TLC Forum

The always winter and never Christmas suggests frigid enchantment and barrenness. Then when Aslan came the thaw and spring were signs of the White Witch's power weakening. What other uses of weather to reinforce the mood or plot do you see in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or Lewis' other chronicles and books?

The first thing I thought of was the way he sets the mood with rain after the failed battle in PC.

There is also the cold wind and snow in SC. I just realized that this weather started after the three meet the Lady of the Girtle Kirtle, which makes them long to reach Harfang even more.
The English summer of MN was rainy to drive Polly and Digory to amuse themselves indoors, which then leads to, well, the rest of the book.
The heat of The Great Desert in HHB wears down the travellers and brings about that drawn-out, plodding feel until they finally reach the canyon.

Eustace goes into the dragon's den when it starts raining.

There's also the Dark Island, though it might not be considered "weather," more like a lack of the sun, which is of course like LotGK claiming that there is no sun. Interestingly, both times the characters appeal to Aslan when confronted with this. In my sleep-deprived mind this is reminding me of God making the sun stand still for Joshua in Joshua 10:13 and also of Luke 23:44-45 where the sun did not shine in the middle of the day for three hours when Jesus was being crucified.

Ariel.of.Narnia wrote: The English summer of MN was rainy to drive Polly and Digory to amuse themselves indoors, which then leads to, well, the rest of the book.

I just noticed... Polly and Digory in MN, and then Lucy and Edmund (on his first and her second time to Narnia) in LWW, all went to Narnia because they had to stay indoors on account of rain, in a way.

Ah, yes, this is true!

The quiet heat of Prince Caspian kinda adds a sort of flat feeling. No wind to change things up, not cool enough for comfortable hiking in armour, not hot enough to be oppressive....

Charn's dull barren oppressive air and dim sun perfectly reflect the doom of that city.

The lack of weather makes Underland feel both very close and yet endless.

Good point, Ariel, it probably also throws off the inhabitants sense of time. That would certainly be one reason - other than that he was enchanted - that Rilian didn't realize he'd been living underground ten years!

In The Last Battle, there is a thunderclap when Shift is lying to Puzzle, a rather obvious use of the weather.

Great topic In That Hideous Strength Lewis has some characters, the Dennistons, who describe themselves as loving weather of all kinds, whether thunderstorms or sunshine.

I like the bits where the tranquility of the weather works as an interesting contrast to the anxiety of the characters. I think it's something like this in the race to Anvard as well as when the Pevensies are trying to get to Prince Caspian. There's something about how it would have been nice for a picnic or a ramble, but not especially good for being in a hurry. That might have had more to do with the terrain, but I think the weather played a part.