In this chapter, Lewis further depicts Edmund as a malicious, flawed boy. Edmund seems particularly spiteful because he deliberately refuses to support his sister, Lucy. Edmund's actions suggest that it is not just a desire for the enchanted Turkish Delight that motivates his treachery. Edmund's greed for power and superiority also prompts him to treat others with cruelty. Peter and Susan's response to Edmund's behavior reveals a great deal about their characters as well. Although Peter and Susan do not initially believe in the existence of another world, they immediately understand that Edmund is treating Lucy unkindly. Peter and Susan do not join Edmund when he taunts Lucy. Peter and Susan do not discount Lucy's words, but try to help her and heal her.
Edmund's gluttony for sweets and power not only clouds his judgment of the White Witch, but it also obscures his ability to accept the existence of Narnia. Edmund sees a whole new world, yet he denies that this world exists. Lewis creates a parallel between Edmund and the non-believer—a person who refuses to believe in Christianity and the existence of God. Unlike Lucy, a child with an open mind, Edmund's mind is closed to the possibility of a separate world. Likewise, God is intangible, so it is difficult for some people to believe in His existence. Thus, Lewis creates a literal, tangible, new world about which there could be no debate as to its existence. Edmund, representing the non-believer, sees Narnia with his own eyes and still denies that it is real. Edmund acts as if he is the voice of reason, but his views are actually the ones that are irrational and illogical. Similarly, non-believers rationalize that we cannot prove that God exists, but Lewis suggests that even though there is so much evidence for the existence of God, there are still people who rationalize that there is no God. Lewis appears to argue that it is actually the non-believers whose views are illogical.
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