The Silver Chair: Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

Without looking at Jill, the lion blows one last gust of air and then walks back into the forest. Jill tries to convince herself that she is dreaming, but she quickly decides this cannot be the case. She thinks again about Scrubb falling over the cliff and breaks down crying. After some time, Jill pulls herself together, and perks up when she realizes she is listening to the sound of running water. Jill is incredibly thirsty, so she stands up and cautiously makes her way toward the sound.

Before long, Jill finds a stream and is eager to drink from it. However, she stops short when she sees the lion from the cliff lying down next to it. Immediately, the lion spots Jill, which paralyzes her. The lion looks at Jill and tells her to drink from the stream if she is thirsty. It takes Jill a minute to realizes that the words have come from the lion. She recalls Scrubb telling her that animals speak in Narnia, but the first time she witnesses it is still startling.

When Jill does not immediately move toward the stream, the lion asks her whether she is thirsty. Jill tells the lion she is dying for a drink, but she is worried he might try to eat her. When she asks him directly if he eats girls, the lion responds, “I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms.” In response, Jill decides to go look for another stream, but the lion warns her that she will not find one.

Seeing that she has no other choice, Jill drinks from the stream, worrying the whole time that the lion will attack her. When she is done drinking, the lion asks Jill to approach him, and she does as he asks. Then, the lion asks Jill what happened to Scrubb. Jill admits that Scrubb fell off the cliff because she was showing off. The lion says that Jill answered his question well and that he has an important task for her.

Jill wonders if the lion has her confused with another person and explains how she arrived in Narnia. The lion explains that she would not have been able to enter Narnia if he had not called to her. Then, the lion explains Jill’s task, which he expects her to undertake with Scrubb. There is an old king in Narnia who is without an heir because someone stole his only son. The lion wants Jill and Scrubb to find the lost prince and return him to his father. As the lion talks, Jill remembers what Scrubb told her back in the schoolyard and realizes the lion must be Aslan.

Aslan tells Jill about a series of four signs that she must look out for in order to find the prince. First, he asks Jill to ensure that Scrubb speaks to an old friend as soon as he arrives in Narnia. Second, Jill must find a ruined city that once belonged to giants to the north of Narnia. Third, she must obey the writing she finds on the stone in the giant city. Fourth, Jill will know the prince when she finds him because he will ask her to do something in Aslan’s name.

Once Aslan is sure Jill has memorized the signs, he tells her that he will send her to Scrubb using his breath. Then, they walk together back to the cliff. Before sending Jill on her way, Aslan urges her once again to remember the signs he gave her. Then, he blows her off the cliff in the direction of Scrubb. It takes a moment for Jill to realize what is happening, and although she is momentarily terrified, she quickly calms down. Her journey in the air takes a long time, and she spends it repeating Aslan’s signs to herself and sleeping. Finally, she gets low enough to the ground that Narnia’s topography becomes visible. Eventually, she lands on a riverbank just a few feet away from Scrubb.