In The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, (I don't know what my deal is with Narnia books right now...) young Lucy Pevensie becomes the first character to discover the magical world of Narnia by crawling through a wardrobe. When she reaches the land, snow covers the terrain. Now, Narnia is huge. The landscape varies: covered in snow, forest, and fields. So why did C. S. Lewis choose to thrust Lucy into the snow?
From reading chapter 10, I realized just how many characteristics of snow also characterize Narnia. By creating a snowy, Narnian vision in the reader's mind, Lewis gives Narnia traits without flat-out saying them.
Go back in time a bit to when you were about, say, seven. One single snowflake hits the ground, and, all of the sudden, you are thrown into a frenzy. Snow is magical for children and adults alike. Narnia also flows with magic. It is, after all, a land hidden behind a wardrobe with talking animals. Snow invokes feelings of fascination and wonder, which Lucy feels as she travels through her new discovery. A landscape coated with snow seems new and quite different from the original landscape. Similarly, Narnia is a new and fresh landscape to Miss Pevensie.
On the other hand, snow can be cold and dangerous. When the White Witch is introduced to the reader, she is coated in white furs and pulled by polar bears. Lewis clearly wanted to associate her with snow as well. The White Witch, is not fresh and quiet, but is instead icy and cruel. As much fun as snow can provide, we often forget how we would die if left alone in it. Snow can be unforgiving, just like the White Witch that tempts Lucy's brother Edmond.
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