Revisiting Narnia: The Silver Chair

The Silver Chair has always been a notable book to me, for a few reasons. For one, it is one of the darkest tonally in the whole series and it was the one I found somewhat scary as a growing child. For another, it was one of the books adapted by the BBC for their series of televised productions, which I remember watching with my best friend Chris O. And then there's my mother, whom I must mention again. I am fairly certain that my introduction to the book came after my mom called me Puddleglum, or said that I was talking like him, or something along those lines. She said it with a smirk and a wink, and it stuck with me. So, when I first read the book, I was a bit amused and slightly bemused. I mean, I was generally a positive and optimistic child, at least I thought so, and Puddlglum's repeatedly referred to by Eustace and Jill as a wet blanket, and he's constantly expecting the worst outcome. He's an aptly named character. And with his musings come a fair amount of winking at the audience and sentences that bring a smile.

Puddleglum is the main guide that the children are given, but they are also helped in their quest (and led astray) by a handful of other personalities. First of all, there is an early appearance of Aslan, and this is the earliest he ever makes his presence known in any of the books, just after Jill accidentally knocks Eustace off a tremendously high cliff. Aslan rebukes Jill but then restores her and sets her on her way with a set of signs to follow on the way. Eustace doesn't recognize King Caspian in his elderly bodily form, so the first sign is muffed, of course, and the children are sent off to find Prince Rilian in a different sort of way than they theoretically would have if they hadn't missed the sign. 

So, they are helped by a council of owls, who talk in a funny too-who sort of way that is reminiscent of Owl from Winnie-the-Pooh. The owls give them a ride to Puddlglum who comically keeps doubting their ability to complete their quest or even survive it. They pass by a land of giants, and then are directed by a mysterious Lady of the Green Kirtle - who is accompanied by an even more mysterious and silent Black Knight - to present themselves at the door of other giants for their Autumnal Feast. Of course, the children miss another sign for a while and they find themselves in the House of Harfang where they discover that when they are "presented" just in time for the Feast, it is themselves that are to be eaten as a main course: Man and Marshwiggle. How frightening to find oneself in a cookbook! 

Luckily - although, of course it isn't luck, because Aslan had given Jill a vision in a dream - the children look out the window to see the sign UNDER ME written in stones on the hill, and so they escape through a small back door and make their way underground, away from the giants but into the darkness.

It is around this time that Puddleglum has started to transform from a pessimistic annoyance to a true leader with his heart and eyes set on what is right. He has refused to eat a talking stag. And then he follows the signs given by Aslan into the darkness by rightly choosing obedience over what he believes or others may say might be safer. Puddleglum knows that it is best to be on the side of Aslan.

So the trio descend into the darkness and are taken through the depths by the Earthmen who keep repeating, "Many fall down, and few return to the sunlit lands," as though the hypnotic expression has some sort of hold over the depths of the Underground.

Underground, they inevitably meet an obnoxious Knight whom Jill despises until they all discover that he is Rilian. While under the Green Lady Witch's spell, Rilian acts as a Jekyll and Hyde type of figure, but thankfully he is able to break the silver chair and the spell on the first night the children witness his transformation. This was riveting to me as a child, and I still like the drama in the moment. 

As soon as the spell is broken, the seductive green Lady appears and attempts to hypnotize everyone with bewitching music, until they resist and she finally transforms into her true appearance as a Green Serpent. They kill her quickly. Then, what follows reminds me of the end sequence of Indiana Jones escaping the Temple of Doom. Jill, Eustace, Puddlglum, and The Prince all rush to evade flooding and dimming lights. Amusingly, they spend quite a while believing that the Earthmen wish to attack them, and vice versa, until both parties both realize that they had all been oppressed by the Green Lady/Witch/Serpent, and when they make peace, Lewis throws in a humorous section about the Earthmen feeling that as slaves they were being kept too close to the surface of the earth and the sun. Of course, the humans and the Marshwiggle all wish to return to see the sun above (although Rilian briefly sidetracks them by considering the invitation to the deep land of Bism). 

Eventually, they do make it above ground again, and they are fed and given rides on the backs of Centaurs, a very special treat indeed.

Prince Rilian returns home to see his father King Caspian once more, and there is a sad funeral that curiously provides a fascinating transition for the children who are whisked away into Aslan's country. Aslan greets them and his paw is pricked by a thorn in order to resurrect Caspian in a newer ageless body. And then he sends the children back to their awful Experiment House, which is in dire need of reform, and Aslan even intervenes in a unique sort of way to help bring about that reform.

Even though it is tonally dark, the book does also have that comic relief sprinkled throughout and there is an overall sense that even when things are at their worst, they are not out of control.

As a believer, I recognized several encouragements to walk according to what we are told and walk in obedience rather than follow after seductive charms and deceptions. There are too many folks trapped and bewitched like Rilian and the Earthmen, and too often the Serpent is disguised as an Enchanting Lady, who oppresses and feigns an empty promise used to distract and dull the senses and sight of what is true and better. These tropes of course fit in well with fantasy and fairy tales as well as the scriptures.

And it's interesting to see Lewis share some personal elements of his life and view of politicians in his characterization of the Experiment House. I know from reading his autobiographical account Surprised by Joy that he had his own unfortunate experience in a British boarding school (or two or three?).

Anyways, the Silver Chair successfully falls in line with the books that follow the Pevensie children, and I'm impressed by the way Lewis handles the characters and follows up with Eustace. Jill is a great character to traverse with in a close third-person perspective, and it is nice to see more children (in addition to Lucy, Peter, Susan, and Edmund) able to have their lives impacted by some time spent in Narnia. And, just generally speaking, this is a fine Quest Story.