The Silver Chair

This quote comes from the beginning of the novel as Lewis introduces Jill and Scrubb’s education system and how it has failed them. Lewis was famously critical of modern education in England and wrote a number of treatises on the subject, including a book called The Abolition of Man. Lewis believed that contemporary education put too much of a focus on subjectivity while failing to provide students with a proper moral education, which for him meant teaching the ethical principles of Christianity. Jill and Scrubb’s school does not care about teaching the children to be good people; rather, it treats the students like they are individual experiments (the school is called the Experiment House) that should be poked and prodded but never taught. For Lewis, Narnia is an alternative for the failure of modern education. Aslan pulls Jill and Scrubb into Narnia to teach them moral lessons that the modern school will not.

In this moment, Scrubb and Jill are talking about the existence of Narnia. Scrubb claims to have travelled to Narnia, where he met a range of magical creatures and a talking lion named Aslan. Notably, after returning from Narnia, he became a noticeably better person. In this passage, Lewis makes it abundantly clear what he thinks the Experiment House is lacking: Christianity. He also makes it clear that the lack of a Christian education is a new development in English society, as it was still alive and well when he was a child. Additionally, this is an important character moment between Jill and Scrubb. It is implied that, in the past, Jill would never have trusted Scrubb because he was a mean-spirited and mischievous boy. However, here she puts her trust in him because she believes he has genuinely matured as a result of his trip to Narnia. Her decision reflects the novel’s larger reliance on the importance of belief, which Jill and Scrubb must uphold on their quest to save Rilian.

Here, Jill has arrived in Aslan’s realm that sits far above Narnia, though she does not know where she is, nor has she pieced together that the lion sitting in front of her is Aslan. Jill is trying to discern whether she should be afraid of Aslan, though he gives her a cryptic answer that she does not know how to parse. Aslan’s rhetoric is biblical and recalls the God of the Old Testament. Like God, Aslan is an eternal figure who swallows up everything in the end because nothing and no one can outlive him. He was here before the formation of Narnia, and he will be there the day it falls. Aslan delivers his message in a matter-of-fact manner, which reflects Lewis’s belief that the existence of God is similarly self-evident. However, Jill, who has not been raised with Christian values, does not grasp the meaning in Aslan’s language and remains frightened of him.

Here, Aslan asks Jill about what happened to Scrubb. He already knows what happened, but he wants to hear here characterization of events. It is Aslan’s first test for Jill because he wants to see if she will tell the truth. Had she lied, Aslan would not have felt her worthy of the task he has set out for her. Still, although Aslan acknowledges Jill’s honesty, he also indicates that her actions will have consequences, as her task will become more difficult. As such, although Aslan is willing to give Jill a chance to redeem herself, he also wants to drive home the point that it is important to take responsibility for one’s actions. This is one of the moral lessons that Aslan hopes to teach Jill that she would never have received back at the Experiment House. Notably, although Aslan is an imposing and sometimes frightening figure, compassion and a willingness to forgive are his most important characteristics, which help tie him to Lewis’s conception of the Christian God.

In this moment, Jill, Scrubb, and Puddleglum experience a moral and spiritual downturn when the promise of comfort in Harfang distracts them from their quest. The children, previously focused on Aslan and finding Prince Rilian, become consumed with thoughts of warm beds, hot meals, and the cozy indoors. This shift demonstrates the tempting power of comfort and the ease with which it lures one away from higher purposes. Contrary to their expectations, the anticipation of Harfang's pleasures doesn't bring joy but instead breeds discontent, souring the group's mood and causing friction among them. This scenario illustrates Lewis’s message about the importance of resisting temptation, as comfort can lead to complacency and ironically result in unhappiness. Jill forgets the signs because she is no longer as dedicated the Aslan’s cause as she once was. She has let her personal needs get in the way of a larger goal, which could drastically affect the fate of Narnia.

In this passage Jill experiences a dream that reflects her inner turmoil, as she feels guilty about forgetting Aslan’s signs. The transformation from a wooden horse to “The Real Lion” (Aslan) is a shift from the mundane to the divine, indicating that Jill is about to witness something important. The presence of Aslan is a moment of divine intervention; he knows Jill and her friends have strayed from the path, and he wants to remind her of her ultimate goal. Similarly, the words “UNDER ME” carry a double meaning. The next morning, when Jill wakes up, she will see the same words carved into the ruined giant city outside of Harfang. However, the words serve as a reminder that Jill and the rest of Narnia exists under Aslan. He is Narnia’s supreme ruler and moral guide. However, although Aslan wants to help Jill, the decision to act in the right way remains up to her. Jill may be Aslan’s servant, but she is not his slave, and he ultimately allows her to make her own decisions.

This passage showcases Jill's resourcefulness and adaptability, as she attempts to atone for straying from the path Aslan laid out for her. Jill’s actions reflect a strategic intelligence as she takes advantage of the king and hunting party's absence to gather information. By adopting a guise of innocence and engaging in childish behavior, she manages to navigate the castle without letting the giants know what she is up to. Her "prattling and giggling" serve as a clever cover, allowing her to make inquiries without raising suspicion.

This is an important turning point for Jill’s character, since, prior to this point, she seemed hopelessly naïve and incapable of manipulation. While manipulating others is not typically considered a morally upstanding quality, it is justified here because Jill does it in service of Aslan’s mission in order to trick those who she will ultimately learn are on the side of the Queen of the Underland.

Over the course of the novel, Jill, Scrubb, and Puddleglum either entirely miss or are too late to recognize Aslan’s signs. However, here, Prince Rilian utters the fourth sign directly to them, and they are forced to make a decision on the spot. Because the novel deals so heavily in deception (much of which has been visited upon Jill and her friends), the group has become skeptical of who to trust. In particular, they have a hard time in this moment because just moments ago Prince Rilian told them not to trust anything he says while strapped to the silver chair. However, the invocation of Aslan’s name, along with the orders Jill received from Aslan earlier in the novel, makes them question what is true. This moment serves as a test of their belief in Aslan, regardless of what else might have influenced their thinking along the way. Ultimately, the group’s belief in Aslan shines through, as they release Prince Rilian and discover his true identity.

In this scene, Jill and Scrubb have returned to Aslan’s realm, which sits high above Narnia to witness the rebirth of King Caspian in paradise. This scene once again establishes Aslan’s realm as a corollary to the Christian Heaven, as it serves as an eternal place for those who follow Aslan and live a good life. More Christian iconography is used in the act of resurrecting King Caspian itself. The thorn driven into Aslan’s paw is reminiscent of the crucifixion of Christ, which allowed sinners to be redeemed in the Christian Bible. Without Christ’s sacrifice—or Aslan’s sacrifice, in this case—there is no way for humans to be reborn into paradise. In addition to the elements of Christian allegory in this scene, it is also an important moment for King Caspian and Scrubb, who are old friends but have not seen each other up to this point in the novel. Their reunion allows for a happy ending after the somber affair between Prince Rilian and King Caspian.

This quote comes from the beginning of the novel as Lewis introduces Jill and Scrubb’s education system and how it has failed them. Lewis was famously critical of modern education in England and wrote a number of treatises on the subject, including a book called The Abolition of Man. Lewis believed that contemporary education put too much of a focus on subjectivity while failing to provide students with a proper moral education, which for him meant teaching the ethical principles of Christianity. Jill and Scrubb’s school does not care about teaching the children to be good people; rather, it treats the students like they are individual experiments (the school is called the Experiment House) that should be poked and prodded but never taught. For Lewis, Narnia is an alternative for the failure of modern education. Aslan pulls Jill and Scrubb into Narnia to teach them moral lessons that the modern school will not.

In this moment, Scrubb and Jill are talking about the existence of Narnia. Scrubb claims to have travelled to Narnia, where he met a range of magical creatures and a talking lion named Aslan. Notably, after returning from Narnia, he became a noticeably better person. In this passage, Lewis makes it abundantly clear what he thinks the Experiment House is lacking: Christianity. He also makes it clear that the lack of a Christian education is a new development in English society, as it was still alive and well when he was a child. Additionally, this is an important character moment between Jill and Scrubb. It is implied that, in the past, Jill would never have trusted Scrubb because he was a mean-spirited and mischievous boy. However, here she puts her trust in him because she believes he has genuinely matured as a result of his trip to Narnia. Her decision reflects the novel’s larger reliance on the importance of belief, which Jill and Scrubb must uphold on their quest to save Rilian.

Here, Jill has arrived in Aslan’s realm that sits far above Narnia, though she does not know where she is, nor has she pieced together that the lion sitting in front of her is Aslan. Jill is trying to discern whether she should be afraid of Aslan, though he gives her a cryptic answer that she does not know how to parse. Aslan’s rhetoric is biblical and recalls the God of the Old Testament. Like God, Aslan is an eternal figure who swallows up everything in the end because nothing and no one can outlive him. He was here before the formation of Narnia, and he will be there the day it falls. Aslan delivers his message in a matter-of-fact manner, which reflects Lewis’s belief that the existence of God is similarly self-evident. However, Jill, who has not been raised with Christian values, does not grasp the meaning in Aslan’s language and remains frightened of him.

Here, Aslan asks Jill about what happened to Scrubb. He already knows what happened, but he wants to hear here characterization of events. It is Aslan’s first test for Jill because he wants to see if she will tell the truth. Had she lied, Aslan would not have felt her worthy of the task he has set out for her. Still, although Aslan acknowledges Jill’s honesty, he also indicates that her actions will have consequences, as her task will become more difficult. As such, although Aslan is willing to give Jill a chance to redeem herself, he also wants to drive home the point that it is important to take responsibility for one’s actions. This is one of the moral lessons that Aslan hopes to teach Jill that she would never have received back at the Experiment House. Notably, although Aslan is an imposing and sometimes frightening figure, compassion and a willingness to forgive are his most important characteristics, which help tie him to Lewis’s conception of the Christian God.

In this moment, Jill, Scrubb, and Puddleglum experience a moral and spiritual downturn when the promise of comfort in Harfang distracts them from their quest. The children, previously focused on Aslan and finding Prince Rilian, become consumed with thoughts of warm beds, hot meals, and the cozy indoors. This shift demonstrates the tempting power of comfort and the ease with which it lures one away from higher purposes. Contrary to their expectations, the anticipation of Harfang's pleasures doesn't bring joy but instead breeds discontent, souring the group's mood and causing friction among them. This scenario illustrates Lewis’s message about the importance of resisting temptation, as comfort can lead to complacency and ironically result in unhappiness. Jill forgets the signs because she is no longer as dedicated the Aslan’s cause as she once was. She has let her personal needs get in the way of a larger goal, which could drastically affect the fate of Narnia.

In this passage Jill experiences a dream that reflects her inner turmoil, as she feels guilty about forgetting Aslan’s signs. The transformation from a wooden horse to “The Real Lion” (Aslan) is a shift from the mundane to the divine, indicating that Jill is about to witness something important. The presence of Aslan is a moment of divine intervention; he knows Jill and her friends have strayed from the path, and he wants to remind her of her ultimate goal. Similarly, the words “UNDER ME” carry a double meaning. The next morning, when Jill wakes up, she will see the same words carved into the ruined giant city outside of Harfang. However, the words serve as a reminder that Jill and the rest of Narnia exists under Aslan. He is Narnia’s supreme ruler and moral guide. However, although Aslan wants to help Jill, the decision to act in the right way remains up to her. Jill may be Aslan’s servant, but she is not his slave, and he ultimately allows her to make her own decisions.

This passage showcases Jill's resourcefulness and adaptability, as she attempts to atone for straying from the path Aslan laid out for her. Jill’s actions reflect a strategic intelligence as she takes advantage of the king and hunting party's absence to gather information. By adopting a guise of innocence and engaging in childish behavior, she manages to navigate the castle without letting the giants know what she is up to. Her "prattling and giggling" serve as a clever cover, allowing her to make inquiries without raising suspicion.

This is an important turning point for Jill’s character, since, prior to this point, she seemed hopelessly naïve and incapable of manipulation. While manipulating others is not typically considered a morally upstanding quality, it is justified here because Jill does it in service of Aslan’s mission in order to trick those who she will ultimately learn are on the side of the Queen of the Underland.

Over the course of the novel, Jill, Scrubb, and Puddleglum either entirely miss or are too late to recognize Aslan’s signs. However, here, Prince Rilian utters the fourth sign directly to them, and they are forced to make a decision on the spot. Because the novel deals so heavily in deception (much of which has been visited upon Jill and her friends), the group has become skeptical of who to trust. In particular, they have a hard time in this moment because just moments ago Prince Rilian told them not to trust anything he says while strapped to the silver chair. However, the invocation of Aslan’s name, along with the orders Jill received from Aslan earlier in the novel, makes them question what is true. This moment serves as a test of their belief in Aslan, regardless of what else might have influenced their thinking along the way. Ultimately, the group’s belief in Aslan shines through, as they release Prince Rilian and discover his true identity.

In this scene, Jill and Scrubb have returned to Aslan’s realm, which sits high above Narnia to witness the rebirth of King Caspian in paradise. This scene once again establishes Aslan’s realm as a corollary to the Christian Heaven, as it serves as an eternal place for those who follow Aslan and live a good life. More Christian iconography is used in the act of resurrecting King Caspian itself. The thorn driven into Aslan’s paw is reminiscent of the crucifixion of Christ, which allowed sinners to be redeemed in the Christian Bible. Without Christ’s sacrifice—or Aslan’s sacrifice, in this case—there is no way for humans to be reborn into paradise. In addition to the elements of Christian allegory in this scene, it is also an important moment for King Caspian and Scrubb, who are old friends but have not seen each other up to this point in the novel. Their reunion allows for a happy ending after the somber affair between Prince Rilian and King Caspian.