Hello! I am writing a character analysis for my English class on Edmund. (Mainly in The lion the witch and the wardrobe) I wondered if you could help me think of some main points to focus on with his character. I know I'm going to analyze him, but I just don't know what key part of his character i should analyze. Thanks
Hello! An excellent subject for a character analysis, not that I’m biased or anything! 😉 I’m not sure if you have a specified outline for your character analysis, but if I were to write one about Edmund, I would definitely be focusing on his transformation. He’s by far the most dynamic character in the series, but especially in LWW if that’s what you’re focusing on.
I would be comparing and contrasting his character at the beginning versus the end. What were his motivations and reasons for his actions at the beginning? (Why did he betray his siblings? Why did he lie about visiting Narnia? What was his relationship with his siblings, Lucy in particular?) Do these change? What are his key actions and how do they impact other characters in the story? (By betraying his siblings, what other events were set in motion? How does his betrayal impact on him directly? How does the Witch’s treatment affect him?) Does knowledge of these influence Edmund? (When Edmund discovers how his betrayal affects Aslan and his siblings, do his actions change? Are these also affected by changed motivations or ethics? Is he driven to redeem himself?)
If you want to go a bit more in depth, I would also look at whether C.S. Lewis talks about him differently through the story. Look at the language he uses to describe him, e.g. what speaking verbs does he give to Edmund, what adjectives does he associate with Edmund? Do these become more positive as we progress through the story? (I’m thinking particularly of how he describes Edmund after he has some of Lucy’s cordial and how he changes. You might also want to compare his initial description versus his final one as King Edmund the Just.)
To be honest, if you’re not limited to one book, I would also look at Prince Caspian because his development is really evident there, especially if you focus on his faith in Aslan and his relationship with Lucy, but if you’re limited to LWW, there should be enough there for you to talk about. For more detailed analysis, you can check out my meta tag (most of it is about Edmund because, y’know, it’s my blog, haha).
