Some points I'd like to draw attention to are the following:
We find out that the wardrobe is made of apple wood. Apples are traditionally seen as the "forbidden fruit" of the Genesis Creation account. I think that this parallel is to draw attention to the original sin of mankind and the route taken to redemption (the route through Narnia to the sacrifice of Aslan).
The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe (paraphrased) wrote:It was almost quite dark in there, and she (Lucy) kept her arm out in front of her to keep her from bumping into the back of the wardrobe.
This darkness could be representative as the darkness of sin, which would make sense when viewed in light of the former statement about the significance of the apple wood. It could also represent our blindness in sin; our helplessness, and how lost we really are.
I think it's also important that as Lucy moves further back into the wardrobe she moves towards the light of the lamppost, rather than further into darkness as one might expect. This, in my opinion, represents the departure away from the darkness of sin, and towards the bright light of Christ.
That being said, it's still dark in the wardrobe, and she has to take one step at a time, avoiding coats (more on that later), which speaks of the faith required to step out into that which we cannot see, trusting that God will take care of the rest of our problems.
The coats meet Lucy's need, and prepare her for her upcoming trek through the wintry realm of Narnia. They are found (logically so) inside the wardrobe, not outside the wardrobe, and, to me, symbolize that God meets our needs as we continue on our journey towards him. That being said, winter is commonly viewed as the harshest season. . . life is not easy, but God provides everything we need to get to Him.
So those are a few of my observations. I'd be interested to hear some of yours. To spur on discussion, I'd be interested in hearing your responses to these questions:
-Why is it significant that Lewis continues to say "You must never shut yourself up in a wardrobe" if these observations are accurate?
-Why is it significant that Edmund is the only Pevensie who really does close the door?
-Why is it important (apart from the thrust and plot of the story) that Lucy has to return to our world away from the lamppost, which if we're following my line of logic, represents Christ's light?
-The Pevensies enter Narnia through the wardrobe a total of 3 times. Does this have any significance? (e.g. Body, soul & spirit. Father, Son, Holy Ghost, etc...) If so, how does this add to the symbolism I've hypothesized above.
There are some bones on which to gnaw . If you guys and gals come up with any other interesting hypotheses or additional questions, feel free to add them to the discussion.