1. Keeping in mind the way Edmund has acted so far in the book and how the Turkish Delight enchantment works, do you think Edmund is reluctant to believe Lucy about the White Witch only because of the enchantment? Why/why not?

No. He doesn't want to admit to being in the wrong, as his behaviour in the next chapter shows.

2. Considering what we learned about the White Witch in Chapter 2, do you think her treatment of Edmund is usual behavior for her?

The Narnian creatures only appear to have experienced undisguised cruelty from the Witch. They aren't a threat to her. Edmund, being human and one of four, represents a real threat, so she's scheming.

3. How is Edmund's first experience in Narnia similar to Lucy's? How is it different?

First, Edmund, like Lucy, gets very cold, and is glad of going somewhere warm or having something to warm him up. Unlike Lucy with Mr. Tumnus, however, the Queen doesn't take him to her home. They remain where they are, with Edmund shivering. Also, it doesn't appear to have lasted nearly as long.

4. Knowing the prophecy, the White Witch understood the significance of Edmund having three siblings, but she also knew that her usual policy of killing humans would solve her problem. Despite knowing this, what do you think caught the White Witch's attention, and caused her to want to keep Edmund alive?

She knew now that a door from our world into Narnia was open. The last time humans visited Narnia (as far as we know) that she had witnessed, adults had come as well as children. For all she knew, if she had killed Edmund there and then, an entire army could have come through the portal. Also, she didn't know what magician might have created the portal. Again, for all she knew, the wardrobe might have been created by a magician stronger than her. Killing Edmund may have had the effect of attracting unwelcome attention from our world.

5. What other observations do you have about the chapter? What caught your attention?

The Queen (Witch) can read people's minds. Evidence:

1. She knows what Turkish Delight is. She has been to our world, but only for a few hours, and I doubt that she could be bothered with finding out about our world's sweets in that time. Unless: (a) The meal that Uncle Andrew treated her to when she went on the rampage in London included Turkish Delight as a dessert, which I think isn't all that likely; (b) King Frank and/or Queen Helen had a passion for the stuff and made it widely known in the Narnian world, so that Jadis could have tasted it; or (c) Turkish Delight exists and is known by that name in all the worlds accessible from the Wood Between The Worlds (a bit like "gin and tonic" in The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy).

2. She knows the way back to our world, even when Edmund (consciously) doesn't. She didn't know a portal to Narnia existed until she met Edmund.

King_Erlian, I also found it interesting that the White Witch knew about Turkish Delight.

A random note: I first read the Chronicles many years ago, before the Internet made learning new things convenient. I had no idea what Turkish Delight was, other than that it must be something sweet and tempting given the context. The dictionaries of the day offered some vague comments about rose-flavored gelatin, but it wasn't until NarniaWeb came along that I really found out what it was...and I didn't actually taste it until kaleb70 brought some to the LWW Lion Party in KC back in 2005.

1. Keeping in mind the way Edmund has acted so far in the book and how the Turkish Delight enchantment works, do you think Edmund is reluctant to believe Lucy about the White Witch only because of the enchantment? Why/why not?

I think Edmund was gulled because although the White Witch had seemed threatening at first, her behaviour towards him changed. She had shown interest in him, given him hospitality, enchanted or not, promised him he could outrank his oldest brother, and finally, indicated the way home. Bad people don't behave in such a fashion, do they? I don't think it was merely the addictively seductive Turkish delight that led him on. I think it was being the centre of attention that swayed him also.

Besides, I think he had been more interested in having fun at Lucy's expense than listening to what her adventure entailed the first time, and had forgotten about his remorse at the way he had treated her. I agree with King Erlian that Edmund also did not want to admit that he had been wrong to Lucy, of all people.

By the way, was the Turkish delight the only substance that Edmund had tasted on that sleigh ride that had been enchanted, I wonder? What about the strange foamy drink? Lots of things get put into hot chocolates, coffees, even cappuchinos. (Sugar, Milk, Rum, Irish Whiskey, Scotch, Bourbon, Galliano, Baileys etc etc so forth) Maybe it was also the hot drink that softened Edmund up for the Witch's benefit.

2. Considering what we learned about the White Witch in Chapter 2, do you think her treatment of Edmund is usual behavior for her?

Yes and no. Mostly in her own world and prior to Edmund's meeting her, the White Witch's behaviour is to dominate, exploit, command and punish. But when we met Tumnus, he had been following the Witch's orders regarding humans, should he meet any. That is to say, give them good food and relaxing company to make it easier to kidnap and ensnare them. As King Erlian said previously, the White Witch could read minds, and we, who are Narnia fans, know that she has had prior experience with humans and the importance of food and beverage service to them.

3. How is Edmund's first experience in Narnia similar to Lucy's? How is it different?

What strikes me most forcibly is that both Edmund and Lucy should have been more aware of Stranger Danger, especially Edmund, whose arrival in Narnia was less of a surprise. Tumnus, at least, repents and owns up of his intentions, then takes Lucy back to the wardrobe. But repenting and owning up is about the last thing the White Witch is inclined to do. The surprise to me in all of this is that the White Witch can tell Edmund the way back to the Wardrobe. Has she got any reason to remember the Lantern Post?

Actually, she sounds just like a traditional dangerous stranger offering a child sweeties as an inducement to lure Edmund into foul play. And how Edmund's experience is different from Lucy's is mostly a function of how Tumnus and the White Witch differ in their concepts of right and wrong. On the other hand, I think that Edmund felt more afraid of the White Witch, especially at first, unlike Lucy meeting Tumnus. Whether or not the White Witch was evil would continue to haunt him for some time to come.

4. Knowing the prophecy, the White Witch understood the significance of Edmund having three siblings, but she also knew that her usual policy of killing humans would solve her problem. Despite knowing this, what do you think caught the White Witch's attention, and caused her to want to keep Edmund alive?

If the White Witch understood the significance of Edmund having three siblings, she would want to use him to ensnare the others, if possible. Because it might not matter if she killed Edmund. But once she learned that Lucy had been in Narnia beforehand, I think she would be concerned that Lucy might give the alarm back in their own world to avenge Edmund. If the White Witch could read minds, she would know that Edmund was also disaffected from Lucy, Susan and especially Peter. In fact she could scarcely have missed this information the way Edmund was talking to her. So he might be a most willing bait to bring the whole family to her.

5. What other observations do you have about the chapter? What caught your attention?

The main things that caught my attention was how much Edmund wanted to be the centre of attention, how sick he felt after gorging himself on Turkish delight and that the White Witch refused to give Edmund any more. I didn't know about Turkish delight, myself, until I had read LWW, but that was many years ago, when the only thing I knew about Turkey (country) was that it was the place where Turkish delight and coffee came from. My first experience of tasting Turkish delight was as one or two centres in a Cadbury's chocolate bar, the other centres being strawberry, pineapple, orange, coconut and caramel.

I expect the White Witch would know about Turkish delight, not only from her brief experience in London, where she did go to a possibly exotic restaurant at Uncle Andrew's expense, but also from what she might have learned about Calormen to the south of Narnia. I'd expect she would have spies everywhere else she could insinuate them. And if she knew what Edmund was thinking, I'm sure she could manage the rest.

1. Keeping in mind the way Edmund has acted so far in the book and how the Turkish Delight enchantment works, do you think Edmund is reluctant to believe Lucy about the White Witch only because of the enchantment? Why/why not?
The enchantment must have had something to do with it, since upon his first meeting the Jadis he was afraid of her and did not trust her.
However his own personality would not want to admit to Lucy (or himself) that he had been fooled by the witch and had been unwise in telling her the things he did. Perhaps the turkish delight only helped his worse feelings to triumph.

2. Considering what we learned about the White Witch in Chapter 2, do you think her treatment of Edmund is usual behavior for her?
It was not usual but also not surprising. Jadis could be quite cunning in a deluded sort of way.

3. Knowing the prophecy, the White Witch understood the significance of Edmund having three siblings, but she also knew that her usual policy of killing humans would solve her problem. Despite knowing this, what do you think caught the White Witch's attention, and caused her to want to keep Edmund alive?
Her own desire to be perfectly safe betrayed her. She saw that she could manipulate Edmund and hoped to be able to eliminate all four children, not just one. After all, in her thinking, it would be a greater triumph to have all four children as statues. Really, though she was not wise in her choice. The very things she saw in Edmund that she could use (greed, jealousy, hurt, and even fear) were the things that would keep his siblings from trusting him.

1. No, not only because of the enchantment; he hates being wrong too. Also, his general character is kind of rotten at this point.

2. No, I think it was a bit unusual. She seemed to almost turn him to stone originally, but then changed her mind and treated him sweetly. Then again, I think she tried a bit of a similar tactic with Digory in The Magician's Nephew, so...

3. Both Edmund and Lucy meet strangers in the wood and are hosted to some food and drink by those strangers. But since the White Witch and Mr. Tumnus are very different people, those visits have very different personalities and results.

4. Perhaps it partially because Edmund was a boy (Digory is the other boy we know she met, and he proved useful to her at least initially). And maybe it's also because she considers him very stupid and likely malleable; taking out all four children unawares and at the same time was probably a pretty attractive option to her.

I wonder if Lewis had in mind the myth of Persephone and the pomegranate seeds when he had Edmund eat something enchanted. There may be other places in mythology where eating was tied to lasting consequences, but I can't think of any. (Admittedly, my scant exposure to mythological sources is pretty much limited to those excellent synopses found in the old Book of Knowledge Encyclopedia )

Although Edmund's behaviour is lamentably odious, I have to admit to a sneaking sympathy with him, even before his "conversion." While not validating or condoning his faults, Lewis does a convincing job of explaining why he is feeling as he is, and what sends him down the path of betrayal.

How many times did I as a child feel that "Everyone is picking on me! I'll show them; I'll run away from home!" or some such rubbish. Never did, by the way but it's easy to see how it could have happened with Edmund, especially as he continued to dwell upon his "unfair" treatment. Perhaps if he had admitted his own fault, and apologized (as he so nearly did) things might have turned out quite differently. And then we wouldn't have the story we love so well.

Small details are what I found so telling. Things like:

"Oh, come off it!" said Edmund, who was tired and pretending not to be tired, which always made him bad-tempered.

or

"I'm all right," said Edmund, but this was not true. He was feeling very sick.

and then

And Edmund for the first time in this story felt sorry for someone besides himself.

Of course, Lewis wrote near the end:

When at last she was free to come back to Edmund she found him standing on his feet and not only healed of his wounds but looking better than she had seen him look - oh, for ages; in fact ever since his first term at that horrid school which was where he had begun to go wrong. He had become his real old self again and could look you in the face.

All of which led to his great character in the other stories.

1. Keeping in mind the way Edmund has acted so far in the book and how the Turkish Delight enchantment works, do you think Edmund is reluctant to believe Lucy about the White Witch only because of the enchantment? Why/why not?
I think on some level he knows the witch is evil. He felt uncomfortable when Lucy told him the Queen was a witch. He was trying to convince himself she was not dangerous. Since he knows she is a witch, I think the Turkish Delight is currently the main reason he is denying it.
2. Considering what we learned about the White Witch in Chapter 2, do you think her treatment of Edmund is usual behavior for her?
Yes and No. I think more often than not she punishes first. However, she also needs information ( then Mention of all her spies tells us that) and I find it believable she would use any means necessary to get it.
3. How is Edmund's first experience in Narnia similar to Lucy's? How is it different?
They both end up meeting a stranger who offers them food and drink or rather drink and food as a trap. Neither one realizes just how dangerous their situation is. For the most part Lucy's first experience was enjoyable. She started her adventure with wonder. Edmund's adventure was devoid of wonder. He was wary of the witch and didn't want to get on her sledge but felt he had to. However, that didn't stop him from talking her drink and food.
4. Knowing the prophecy, the White Witch understood the significance of Edmund having three siblings, but she also knew that her usual policy of killing humans would solve her problem. Despite knowing this, what do you think caught the White Witch's attention, and caused her to want to keep Edmund alive?
He was a link in a chain and she wanted the whole chain if possible.

1. Keeping in mind the way Edmund has acted so far in the book and how the Turkish Delight enchantment works, do you think Edmund is reluctant to believe Lucy about the White Witch only because of the enchantment? Why/why not?

Honestly, I think if he hadn't eaten the Witch's food, he probably would have been so frightened by Jadis that he would have been inclined to believe Lucy. Because he had partaken of the food and drink, though, I think it significantly clouded his perspective.

Lewis writes that Edmund was uncomfortable when he realized that he had made friends with a "dangerous witch." However, because he still wanted more Turkish Delight more than anything else, Edmund played down the credibility of the Fauns in order to have a better chance of getting Lucy and their siblings to go to the Witch's house.

2. Considering what we learned about the White Witch in Chapter 2, do you think her treatment of Edmund is usual behavior for her?

Do you mean in terms of attempting to manipulate him? No. She tends to blast people with magic first and then ask questions later.

3. How is Edmund's first experience in Narnia similar to Lucy's? How is it different?

Well, they both meet two "people" who have designs on them when they discover that they're human, and they're both enchanted, sort of. Lucy with Mr. Tumnus's music, and Edmund with the Turkish Delight. However, Lucy's sweetness inspired the remorse in Tumnus that would save her, and Edmund's spite and pride drove him into the arms of the White Witch.

4. Knowing the prophecy, the White Witch understood the significance of Edmund having three siblings, but she also knew that her usual policy of killing humans would solve her problem. Despite knowing this, what do you think caught the White Witch's attention, and caused her to want to keep Edmund alive?

I think it is quite possible that she thought she would be able to use Edmund as a pawn in order to get to Aslan, which is why she was so quick to feed him the enchanted food and "befriend" him.

5. What other observations do you have about the chapter? What caught your attention?

Well, having read The Silver Chair recently, I find it interesting to compare Edmund's meeting with Jadis to Puddleglum, Eustace and Jill's meeting with the Lady of the Green Kirtle. Jadis 100% business, whereas the LotGK is all charm.

1. Keeping in mind the way Edmund has acted so far in the book and how the Turkish Delight enchantment works, do you think Edmund is reluctant to believe Lucy about the White Witch only because of the enchantment? Why/why not?

The way I read the passage, Edmund does believe Lucy. He's actually more interested in appearing right before the others than in the consequences if Lucy is right. He's telling himself that he's caught the witch's interest and she'll give him power--and that is probably magnified by the enchantment.

2. Considering what we learned about the White Witch in Chapter 2, do you think her treatment of Edmund is usual behavior for her?

It might not be usual, but it's not inconsistent. She sees children as a threat to her power, and while she was ready to immediately remove Edmund she also wanted to know how much of a threat he was--and when she found out he was one of four she wanted to remove all four and so she offered the same enticements she'd instructed Tumnus to use.

3. How is Edmund's first experience in Narnia similar to Lucy's? How is it different? They both enter through the wardrobe, both are surprised not to hit the back, and see a cold winter landscape. They both meet an inhabitant of Narnia who offers food and drink. The difference is the heart of the one they meet--Tumnus repents and Jadis schemes.

4. Knowing the prophecy, the White Witch understood the significance of Edmund having three siblings, but she also knew that her usual policy of killing humans would solve her problem. Despite knowing this, what do you think caught the White Witch's attention, and caused her to want to keep Edmund alive?

1. Keeping in mind the way Edmund has acted so far in the book and how the Turkish Delight enchantment works, do you think Edmund is reluctant to believe Lucy about the White Witch only because of the enchantment? Why/why not?
Certainly his reluctance is not only because of the enchantment; in the previous chapter, before he'd met the Witch, he was already dreading having to admit that he was wrong.

And though he did not like to admit that he had been wrong, he also did not much like being a lone in this strange, cold, quiet place, so he shouted again.

However, the enchantment surely played a part in it, as the book even describes that, despite Edmund realizing that what Lucy said was true, he was already too consumed with the thoughts of Turkish Delight to admit it, even to himself. Personally, I think that, had Edmund never met the Witch, he likely would've sullenly agreed that Lucy was right (much like he did in the previous chapter), as he hardly had a leg to stand on in denying Narnia's existence, and he had no reason to doubt what Lucy said about the White Witch. But I don't think the Turkish Delight alone can be blamed for his response to Lucy; we'd already seen the seeds of this previously.

By the way, was the Turkish delight the only substance that Edmund had tasted on that sleigh ride that had been enchanted, I wonder? What about the strange foamy drink? Lots of things get put into hot chocolates, coffees, even cappuchinos. (Sugar, Milk, Rum, Irish Whiskey, Scotch, Bourbon, Galliano, Baileys etc etc so forth) Maybe it was also the hot drink that softened Edmund up for the Witch's benefit.

I think the drink was enchanted, too. It could simply be the warmth, but Edmund went from terrified of the Witch and wholly uncomfortable with her to feeling better about it immediately after drinking. Besides, why wouldn't the Witch enchant them both, if she could? They both came from the same source, too--her mystery bottle.

2. Considering what we learned about the White Witch in Chapter 2, do you think her treatment of Edmund is usual behavior for her?
From what we see, her vengeance is usually swiftly taken and very thorough; considering that Edmund is not only a threat, but one who didn't even (initially) treat her with her "proper" respect, it seems very unusual. Even Edmund is aware of how unusual her change of heart is--there's a moment where he realizes that she likely means him harm, and even he is suspicious of her sudden "change of heart" when she invites him into the sleigh. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't quite discerning enough to realize that it was because she'd made plans for him....

3. How is Edmund's first experience in Narnia similar to Lucy's? How is it different?
As wagga mentioned, they're both instances where Lucy and Edmund should have been concerned about going with and accepting treats from strangers. In fact, Edmund actually does think about it.

"Why can't we go to your house now?" said Edmund. When he had first got into the sledge he had been afraid that she might drive away with him to some unknown place from which he would not be able to get back; but he had forgotten about that fear now.

I'm convinced that Edmund only got into the sledge initially because he was afraid the Witch would kill him/do something terrible to him if he refused--though his motivations changed after she gave him the drink.

Actually, this makes me wonder: what would have happened if Lucy had been the one to meet the Witch? I mean, if it had somehow worked out that a) another of her siblings had already been here, so the Witch had the same motivation for not killing her outright, and b) Lucy hadn't already heard about the evils of the White Witch? Could Lucy, because of her innocence, fallen for the same trick and the same enchantment? While I firmly believe that Edmund's behavior is a product of both his personality/decisions and the enchantment, what's to say that Lucy couldn't have been enchanted as well?

4. Knowing the prophecy, the White Witch understood the significance of Edmund having three siblings, but she also knew that her usual policy of killing humans would solve her problem. Despite knowing this, what do you think caught the White Witch's attention, and caused her to want to keep Edmund alive?
I agree with what has already been said: she was concerned about Lucy, who was not already there, as well as the other children and more humans, coming back in force to avenge him. Or, coming back and simply being much more careful to stay out of her sight until they were ready to fulfill the prophecy. Besides that, I think she probably just thought it was far too convenient--two human children, of four siblings, have come into Narnia? I think she had an idea that if she was going to try to fight fate, she should make sure to take care of all of the threats at once.

5. What other observations do you have about the chapter? What caught your attention?

The Queen (Witch) can read people's minds. Evidence:

1. She knows what Turkish Delight is.

Personally, my interpretation has always been that the magic of her food-creating elixir "knows" how to provide what the intended victi--err, recipient wants. I think she may have asked him just to make it appear that she valued his opinion in the matter. I question her ability to read minds since she asks Edmund questions repeatedly, rather than just reading his mind to find out.

However, the book doesn't say explicitly one way or the other, so I'm not arguing that this absolutely isn't the case--this is just how I see it.

1. Keeping in mind the way Edmund has acted so far in the book and how the Turkish Delight enchantment works, do you think Edmund is reluctant to believe Lucy about the White Witch only because of the enchantment? Why/why not?

I think just the fact that Edmund had already befriended the queen made him reluctant to admit that she was evil. That set up a disagreement between him and Lucy, and from there his pride was a major factor in keeping him from admitting his little sister was right. She already turned out to be right once that day. How humiliating to have to admit to himself that she was right twice! - Especially after he had believed that the queen wanted to make him into a prince! And after all, there is no proof that the queen really is a witch, aside from the faun's say so, and the queen had already explained that you can't trust fauns. In fact, when you think about it, there really is no real evidence that Edmund is wrong, is there? Except that the queen was a little rude to him to begin with, but she made it up to him in the end, giving him something warm to drink, and even giving him Turkish Delight! In fact, she promised him whole rooms of Turkish Delight if he brought his family to meet her, and they jolly well wouldn't come to meet her if they thought she was a witch, now would they? No. Lucy must be wrong, otherwise he'd never get to taste any more of the queen's Turkish Delight...

I think the enchantment starts to take the most affect right about there.

2. Considering what we learned about the White Witch in Chapter 2, do you think her treatment of Edmund is usual behavior for her?

No. The queen is used to commanding her subjects. But Edmund is not one of her subjects, nor are his siblings within her realm. Another tactic must be employed to quash this threat.

3. How is Edmund's first experience in Narnia similar to Lucy's? How is it different?

Similar: It is unexpected. Both are greeted by bad guys who pretend to befriend them.

Different: Edmund meets the queen, the ultimate evil in Narnia, who has the most to lose if the four thrones are filled. Lucy meets the humble faun Tumnus, who still has enough good in him to rebel against his evil mistress. Edmund has enough hubris to fall for the queen's trap. Lucy has enough faith in goodness to fall into (and get herself out of) the faun's trap.

4. Knowing the prophecy, the White Witch understood the significance of Edmund having three siblings, but she also knew that her usual policy of killing humans would solve her problem. Despite knowing this, what do you think caught the White Witch's attention, and caused her to want to keep Edmund alive?

Well, answering this question chronologically, the witch didn't know that Edmund had siblings when she decided not to kill him at first. She probably wanted to know how Edmund had breached Narnia so she could stop other humans from entering as well. At this point she just knows that Edmund is a human, not necessarily one of the four.

Once she found out that Edmund had three siblings, then she must have understood that these were the four from the prophecy. At this point her plan is to get all four within her power so she can deal with them once and for all.