The Magician's Nephew

It can be argued that the overriding conflict in The Magician's Nephew is man versus self. In the story, Digory is pitted against two formidable adversaries, one who is human (Uncle Andrew) and the...

Along with being bold and curious, Diggory is adventurous. Rather than fearing new places and experiences, he is eager to learn and discover. Additionally, he is both brave and imaginative, as is...

In The Magician's Nephew, the first novel (chronologically) in The Chronicles of Narnia series, the exposition begins with the introduction of Diggory and Polly and the background of Diggory's...

First, in this chapter, we'll find plenty of visual imagery. Any time the narrator uses specific words that show us exactly what the objects and characters in the story look like, that's imagery....

All of the books in the Narnia series have strong moral lessons, and in this one the main character, Digory (the professors' nephew) grows from a self-centered boy into a young man with principles....

A simile is a means of comparison using the words "like" or "as"; for example, saying, "She hovered like a helicopter." In Chapter 7 of The Magician's Nephew, as Digory tries to sort out what to do...

The most pressing problem in the story - certainly for the main character, Digory - is how to heal his mother, who is terminally ill. We are not told exactly what it is that she suffers from, but...

METAPHOR - in chapter 1, Digory tells Polly he is crying because he has been "brought up in a beastly hole like this" - he is referring to London. PERSONIFICATION - in chapter 1, Digory tells Polly...

The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis is a story of adventure and maturity set against backdrop of the creation of the fictional land of Narnia. The main themes in this novel are good vs. evil and...

In Chapter Ten ofThe Magician's Nephew,Aslan finally speaks to all of the talking animals, wild people, satrys, dwarfs, and the gods and goddesses of the woods. The lion addresses them with this...

The novel The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis provides readers with a backstory about the origin of Narnia. The nephew in the title, Digory Kirke, goes through a development arc that will lead him...

It is not actually the lady who brings the grapes that says anything to give Digory hope, but his Aunt Letty. Aunt Letty looks after Digory's mother Mabel who appears to be terminally ill. Letty...

The turning point and the climax may be separate, though closely related, or simultaneous events. In The Magician's Nephew, the turning point and the climax are separated by moments. The turning...

In The Magician's Nephew, Queen Jadis's selfish nature is first seen upon meeting and speaking with Digory and Polly. In chapter 4, Digory and Polly happen upon a world where they find a room of...

Digory Kirke is the protagonist and central character in The Magician's Nephew. At the beginning of the story, he is quite dismayed to have been brought to London to live "with an Aunt and an Uncle...

This novel, as well as the others in the series The Chronicles of Narnia, is a Christian allegory. One of the main themes is the triumph of good over evil. The White Witch (Queen Jadis) represents...

The conclusion is found in the final chapter, after Digory heals his mother with the apple from Aslan. That chapter (titled, appropriately, "The End of This Story") moves from real-time action to...

The golden ring in The Magician's Nephew is a magical ring, enabling the wearer to disappear into another world. Digory's creepy Uncle Andrew tricks Polly into touching the ring which causes her...

Most of Polly's character traits remain constant throughout The Magician's Nephew. She is thoughtful, careful, and more cautious than Digory—she is the voice of reason. For the most part, she is...

Let us remember the definition of a simile to help us try and identify one in this chapter. A simile is an example of figurative language that compares one thing with something else, normally...

To find the protagonist of a story or novel, think about whose problem or goal the plot revolves around. In The Magician's Nephew, the story begins with Digory Kirke crying about his mother's...

Two lessons seem to be embedded in the events in London brought about by Jadis's unintended entry with Digory and Polly when they used the green ring to return home. The first and most obvious is...

At the end of chapter 5 of The Magician's Nephew Digory and Polly had both touched their yellow rings in order to escape the Queen's evil clutches and return to the Wood. Unfortunately, as we enter...

I would say Man vs. himself. Digory is definitely attempting to find himself and his place in the world or in Lewis' created worlds. This adventure is a series of events which allow Digory to...

Frank in a hansom cab driver in The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis. He is rather rough around the edges, so to speak, because he grew up in the country. He is a farmer who is used to hard work,...

An idiom is a phrase whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual meanings of its component parts. For example, kick the bucket is an English idiom for dying—if you did not know what the...

The resolution comes after Digory doesn't eat the forbidden fruit, and, as a result, receives it as a gift from Aslan's hands, allowing him to cure his mother and live, quite literally, happily...

The first connection that comes to mind between vanity and being a magician is power. Someone who believes they are better than everyone else is also likely to believe they should be able to have...

The simple answer to your question is "fantasy." The Magician's Nephew is part of the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. While it's the sixth book of the series as written, it's the first in the...

Digory Kirke uses his freedom to make a good choice in resisting temptation and not eating of the fruit, whereas Uncle Andrew uses his freedom to make a bad choice by committing evil acts. As a...

If we focus on just a few characters, we can see how sinful choices and virtuous choices differ. The sinful choices made by Uncle Andrew weaken his conscience because he rationalizes what he is...

Uncle Andrew discovers a way to travel between worlds. His godmother, Mrs. Lefay, gave him a box of magic dust. After many attempts and trials, Uncle Andrew uses the magic dust to create sets of...

Digory Kirke—the protagonist in The Magician's Nephew—is a very lonely young boy. He has no brothers and sisters, his mother's sick, and his father's away in India. So when he encounters Polly...

This quote, uttered by Digory, comes early on in the eighth chapter of The Magician’s Nephew, after he realizes they have brought his Uncle Andrew along with them when they jumped between worlds....

If you check the link below and browse the answers in The Magician's Nephew Group here on enotes, you will see that similar questions have already been answered. All of the books in the series The...

Although The Magician's Nephew was the 6th book published in the Chronicles of Narnia series, chronologically it actually comes first. It is what is known as a "prequal." The setting (outside...

In order to get rid of the Witch, whom he has inadvertently brought into our world, Digory decides that he must try to get her back into the Wood between the Worlds, where she seemed to become weak...

There is, obviously, a measure of personal preference to your question. To some readers, an author's methods of character development may seem more effective and believable than to other readers....

While The Magician's Nephew is the sixth book published as part of the Narnia Chronicles by C. S. Lewis, it is actually the first in chronology for the series--a prequel, if you will, to The Lion,...

The rings were created by Digory's Uncle Andrew using magic dust that had been left to him in a box by his part-fairy godmother, Mrs. Lefay. Instead of destroying the box as his godmother told him...

I think you need to expand your question to be far more specific - the first group of what? I can only infer that you are talking about the group of statues that Polly and Digory come across in the...

There is the theme of good versus evil. This does not have to be a religious theme. Many secular works deal with the conflict of good vs evil in the world. There is also the issue of being...

How short do you want? I guess you need to remember when reading this book that in many ways it is a prequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and so it sets up so much of the action - the...

I assume from the tags that this is in reference to "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis. The young Digory Kirke returned from Narnia with a magic apple given to him by Aslan to cure his ill...

Hmm. How far back do you want the chain of events followed? Polly and Digory go to Charn. Digory wakes Jadis. Jadis goes with them to Earth, causing havoc in London. Polly and Digory use the rings...

This novel is number 6 in The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. Although it is 6 of 7, it is a prequel. That means, it goes back to explain how Narnia all got started. In this novel, two...