Favorite Characters: Edmund Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia)

The first time I reread The Chronicles of Narnia as an adult, I was kind of surprised to see Edmund emerge as my favorite Pevensie.  I’ll always have a sentimental appreciation for Lucy, since I was a little girl (probably about her age) when I was first exposed to the series, but these days, I find Edmund the most interesting and complex of the four children (Edmund-related spoilers.)

There’s no getting around the fact that Edmund is awful in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  That’s indisputable – granted, things go as far as they do because the White Witch is able to gain power over him, but he’s the one that lets her in, and the frustrations that make him susceptible to her (like his anger with Peter) don’t excuse what happens as a result of his association with the White Witch.  That book is full of him being nasty to his siblings because he can and making up justifications for things that he knows are wrong.  Hell, he even breaks the cardinal rule of wardrobe-related magical travel by shutting himself inside the wardrobe.  There’s a big flashing sign following him throughout the book that says, “Don’t be like Edmund, kids!”

But as much as the book makes Edmund out to be the bad guy, or at least the “goes along with the bad guys” guy, it’s also very sincere in its redemption of him as he comes to realize what he’s done and expresses genuine remorse for it.  All the other books in which he appears make reference to his betrayal of his siblings and Aslan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and they show how he’s learned from the mistakes of his past.  Whether it’s showing mercy to a villain because he knows he was once given a second chance or believing something that sounds impossible because he remembers the last time he doubted Lucy, he’s grown and changed due to his regrettable experiences, and he doesn’t let himself forget what he’s done.

That said, he’s also a character that still has some edge to him.  He can tend toward pessimism and irritability; his annoyance with Eustace in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a prime example, and I just love the part in Prince Caspian where, even though he’s decided to side with Lucy, he’s also tired and kind of cranky, so he makes up his mind to go about it sullenly.  I know that’s a weird character beat to like, but I enjoy it.  It’s a good reminder that Edmund is flawed and has to struggle sometimes to do what’s right, and it also just adds flavor to his character.  I really enjoy Eustace and Pole together in The Silver Chair because they get on each other’s nerves so much, and Edmund brings a bit of the same dynamic to the table – a little more mature than those two, but he still adds some sharpness to the overall recipe.

Another trait I appreciate about Edmund is his pragmatism.  Peter tends to get the flashier action stuff, being High King and all, but Edmund (no slouch himself in a fight) really shines through his strategic thinking and deductive reasoning.  In Prince Caspian, he’s the one to make the connection re:  the differing passages of time between Narnia and our world, and he later duels Trumpkin to prove that, even though they’re kids, they can be useful to the cause – he wisely reasons that he’d be a better fit for the task than Peter, since it would be more humbling for Trumpkin if Edmund beats him and less damning for the Pevensies if he loses.  And even in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, as he’s starting to make his come-around, one of his first redemptive acts is his service in the battle against the White Witch.  Naturally, the heroic sacrifice is huge in and of itself and is recognized as such, but I also love the emphasis placed on Edmund fighting smart, destroying her wand instead of attacking her directly, so she can no longer turn any of their fighters to stone.  Any way you slice it, he’s a useful addition to a team.