Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Bravery
Christianity
Growing Up and Selflessness
Temptation
Summary
Analysis
A lookout on the Dawn Treader spots land and calls out. It is the islands of Felimath, Doorn, and Avra. Lucy remembers seeing them before and is glad to see them again. She convinces Caspian to dock at Felimath, and Eustace agrees to get off too, just for an excuse to leave the boat. As they get off the boat, Caspian warns everyone that they should be careful: It’s been a while since a Narnian visited the islands, and it’s possible they no longer acknowledge Narnia’s rule.
This chapter establishes the episodic nature of the book, where each new stop on the Dawn Treader is an opportunity for a new adventure. Caspian’s warning about the islands illustrates how the joys of discovery and the dangers of the unknown often go hand in hand.
Themes
Caspian and the others run into a black-haired man named Governor Gumpas, the current leader of the island. All of a sudden, the governor’s men reach out and grab Caspian, Reepicheep, Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace. It turns out that the governor plans to sell his new prisoners into slavery. The governor and his men tie them up and take them down to an inn at a small village.
One criticism of Lewis’s work is that it can be interpreted as supporting British colonialism. This passage, for example, seems to suggest that the people in these island colonies will become greedy and even institute slavery if they don’t have a strong leader like Caspian (who as a king, could represent Britain) to watch over them and save them from themselves. The role of race in Lewis’s work remains a controversial topic.
Themes
At the inn, Governor Gumpas argues with the innkeeper, Pug, about a price to buy the newly enslaved prisoners. A man named Lord Bern, one of the seven lords of Narnia, buys Caspian because his face reminds him of King Caspian of Narnia. Bern takes Caspian away from the others. As they talk, Caspian reveals that he is not just a lookalike but the real king.
Caspian blows his horn to signal to his allies still on the Dawn Treader. Drinian hears the horn and takes the Dawn Treader to pick up Caspian and Bern. Caspian wants to strike at once to free the others, who have been loaded onto Pug’s slave ship. But Bern advises that first they should round up some of Bern’s loyal followers.
Although Caspian is a brave and moral character, he sometimes needs people like Bern to urge him to be patient. This shows yet again how Caspian benefits from depending on others, unlike Eustace who tries to do everything himself.
Themes
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