon a Wardrobe

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the wardrobe is a multifaceted motif with several layers of meaning. As portal to another world, it is the gateway to Narnia, representing the transition from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Furthermore, the wardrobe provides a safe haven for the Pevensie children to escape the harsh realities of World War II. The wardrobe is also a metaphor for The Role of Faith and Imagination. Just as the children must trust in the existence of Narnia when entering the wardrobe, readers are reminded of the importance of believing in what cannot always be seen or understood. This aligns with the Christian themes in Lewis’s work, suggesting that faith opens the door to deeper truths and spiritual experiences. The wardrobe, therefore, symbolizes the entry point to a spiritual realm and the beginning of a transformative journey.

In Once Upon a Wardrobe, Callahan employs the existing associations of Lewis’s novel to convey the meaning of the wardrobe to George’s character. As in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the enclosed space offers a retreat from the hardship of life. Sitting inside it, George can no longer hear his mother crying—a reminder of his incurable condition. The wardrobe is also a transformative imaginative space for George. While it does not provide physical access to another world, it allows him to be transported to other worlds in his mind, recreating Lewis’s fictional world and the author’s history. In this way, the wardrobe echoes the ability of stories to immerse readers in other spheres. The spiritually transformative aspect of George’s wardrobe is also implied at the end of the novel. The revelation that George’s gaze is fixed on the wardrobe in his final moments suggests his passing from earthly life to the spiritual realm.

In the fictional world of Narnia, the eternal winter imposed by the White Witch creates a form of spiritual death for its inhabitants. The “white land where it is always winter but never Christmas” is devoid of the hope that the festive season of Christ’s birth represents (2). In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan’s resurrection and the arrival of Father Christmas begin the thawing of Narnia and the return of spring, representing the triumph of hope and the promise of a better world.

In Once Upon a Wardrobe, winter also symbolizes death and the loss of hope. Significantly, the novel is set during a snowy English winter in December, deliberately echoing the landscape of Narnia. Readers learn that George’s health is most fragile at this time of year, and his family’s sense of powerlessness is conveyed as his heart condition worsens. Although George does not live to see the spring, Callahan imbues Christmas with the reintroduction of hope in the narrative. George’s enjoyment of a final Christmas Day with his family aligns with his renewed belief in God’s presence.