My Thoughts

Before reading THE SILVER CHAIR, I had heard mixed reviews. I was a little unsure if I’d like the story, especially with Eustace being one of the main characters. However, I quite enjoyed the book, even though there was quite a bit of screaming (on my part) at the characters because they didn’t see the obvious signs until later in the book. 

PRINCE CASPIAN is still my favorite of the series so far, but the adventures in this story were fun and it was fun to meet the new characters (e.g., Puddleglum and Prince Rillian) introduced in this book.

I’m very excited to be so close to finishing the series and I can’t wait until I finish reading THE LAST BATTLE. It will be especially exciting to find out how the chronicles end and to see how Lucy, Edmund, and Peter find their way back to Narnia, even though Aslan told them they were too old to come back in previous books. 

2022 Reread

THE SILVER CHAIR is the only book in the series that I remembered nothing from the first time I read the series 14 years ago. I guess I remembered that Eustace was one of the main characters, but that’s it. Other than that, I was basically reading this story as if it were my first time again. I thought once I started rereading it, the story would come back to me. It didn’t.

I really liked this story. It was a lot different than the previous three books, which I found kind of refreshing. I did get annoyed by the owls’ “tu-whoos” and Puddleglum’s negativity, but not enough to make me hate the story. There were also a couple of times I was frustrated because I understood what was happening a lot sooner than the characters did (e.g., Autumn feast, Rilian’s enchantment). I had to remind myself that these are children’s books so I wouldn’t get too mad.

I thought the allegory was more subtle in this one than in the previous books, at least until the end anyway. The allegory is obvious when Aslan asks Eustace to pierce his paw with a thorn. Even though the imagery’s unmistakable, I thought how Lewis tied it in with Caspian’s death was beautiful. It’s my favorite ending so far in the series.

The more subtle parts of the allegory are the four signs that Aslan gives to Jill to follow so she and Eustace can find Prince Rilian. Aslan tells her to recite them when she wakes up in the morning and before she goes to sleep at night so she doesn’t forget them. By having Jill recite the signs like Aslan asks, the signs are reminiscent of morning and nightly prayers. The fact that Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum don’t recognize the signs before they come upon them reminds me of the “signs of the times” that Christians look for as signals of Christ’s second coming. As a Christian, I’ve been brought up to believe the “signs of the times” can help me prepare and be ready for when Christ comes to reign again on the earth.

I also think, and I don’t think I’m alone, that there are many interpretations of the signs. Look at the book of Revelation, for example. Scholars and theologians can speculate what they think John the Revelator meant by what he wrote and I think we’re all going to be surprised as to what he meant when everything happens. (This is, of course, if you believe like I do that the book of Revelation is a book of things to come.)

I also thought of the signs in conjunction with following Christ’s commandments. Jill and Eustace do their best to follow the signs. They try to keep their minds from getting confused as Aslan warns. They, as Jill puts it, “muff it up” a few times. Aslan is gracious and forgiving and gives them many chances to follow the signs as Christ does with us. I believe as long as we’re trying to follow Christ and do good, He will give us as many chances as we need to follow Him and do as He asks.

My rating stayed the same after this reread.

My Thoughts

I really loved PRINCE CASPIAN. I loved that all the Pevensies are back in Narnia. I think it was interesting to see Narnia in ruin and that the story took place years after the Pevensie children ruled as kings and queens in Cair Paravel.

I also loved the new characters, except Nikabrik. I wanted to strangle him, especially when Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin happened upon the council in Aslan’s How. It frustrated me so much that they waited as long as they did to go into the meeting. My favorite new character was Reepicheep. I adored him.

I thought the ending of this book was just as abrupt as the one in THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, but for some reason it didn’t bother me as much. Maybe, it was because I thought the last line was funny whereas the other is more serious.

‘Bother!’ said Edmund. ‘I’ve left my new torch in Narnia.’

2022 Reread

As with THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, a couple things regarding the allegory stood out to me more during this read. I thought it was interesting that Lucy, the youngest, sees and believes Aslan has returned first. This reminded me of how pure a child’s faith is compared to an adult. Children believe so easily and so strongly (e.g., Santa Claus, Easter Bunny) whereas adults are much more skeptical and cynical. When I was a child, I believed wholeheartedly in the tenets of my own faith. Now, as an adult, I have to work at it much harder. Lewis captures my own journey with faith and religion perfectly in the chapter “The Return of the Lion.”

The other thing I noticed about the allegory this time was the timeframe of Narnia and Aslan’s return. In the Christian faith, most believe that Christ will come again to deliver the faithful when the world has fallen into sin, ruin, war, and chaos. When the Pevensies return to Narnia in PRINCE CASPIAN, it has been thousands of years and Narnia is in ruins and war. As the children and Trumpkin head to Caspian and his army, Aslan returns to help the Narnians who believe in Old Narnia.

The parts of the series that don’t make any sense to me start to crop up in this story. At the end, Aslan tells Peter and Susan they’re too old to return to Narnia. If Aslan is Christ, or as Lewis said in COMPANION TO NARNIA: REVISED EDITION:

Since Narnia is a world of Talking Beasts, I thought He [Christ] would become a Talking Beast there, as He became a man here. I pictured Him becoming a lion there because (a) the lion is supposed to be the king of beasts; (b) Christ is called “The Lion of Judah” in the Bible; (c) I’d been having strange dreams about lions when I began writing the work.

Then why would Peter and Susan outgrow being in Aslan’s presence? Add this to THE LAST BATTLE when Susan isn’t allowed into Aslan’s country because she likes nylons, lipstick, and invitations. You can see how much Lewis’ choice here bothers me. I am trying to keep an open mind as I read through the series a second time, but it’s hard in these instances because they bother me a lot. 

My rating stayed the same after this reread.