!!The Books

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[[folder: Fridge Logic ]]

* In ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,'' in the scene where the White Witch comes over a group of Narnians having a Christmas party and turns them into stone, the narrative describes how one of the statues still has the fork halfway to his mouth. A few paragraphs earlies, it is described how one of the partygoers -- more specifically the father squirrel -- is in the middle of eating when the Witch approaches and stops with the fork halfway to his mouth. But the thing is, the Witch doesn't turn the partygoers into stone straight away; she spends what must be over a minute threatening them, and getting the story on how they've been given the feast by Father Christmas. This can mean only one of two things. Either the father squirrel sat there with the fork halfway through his mouth for that entire scene, or ''someone'' in the party just looked at the Witch, went "meh," and cheerfully continued eating while she was threatening them all.
** Could turn into FridgeBrilliance: He might simply have decided "screw it, I'm dead anyway, might as well enjoy this food for as long as I can."
** Or was paralyzed by fear of the witch and really did sit there with fork halfway to mouth the whole time.

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[[folder: Fridge Brilliance ]]

* This troper always felt sorry for Edmund, because he was the only sibling in 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' not to get a Christmas present. Then I realized he DID get a present...''his life''.
** Err, no. In context, it's less of a gift and more of something any genuinely moral person would do for another sapient being. If it was a gift, then it be extreme UnfortunateImplications for the CrystalDragonJesus.
*** [[SarcasmMode Yeah, sacrificing your life for someone else, even though you didn't do anything wrong, and they are utterly guilty of a capital crime, is the least you could do. It's not a gift. It's common courtesy.]]
*** You do realise that christian dogma (which this series runs on) pretty much depicts sacrifice even in name of your enemies as the apropriate behaviour, right? And frankly, if you honestly think a '''child''' who didn't even fully understand the consequences of his betrayal deserved to '''die''', then I am sad to say you're pretty much a sociopath.
*** No in our eyes he didn't deserve to die but neither did a totally pure, good being. By the laws of Narnia, death was Edmund's just punishment. (You may not agree with it but that was the law). Aslan chose to take his place, he wasn't obliged to make that sacrifice. Like Jesus didn't ''have'' to take humanity's place, if he had it wouldn't be a sacrifice.
* While I'm still not that much of a fan of the series, I thought it was kind of interesting to learn from TheOtherWiki that in the ''{{Narnia}}'' books, the god Tash of Calormene was based upon Medieval demonizations of Islam. I think this definitely shows Lewis' intellect and suggests that rather than necessarily believing that Muslims are devil-worshippers (Creator/JackChick is hopefully one of the few people who think this way), he was using the medieval idea to add to Narnia's overall "storybook" quality.-- {{Jordan}}
** According to be book collecting Lewis' correspondence with fans in my possession, Tash was inspired by some of the animal-headed deities of ancient times and certain deities mentioned in the Old Testament. He never mentioned (or gave indication of) Tash being inspired by Islam, though he did state that Calormene was inspired by ''Literature/ArabianNights''. As far as the books go, Aravis, Emeth, and the inhabitants of the entire city of Tashbaan seen in Aslan's Country show that he didn't consider the Calormene to be innately evil. Rather, we unfortunately only got to know a few of the better ones in any meaningful way. Aslan's interview with Emeth in ''The Last Battle'' makes clear there are many people worshipping him who are actually worshipping Tash, and that there are people who worship Tash but are counted as loving Aslan. Intent seems to be more important than lip service.
*** Which when you think that Tash is basically Satan and Aslan is basically Jesus, is a very nice little gentle warning at self-righteous Christians who go to church every Sunday but have hate in their hearts and look down on people instead of helping them. In addition, if you take Tash as a symbol of non-Christian religions, it seems that although Lewis himself was a devout Christian, he did not consider other religions to be evil, just perhaps mistaken (still a bit patronising, but not bad for the time). In the end, just because you say you are a follower of Aslan doesn't mean your service isn't being accepted by Tash, and equally, just because you pray to Tash, doesn't mean Aslan doesn't hear you.
*** Patronizing? What did you expect? Everyone holds hands together and sings Kumbaya?
*** You do realize that anyone who has a real opinion about anything, especially religion, thinks like that. Of course Lewis thinks what he believes is right. Why else would he hold those beliefs?
*** It is frankly very obviously patronising and [[ValuesDissonance in no way apropriate by our standards]], since it still implies deities sincerely loved and appreciated by many people are the root of all evil. Still, considering Lewis' era, it is downright admirable.
*** It implies that just as [[{{Jesus}} Aslan]] has a form appropriate for Narnia, so too does [[{{Satan}} Tash]]. Further it implies that sincere love of Deity is the source of all ''good'' (which idea has drawn more than a little fire from Lewis's more conservative Christian readers).
** The hypnosis scene from ''The Silver Chair'' is on the {{Narm.Literature}} page, because the Lady's manner of disproving the existence of the surface "involves her asking for every magnificent surface concept, "Please, what is this [insert concept here]?"" This is [[FridgeHorror quite the opposite for me]]; if she was able to do so with nothing but the powder in the fire, the harp, and asking a few rhetorical questions, think what she would've done if Puddleglum ''hadn't'' been there and she'd really been able to get her teeth in. It also makes it amazing that Rilian managed to resist her for ''ten years''.

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[[folder: Fridge Horror ]]

* The statues in the White Witch's fortress.
** Practically most of the fates of the Seven Lords in ''Dawn Treader''.
** The fate of [[spoiler: Susan]] in ''The Last Battle''. [[spoiler: She's still in our world, but her entire family has died in a violent train accident.]]
*** And [[spoiler:she's been left with a chance to join them when she grows up morally. No minor consolation by Lewis's standards!]]
*** That people [[UnfortunateImplications actually consider that something good]] is FridgeHorror in itself.
*** As opposed to the alternative of dying in the railway accident as well and being separated from them for eternity, meeting a fate like that of all the creatures who disappeared into Aslan's shadow? Nobody's saying that surviving the death of the rest of her family is good, but tragic and traumatic as it undoubtedly will be for her, her story doesn't end there. Because she's alive, she has the opportunity to heal and to one day be reunited with them in Aslan's country, so yes, her survival ''is'' preferable to her dying along with them.
* ''TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' has a mild case of this trope. In ''TheHorseAndHisBoy'', different characters claim that the Calormene nobles are descended from Tash, the chief Calormene deity, who is eventually seen in ''TheLastBattle''. Assuming that's literally true, it means Tash- a creature with a vulture's head, a skeletal humanoid body and four taloned arms who stinks of death- periodically mates with human women. Oh, and Aslan describes Tash as a demon.
** "Assuming that's literally true" is a pretty big assumption. How many RealLife rulers have claimed to be descended from gods? And how would that mesh with Aslan's claim that [[{{Squick}} every positive act of worship towards Tash was accepted by Aslan]] (and every negative to Aslan accepted by Tash)?
*** Why would Tash having sex with mortal women and thus children contradict Aslan's claim that every positive act of worship towards Tash was really towards him? Is having sex with someone you may or may not realize is a god at the time really a "positive act of worship"?
*** Still, it's not impossible to consider. Lewis wrote a universe that at least in part used Greek mythology. While Tash wasn't derived from those myths, it's not out of the question that Lewis knew about the whole DoubleStandardRapeDivineOnMortal thing.
*** If that's the case though, it is entirely possible that Tash would take a more desirable form for the...erm, courtship.
*** In ''TheLastBattle'', it's made clear calormenes are doubting Tash's existence. If Tash did ever had sex with mortals, it must had stopped at some point, if it ever happened.
*** Don't forget the Bible mentions angels having sex with mortals. This could be where Lewis got the idea.
* ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' has 2 in-universe examples: Goldwater Island (later deemed Deathwater Island) and the "Island Where Dreams Come True."
*** It also has another out-universe one: When the characters reach the end of the world and meet Aslan. Aslan tells them what lies behind him is his country. [[spoiler: Reepicheep asks Aslan if he could enter. He accepts and Reepicheep goes to his death. Yeah, Aslan's Country is really heaven, and Reepicheep just killed himself. Even worse was that Caspian wanted to go ''just to check on his father''.]]
**** YMMV on that one. You're treating it like this life is all there is. Reepicheep certainly didn't think so.
**** Reepicheep ''had'' to go, though, so that the lords could be saved.
*** [[spoiler: The aspect of the story's structure in the original book is crucial, in that it's modeled on ''Literature/ThePilgrimsProgress''. The islands represent various stages on the journey to heaven. For example, Goldwater (Deathwater) involves renouncing greed and the pursuit of wealth, because it leads to death (literally). The Darkness (or place where dreams come true) are the sum of human fears; you renounce fear, embrace faith, and follow hard after God (the albatross who brings light in the darkness, whispers "Courage, dear heart," to Lucy and leads the ship out, destroying the Darkness in the process), and Reepicheep's going over the falls into Aslan's Country doesn't involve his death, but he ends up in heaven the way Enoch or Elijah did: they were taken up to heaven, but did not die. Caspian would not have needed to stay. In the book, the Darkness isn't spreading - I think the movie's scriptwriters just didn't have a clue, and that's why this troper avoided the movie like the plague.]]
*** Assuming that scriptwriters don't have a clue when it comes to anything vaguely Christian, let alone one of the biggest classics of the Christian fiction cannon, is a safe bet.
**** You'd be surprised what scriptwriters don't have a clue about. Popularity does not save works from having their original intent distorted beyond all recognition.
*** Note that in the book, Reepicheep sails over the wall of water before the children meet Aslan - it's presented as an act of faith and adventuring spirit, the culmination of his quest into the unknown in search of the Utter East and Aslan's Country. Unfortunately, having him ask and receive Aslan's blessing to proceed in the movie kind of undermines the point.
* Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy spend years in Narnia. They grow up. They change. They become adults, and powerful ones. And then they go back to England and become kids again. Think about it: every single thing that changed in fifteen years is suddenly reversed, except they still remember all of it. So they know what it's like to be adults... but they aren't anymore.
* Aslan's tendency to bring ''young children'' into Narnia and turn them all into ''[[ChildSoldiers professional killers]]'', something even the White Witch [[EvenEvilHasStandards drew the line at!]] [[hottip:*: (Her interactions with Diggory, Polly and later Edmund basically just involve her manipulating them)]]. Edmund in particular demonstrates several signs of being a ShellShockedVeteran and he's barely in his teens!
* If Aslan is to be taken literally when he says that they are opposites, then Tash may be far worse that Satan. To be truly opposite to Aslan/Emperor he couldn't be his creation, he'd have to be an being of independent and equal power. Jadis is the rebel Lucifer, Tash sounds more like some kind of Anti-God.

!!The Movies
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* This is only in TheFilmOfTheBook, but watch ''[[TheChroniclesOfNarnia The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian]]'', and the romance between Susan and Caspian. RomanticPlotTumor? I don't think so anymore. Look at it this way: Susan had grown up and become a Queen during '''The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe'''. During that time she probably had suitors- and it's made explicit in '''A Horse and His Boy''' that she does. Then she goes back home, and she's a girl again. One year later ''maybe'' she's readjusted to her "before" life, and she get's dragged back to {{Narnia}} where she ends up falling in love. Of course, as soon as ''that'' happens, she's sent back home ''again'', and told she will never return. With that context, the last book (where she no longer believes in Narnia) makes a lot more sense- she probably stopped believing so that the "hurt" could go away. s has always been her attraction to materialism and worldliness getting in the way of her life's mission. In the book, Aslan's personal message for her is that she has "listened to fears" that she needs to forget. In three subsequent books, she is described as having become rather shallow, interested more in parties and flirting than anything else, even during her queenly years in Narnia. Given that personality profile, it makes total sense to me that she had an attraction to Caspian, but was able to set it aside fairly readily with a flippant remark about their ages. She was more in love with romance than with Caspian.

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[[folder: Fridge Horror ]]

* The end of the first movie. It took the four children what, a ''minute'' to fall back from Narnia to England? And in that minute they regained a lifetime of memories, regressed back 15 years and got cut off from their home, friends and country. Seriously how could they cope with that? They're given no warning, no preparation, NOTHING. Imagine waking up everyday and realizing that hey, you're not in Cair Paravel anymore, and may never go back there. Or thinking 'oh I need to talk to Mr Tumnus/Mrs Beaver about...' and then remembering oh sorry they're gone. The weeks after coming back would have been utterly, utterly devastating. They'd been lost, confused and have no idea if they'd ever go back. To have to rebuild yourself after losing your entire life...its horrific. Counts for the books as well.
** Turned UpToEleven in Prince Caspian. They go back to Narnia! Yay! But...''everyone they know is dead''. Imagine every single one of your friends and everything you built being destroyed. You never got to say goodbye or mourn them. That's it.
* In the third movie, they've "defeated" the green mist thingy, and now you have at lease a ''dozen'' boatloads of people in the middle of the sea, stranded hundreds, if not ''thousands'' of miles from their homes. Just what happened to those people?
** Not ''that'' serious an example: they're close enough to Ramandu's island to land there, recouperate, and eventually build ships for the return voyage.
* ''TheChroniclesOfNarnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader''. [[spoiler: The Dark Island. It was already pretty creepy in the book with no real reason to be there, but it just seemed to be a localized effect. In the film, the Dark Island is implied to be sentient, and its power is ''spreading''. Why? The worst bit is that it is apparently really close to Aslan's Country, which is essentially Heaven. Again why? Who made it? The other evil in the world of Narnia almost explicitly exists because of outside interference, but the Dark Island has apparently been part of Narnia for at least a few decades, and it seems to want to swallow up all of Narnia, for no clear reason. The question here is, who made it?]]
** [[spoiler: Aslan aka God made it, as it seems to be either an allegory for Lucifer or Hell.]]
*** According to the filmmakers' commentary, they took a piece from The Silver Chair, specifically its villian. Supposedly the Lady of the Green Kirtle caused the mist, not Aslan, nor the Emperor Beyond the Sea.

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* How exactly did the stone table wind up ''underground''?
** Wasn't it fairly obvious? At some point in the interim period, someone built a giant burial mound over it?
** That's explicitly stated in the books. "Aslan's How" was erected over the site.