In the portal-fantasy, the portal typically serves as a doorway between two worlds, connecting them and allowing transference from one world to the other. In the portal fantasies that are C.S. Lewis's novel The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Steven Spielberg's film Hook, and exemplified in Lori Campbell's book Portals of Power: Magical Agency and Transformation in Literary Fantasy, the portal between worlds is used not only as a mere doorway but also as the primary tool in which the story's characters bring about righteous change in the world, themselves, and there relationships with those around them.
In The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, the wardrobe in the spare room functions as the doorway between the human world of 1940's England and the magical land of Narnia. The four Pevensie children, Peter, Lucy, Edmund, and Susan, cross through the wardrobe to discover the beautiful and magical land of Narnia. The children discover that Narnia has been placed under the spell of the evil White Which. The witch's spell causes Narnia to “always be winter but never Christmas.” The wardrobe portal facilitates the Pevensie children’s arrival and brings about the fulfillment of a prophesy which foretells that the demise of the White Witch will come when “two Son's of Adam and two Daughters of Eve” take rule of the land. After the witch is defeated and the children become Narnia's new and benevolent rulers it becomes clear that the wardrobe in the spare room is the primary instrument in facilitating the righteous change brought about in Narnia's rule.
The wardrobe in the spare room also facilitates a righteous change in the character of Edmund Pevensie. In the human world Edmund’s actions are ruled by contempt, fear, and an underlining hatred for his siblings. While in Narnia, Edmund's hateful nature is used against Edmund by the White Witch to manipulate him into betraying not only his brother and sisters but also himself. Edmund's hate is eventually broken, however, by the loving sacrifice of Narnia's indigenous hero, Aslan. Aslan teaches Edmund the power of love, breaking the hateful blindness that surrounds him. Without the wardrobe in the spare room to facilitate the Pevensie children's travels, Edmund's life would have continued to be ruled by hate and therefore remained susceptible to it's treacherous grasp.
By facilitating the loving change in Edmund's character, the wardrobe has also opened the door for the righteous reparation in the relationship between Edmund and his brother and sisters. Edmund is given the chance to fight against the evil White Witch in the final battle, in which he sacrifices himself to deal the heroic decisive blow. Edmund' s brave and loving actions work to repair his relationship with his siblings by impressing upon them his new and noble nature.
In the movie Hook, a bit of pixy dust, a happy thought, and flying the pathway toward “second star to the right and straight on till morning” functions as the doorway between the human world of modern day London and the magical and adventurous world of Never Never Land. Never Never Land's pirate Captain James T. Hook, intent on revenge against a now ground up Peter Pan, sails his ship through the starry portal into human world and steals Pan's children. Peter, having grown-up and thus forgotten his adventures in Never Never Land, is guided by Tinkerbell through the starry portal back to the magical land to rescue his children. Once in Never Never Land, Peter remembers his former self and successfully rescues his children and defeats Captain Hook, effectively vanquishing the most evil being in the land. The starry portal acts at the primary factor in allowing righteous change to be brought to Never Never Land, through the acts of Peter Pan.
In Hook, the starry portal also brings righteous change to the character of Peter Pan. In the human world, Peter has forgotten all about his former daring and fun-loving self, and has become a overworked corporate lawyer. Upon returning to Never Never Land, Peter is initially to fearful and reserved to save his children from Hooks grasp. Though once Peter returns to the Lost Boys, he is able to successfully remember his former self and recaptures his lost love for fun and adventure. The restoration of his lost qualities allows Peter to successfully rescue his children and defeat the evil Captain Hook. Without the starry portal, Peter would have never returned to Never Never Land and would have continued to live out his self-destructive workaholic lifestyle and never would have remembered his former self.
By returning Peter to Never Never Land and thus bringing about the heroic change in Peters character, the starry portal has also brought together the elements needed to cause righteous repair in the relationship between Peter Pan and his children. In the human world, Peter's relationship with his children suffered greatly due to neglect for them brought on by his working all the time. While in Never Never Land Pan's children are able to witness the dramatic change in their father as he heroically battles Captain Hook for their lives. After the rescue, the children are overjoyed to be back with their father, and Peter, having remember his childhood and regained his fun-loving and adventurous spirit, loves them more powerfully then ever.
In her book Portals of Power: Magical Agency and Transformation in Literary Fantasy, author Lori Campbell argues that the portal device “draws our gaze to the exact place where consciousness and unconsciousness meet” and that “the portal spot-lights the intricate human process by which we navigate the world, ourselves, and the relationship between the two.” Campbell goes on to argue that the “the portal does more than help; it creates [and] opens up opportunities...” And indeed, as we have seen in both the The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and Hook, the portal is the not only spotlight to the intricate human process of building and maintaining relationships but also the building of a characters own sense of self. The portal clearly becomes the primary force in creating the opportunity for righteous change to be brought not only to the land, or in a characters own ego, but also to the characters relationships with those around them.
Peter Pan beginning to regain his former self seen below
Works Cited
Books
Campbell, Lori M. Portals of Power. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2010.
Lewis, C.S. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe. New York: Collier Books, 1970
Film
Hook. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Perf. Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, and Julia Roberts. TriStar Pictures, 1991.