I’ve been re-reading the Narnia Chronicles as a result of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (which I highly recommend) and I’m on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which I’m reading slowly as it’s always been my favorite book.
But this time around I think it’s The Magician’s Nephew that’s resonating the most. There’s something about the decency in CS Lewis’ voice that just *gets* me. Because thinking about how Digory has to go after Polly, after his uncle has sent her “somewhere” on her own, via his magic rings, is just – well, it’s just mighty decent of him. And some days, I don’t know, basic decency seems really appealing in a world where people are blowing each other up all the time.
Early in the book, when Polly meets Digory Kirke, she notices he has been blubbing, and nearly says as much, but doesn’t, because it would be rude to do so. Yet he has been blubbing, because his mother is dying, and it’s one of the only instances I can even think of in any book, children’s or otherwise, where a boy is crying, and it’s totally normal and natural that he is crying, and that in fact, no big deal is made of his crying – except for the fact that Polly is a nice enough person to know not to mention it.
And her not mentioning it has nothing whatsoever to do with him being a boy. That’s what I like about CS Lewis’ universe. In his world, boys do cry.