Digory's Boyish Idealism

In Lewis' Magician's Nephew, one of the main characters, Digory's character pulls at the heart strings of many men who read him. Digory's search for adventure and wonder depict the spirit of many young men. Lewis depicts Digory as a young and tender hearted boy who is wrestling with the absence of his parents. He maintains a child-like innocence about him as he displays his sensitivity toward Polly in their first interaction when she mocks his dirty face. However, Digory also rides the adolescent aspiration of becoming a man. He defends Polly against Uncle Andrew and tries to assert his will against others. He wants to show that he is man enough to make his own decisions. When Uncle Andrew tricks Polly into putting on the ring, Digory abandons reason as he pursues his new friend, fully aware that he is playing into his uncle's hands. This is one aspect of boyish idealism, it dismisses the evil, the cunning, the deceit, even the real, for the sake of the ideal. It is not unaware of fear, in fact fear is very real. However, this perspective does not have the same fears that we adults have. We fear "real, dangerous" things, like money, houses, cars, guns, bombs. No, Digory fears the simpler ones: love, affection, abandonment, boredom. See, his fears are the fears that bring us back into who we real are as humans. The older we get, the more we reduce our own dignity as human beings. Now don't get me wrong, the ideal is not the answer. However, it taps into something that we adults have lost sight of. As adults, all we know is the real. Adventure is silly. It wasters time and energy. It is impractical. Not to Digory though. For him, adventure and friendship is all there is to live for, and that's why he is willing to risk his life for Polly. Maybe he hasn't fully calculated the implications of his decisions in the real because he can't, but that's okay. Why are we adults so afraid of losing our lives for something that actually matters? Why are we so terrified of the ideal? We cling way to closely to the real. Hopefully characters like Digory can teach us something.