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
The Dawn Treader leaves Dragon Island and comes across a new island that is burned and in ruins. Caspian and Edmund wonder whether it was the dragon or pirates that did the destruction. They continue to sail on for another five days.
The ruins could represent an alternate version of the story, in which Eustace fully gave in to his urges and embraced being a dragon. They also hint at more danger ahead.
Themes
All of a sudden, the crew of the Dawn Treader notice a massive creature coming toward them: a sea serpent. They fire arrows at it, but the arrows bounce off the creature’s hard hide. The creature squeezes the ship. Eustace tries to attack the serpent with a sword Caspian lent him, but it just breaks the sword. Reepicheep advises everyone not to fight but to focus on pushing away. With one big effort, the Dawn Treader manages to slip out of the serpent’s hold.
Although Reepicheep is eager to fight when it’s appropriate, this passage illustrates how bravery isn’t always about fighting. The hard skin of the sea serpent shows how some problems can’t be solved with any amount of violence. Reepicheep’s use of cunning shows how running away can also be a form of bravery.
Themes
The sea serpent isn’t very smart and believes it has crushed the Dawn Treader, leaving the ship enough time to get away. They sail calmly for three days until it starts to rain on the fourth day, and Drinian suggests finding a place to dock until the storm is over.
Once again, the Dawn Treader experiences calm after successfully overcoming an obstacle, but also once again, a new storm emphasizes how the ship’s struggles are far from over.
Themes
The Dawn Treader stops to take shelter in a natural harbor on an island. After the rain is over, Caspian, Eustace, Edmund, Lucy, and Reepicheep decide to explore a hill on the new island. As they’re exploring, they come across what seems to be the armor of a deceased Narnian lord. There’s a pool of water by the old armor with a golden statue in it.
The natural harbor represents how nature (and perhaps by extension, God) takes care of people. Still, the empty armor by the pool of water shows how nature is also full of danger, particularly for people who don’t respect its power.
Themes
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All of a sudden, Edmund tells everyone to get away from the water. He realizes that the water turned the toes of his boots to gold. Lord Restimar, one of the seven lords of Narnia, must have taken off his armor, then dove into the lake, turning into the golden statue.
Lord Restimar’s transformation into a golden statue parallels Eustace’s transformation into a dragon. Unlike Eustace, Restimar did not have time to learn from his actions about how to resist future temptations.
Themes
Caspian claims the island as his own for Narnia, making everyone else swear to keep it secret. But Edmund argues that he’s no subject of Caspian. Reepicheep warns them both that the island seems to be cursed. They all agree to leave at once and say nothing about the island to the others back on the Dawn Treader.
This passage shows a rare moment of selfishness for both Caspian and Edmund, providing an example of greed’s seductive allure. Reepicheep ends up being the voice of reason, perhaps because his single-minded focus on sailing east keeps him grounded.
Themes
