Andrew’s Abuse of Animals

This flow follows the moral consequences of Andrew’s treatment of animals, from experiment to comic reversal in Narnia.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Animals as Materials

Animals as Materials Experiments without consent Andrew uses guinea pigs to test his rings, accepting deaths and explosions as part of his work. He regards the animals as instruments rather than lives deserving care. Digory objects Digory calls the treatment cruel, revealing a moral disagreement that Andrew dismisses as irrelevant to science. Their conflict establishes the cost hidden beneath his claims of discovery.

The Guinea Pig Travels

The Guinea Pig Travels A living result The children find the guinea pig wearing a yellow ring in the Wood between the Worlds. The animal’s arrival confirms the experiment’s reach beyond Andrew’s study. The children choose restraint Polly and Digory consider taking it home, then leave it in the peaceful wood rather than return it to further experiments. Their decision contrasts care with Andrew’s use of animals.

Strawberry Reaches Narnia

Strawberry Reaches Narnia A working horse in danger Strawberry arrives amid Jadis’s violence, exhausted and frightened by the London chase. The Cabby’s effort to calm him recognizes the animal as a companion rather than equipment. A different environment The new world’s grass and fresh air help Strawberry recover. His arrival brings a creature shaped by human labor into a land where his future can change.

Andrew Is Mistaken for a Creature

Andrew Is Mistaken for a Creature The hunter becomes vulnerable Andrew cannot understand the animals and faints as they inspect him. They debate whether he is an animal, a plant, or something else. Care replaces exploitation The beasts attempt to feed and water him, even though their efforts are clumsy. Their treatment reverses Andrew’s assumption that other creatures exist for his use.

A Lesson Andrew Avoids

A Lesson Andrew Avoids Unable to hear Aslan explains that Andrew would hear only roaring if the Lion spoke directly to him. Andrew has made himself resistant to the voice that could correct him. A consequence without spectacle Aslan gives Andrew sleep rather than a lecture he cannot receive. The episode closes the reversal: the man who experimented on animals is dependent on their care and unable to understand it.

before the children discover Andrew’s study

when Digory and Polly meet in the Wood between the Worlds

during the accidental arrival in the new world

after the Talking Beasts assemble around him

when Aslan addresses Andrew in Narnia