The Magician’s Nephew: Curiosity Killed the Cat

It is almost understandable why Digory rang the bell. Curiosity can be a powerful tool. In this case, the inscription that Digory reads by the bell says that if he does not ring it, he will “wonder, till it drives you mad, what would have followed if you had.” The inscription explicitly informs the reader (in this case, Digory) that if they do not ring the bell, they will be forever haunted wondering what would have happened.
Unfortunately, Digory’s curiosity released Jadis and caused excessive amounts of suffering throughout the Chronicles of Narnia. There was no good reason for Digory to ring the bell besides his own curiosity. While this part of the plot was important for the formation of the storyline, it teaches a valuable lesson. It is important that we do not allow our curiosity to get the best of us, especially when we are not fully aware of the consequences. Sometimes, just sometimes, ignorance is bliss.