This book was the first in the Narnia series to be published. Released in 1950, it has the historical backdrop of World War II. The story centers on four wartime British children, who are evacuated to the country due to the conflict. They go to live in a large house in the countryside with an eccentric professor. The youngest child, Lucy, accidentally stumbles upon the land of Narnia while playing hide and seek. There she meets a fawn who tells her about an evil white witch who reigns over Narnia. When she returns home, her siblings don't believe her. However, they too accidentally enter Narnia and are given the task of saving it from the witch due to a prophecy made about them. The youngest brother, Edmund, meets the witch before learning that she is evil and is tricked into believing that she is the true queen. At the promise of power and chocolates, he is lured into betraying his family, labeling him a traitor. The other three siblings must now try to save Edmund AND Narnia from the witch, with the help of the divine lion Aslan. Aslan is a magnificent lion who is the symbol of Narnia's goodness. When children hear its name for the first time, they immediately feel powerful sensations that they cannot understand. Peter, Susan and Lucy feel great happiness. Edmund (having already betrayed his siblings to the White Witch) is mysteriously horrified. Aslan is clearly the "God" of Narnia, faithful to Lewis's devout Christianity. Additionally, in the book, Aslan dies for Edmund's sins, but is resurrected. Many of Lewis' other books encouraged people to convert to Christianity (see specific titles earlier in the project), so this book makes me think he might have been trying to "sell" the story of the resurrection of Jesus to the children. Making the figure of Jesus is easier using a lion rather than a man. If it were between a man and a lion, I think it would be easier for a child to accept the divine power of the king of beasts, while still seeing a playful side (represented by Aslan rolling around like a "kitten") ). Aslan depicted as a lion could also be a patriotic sign, especially as this was written shortly after World War II, with the lion being the traditional representation of England. Unlike Aslan, I think the witch is a representation of the devil..