Just
as there are many forms and uses of magic, there are many reasons why magic is so
appealing to readers of Fantasy Fiction. I believe the main reason that magic
is so appealing is because it’s so entertaining, so unlike anything we know as
readers. But on a deeper and arguably more important level, magic is so
appealing because it is such an exciting and extraordinary allegorical means of
tackling real world issues. After a while issues like morality, politics,
power, love, art, and other important issues can become dry. By dry I mean that
these issues seem to be the same over and over again, and there seems to be
only one way to perceive these matters. But through magic readers are able to
reconsider and reevaluate these issues through a completely new perspective.
And readers can become so caught up in the exciting and extraordinary nature of
magic that they might not even realize they’re looking at real world issues. Magic
is not just a distraction; it isn’t just a fun element of fiction. Magic helps
us as humans reconsider and reevaluate the people we are, the issues we care
about, and the world we live in.
An excellent example of magic’s
appeal can be found in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. My examples will include
one of the best works included in this Fantasy Fiction course—The Hobbit—and will extend the appeal of
Tolkien’s magic to The Lord of the Rings
trilogy. The most important example of magic in Middle-Earth is the Ring, the
Ring that Bilbo Baggins acquires in The
Hobbit, the same Ring which the Fellowship sets out to destroy in The Lord of the Rings. Initially the
Ring seems to be solely a helpful magical artifact. It helps Bilbo escape
Gollum, helps him save the dwarves from the spiders in Mirkwood, free the
dwarves from the elves, burgle his way into the Lonely Mountain, give the
Arkenstone to Bard and the elves in order to minimize the inevitable fighting,
survive the Battle of the Five Armies, etc. There seems to be nothing
malevolent about the Ring in The Hobbit.
In this work, readers definitely perceive the Ring as good magic, its ability
to turn the wearer invisible an exciting and extraordinary prospect. There are
no hints of the Ring’s malevolence in The
Hobbit, except perhaps for Gollum’s twisted nature. However, in The Lord of the Rings, the Ring proves
to be an evil object that creates violence, betrayal, and corruption.
So what does this shift in the
Ring’s magic say about larger real world issues? In The Hobbit, the Ring can be an allegory for furthering
self-confidence through appropriate use of power. Before acquiring the Ring,
Bilbo is really struggling in his journey with Thorin’s company. Thorin and the
dwarves make him feel bad about how he’s doing in the journey, and Bilbo also feels
bad about himself. He’s certainly lacking in self-confidence, and feeling very
out of place in the dangerous journey in the big world so far from the comfort
of his home in the Shire. But the Ring, this source of magic, proves to be a
turning point for Bilbo. Through the magic of the Ring, Bilbo is able to become
a skilled burglar, and a heroic and valuable member of Thorin’s company. He
comes to respect himself more, and so do the dwarves. The appeal of magic helps
us as readers ponder this shift. Does this shift in Bilbo’s character occur
simply because he acquires magic, or is it something more? I believe it’s not
just the magic he acquires, but how he uses the magic. Bilbo uses the Ring’s
magic appropriately. He only uses it to do what is best, to save himself and
the dwarves and help in their quest, or to try and achieve peace. Bilbo’s use
of the Ring can therefore be seen through the allegorical lens of furthering
self-confidence through appropriate use of power. Magic is almost always power
in Fantasy Fiction, and the Ring’s magic is certainly powerful. Bilbo thus
acquires power and through appropriate use the power is used for good, for
helping himself and helping others. This furthers his self- confidence because
he becomes a more valuable and skilled and benevolent individual. And we as
readers can learn a lesson about power, that one gains more self-confidence and
helps good things happen not by just acquiring power, but by using power wisely
once acquired. With the same object of magic we see how unwise and
inappropriate use of power can kill, injure, betray, and corrupt, all of which
the Ring causes in The Lord of the Rings.
Thus, magic entertains and helps us as readers reconsider important issues,
particularly the issue of power.
Another excellent example of how
magic’s appeal helps readers reconsider and reevaluate the real world is magic
in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
by C.S. Lewis. In this classic work the extraordinary nature of magic leads
readers to examine the issue of faith and law. When Aslan survives despite
being killed upon the Stone Table by the White Witch and her minions, he returns
and tells Susan and Lucy the secret of his survival:
Though
the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not
know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have
looked a little further back, into the stillness and darkness before Time dawned,
she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that
when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s
stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.
(Lewis 178-179)
Magic
that defies death is certainly intriguing. Aslan’s reasons for why this magic
defies death are even more intriguing. In short, the magic that saves Aslan is
about the power of sacrifice and faith, and adhering to such laws. The magic
Lewis presents makes readers consider the power of faith, the good that can
come out of a victim willingly sacrificing his or her self for a greater cause.
Furthermore, such faith during sacrifice can allow evil to be triumphed.
Through these exciting possibilities depicted in the magic of Narnia, readers
can look at faith and sacrifice through a new lens. Readers who scoff at their
religious faith may reconsider their feelings toward their faith. I’m not
saying reading this will make an atheist or agnostic suddenly believe in God
and start attending church or synagogue or any other place of religious
worship, but it does make readers reexamine the issue of faith. And it’s not
necessarily religious faith; it can help readers reevaluate the value of having
faith in anything, even faith in one’s self or other people or certain causes
and so forth.
Not only does the magic of Aslan’s
resurrection speak to the issue of faith, but it also speaks to laws. Aslan
triumphs because he knows the ancient laws of magic and adheres to them. He
lives because he knows and manipulates the system. The White Witch thinks she
triumphs because she thinks she can cheat the system but it turns out she
doesn’t know the system as well as she thinks. Magic can thus be used an
allegory for law. To thrive and survive one needs to know the law, adhere to
the law, and use the law wisely. If you’re going to manipulate the law, you
better know it in and out, and know how to use and manipulate the law
effectively.
Issues like power, self-confidence,
faith, sacrifice, and law can seem dry and simple. But the highly entertaining
and astonishing nature of magic helps us as readers willingly think of these
issues, and think of them in new ways. Power and self-confidence are more
intrinsically fascinating and appealing to analyze through the Ring. In the
same way faith, sacrifice, and law are more intrinsically fascinating and
appealing to analyze through the magic behind Aslan’s resurrection. These are
just a few of countless examples in which magic helps us better understand and
assess the real world. And by offering new perspectives and by triggering
critical thinking about such important issues, magic does not draw readers
further from the real world as many argue magic and Fantasy Fiction do. Magic
helps readers live in and better understand the real world.
Works Cited
Lewis,
C.S. The Lion, the Witch, and the
Wardrobe. New York: Harper Collins, 1950.
