In C. S. Lewis’ cherished novel, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Susan Pevensie, the second-eldest character, is crowned Queen Susan the Gentle on her first trip to the magical land of Narnia. The book, first published in 1950, was later adapted into several films, the most recent one created in 2005 by Disney. Over the course of the video, Susan’s actress fails to capture the beauty of the girl the author had originally depicted. While Susan’s character in the story is gentle and considerate of others, her character in the film adaptation is portrayed as a cold, unhappy and self-centered young woman who does not change sufficiently over the course of the video to merit a Narnian crown.

In the novel, Susan proves worthy of becoming Queen of Narnia by her consideration for others, her courage and her gentleness. Early on, she works to keep the peace between her siblings, especially Edmund and Peter: “Do stop it…it won’t make things any better having a row between you two.” After discovering that Mr. Tumnus has been captured for helping Lucy, Susan agrees that they are responsible to help the poor faun, despite the risk. When Edmund disappears, she exhorts her siblings and the Beavers to search for him, and cannot believe Edmund would be capable of betrayal when the Beavers relate what likely happened: “He can’t have done that.” Later, in Aslan’s camp, she risks her life by sounding her magical horn to call Peter when the wolves attack, just barely managing to scale a tree. She begs Aslan to help her brother when Jadis demands his blood, terrified for Edmund’s life despite his crime. Because of her sensitivity, she is the only character to notice Aslan’s altered demeanor and cannot sleep at night because of it. In the epic and horrifying moments of his great sacrifice, she cries: “The cowards! Are they still afraid of him, even now?” Susan, with Lucy, spends countless heartbreaking hours sobbing over Aslan’s dead body, feeling as if nothing will ever happen again, and because of her undying love is able to fully enjoy Aslan’s resurrection and rightly be crowned Queen Susan the Gentle.

Susan’s character in the film is cold and self-centered, and does not change adequately to be worthy of a Narnian crown. Particularly, she is hard on Peter, placing full responsibility for their younger siblings on his shoulders and not supporting him when he faces difficulty, such as his arguments with Edmund: “Well, that was nicely handled.” She also blames him for losing Lucy in the river: “What have you done?!” Attempting to be practical, she deems it unwise to risk their lives to help Tumnus, and even tries to persuade Peter to listen to the wolf, “Look, just because some man in a red coat hands you a sword doesn’t make you a hero!” Once safely in Aslan’s camp, Susan shows a hint of courage in blowing her horn to save Lucy and herself from the wolves. However, she appears to be only half- heartedly concerned for Edmund, reluctantly admitting being hard on him, yet not beseeching Aslan’s help when Jadis comes to kill him. When following Aslan through the forest and also at his sacrifice, the actress poorly portrays Susan’s worry for Aslan or her agony at his death—several lines during these scenes sound over-rehearsed and lack the emotion necessary to depict Susan’s true feelings. Additionally, after inspecting the body and weeping a little, Susan says: “We have to tell the others…we should go.” While she seems to change slightly in her genuine elation at meeting Mr. Tumnus, she rolls her eyes at Peter when he realizes he lost Edmund during the confusion of battle, as if Edmund’s wound was Peter’s fault. Susan’s character does not undergo any significant changes from her unhappiness and cold attitude at the beginning, making her a poor candidate for Queen Susan the Gentle.

Although Susan warmed slightly in some moments during the film, her character in the movie is utterly inconsistent with the way C. S. Lewis imagined her in the original pages of Narnia. In the story, Susan cared for other’s feelings and lives, even when it meant risking her own for them out of love, while in the movie the actress portrays her as cold and inconsiderate of those around her, not caring about other’s lives if it means endangering her own. Undoubtedly, it is the courage and gentleness of the very first Susan who will continue to find a special place in reader’s hearts for many years to come.