The Silver Chair

This section depicts Eustace, Jill, and Puddleglum’s descent into the Underworld, before the last section of the book sees them climbing back to the surface. Their descent is as literal as it is symbolic, signaling both the story’s narrative climax and the characters’ final struggle with the theme of Faith as a Moral Guide. When the protagonists overcome the witch’s dark sorceries and reaffirm their faith in both Aslan and in the world he created, they finally complete their quest, freeing the prince and destroying the witch utterly. These last obstacles thus contain a physical and a spiritual element, both of which serve to advance the characters’ growth and ultimately propel the plot’s transition from climax to denouement.

The narrative trappings of Chapter 10 are most reminiscent of the classic version of the epic hero’s journey, for just like Odysseus and Dante once did, Lewis’s trio must now descend willingly into the deepest, darkest levels of the Underworld in order to pursue their quest, risking death itself in the ultimate pursuit of truth. Yet their descent into the earth also symbolizes their descent into a world that exists far, far away from Aslan’s benevolent influence; in short, they are entering into a realm of evil that will test their faith most sorely. This dynamic also contributes to the theme of Narnia as a Christian Allegory, because the different levels of the Underworld are designed to evoke traditional mythological and literary concepts such as the nine circles of hell in Dante’s Inferno, as is evidenced by Lewis’s outlandish descriptions of “knobbed, twisted [stone walls and roof] gashed into a thousand fantastic shapes” (103), which portray the Underworld as a strange, ominous place. Accordingly, Jill’s panic at entering such a malevolent place adds further tension to the narrative before the true danger ever becomes apparent.

Significantly, Puddleglum’s reaction to Jill’s refusal to go through a dark tunnel does not follow his typical pattern. While he usually exaggerates danger where none exists, the Marsh-wiggle shows uncharacteristic optimism and genuine reassurance: “Those big fellows wouldn’t be crawling in there if it didn’t get wider later on. And there’s one thing about this underground work, we shan’t get any rain” (103). His refusal to spout his usual line of doom and gloom—now that things truly are gloomy—paradoxically serves to emphasize just how serious their situation has become. Additionally, his statement not only reveals his underlying bravery, but it also highlights the protagonists’ strengthened friendship in the face of unknown dangers.

Beyond the basic symbolism of the Underworld ream itself, the different caves within the Underworld also contain a wealth of opportunities for metaphorical interpretation. First, they walk through a cave covered in mossy shapes and full of “dozens of strange animals [...] either dead or asleep” (104) who found their way down and could not return to the “sunlit lands,” suggesting that such may be the fate of any Narnian creature that strays away from Aslan’s influence. Even so, the presence of light in this particular cavern also gains new significance, implying that although the Narnians have lost their way, they are still within reach of Aslan’s light, and therefore have a chance at redemption. To strengthen the theme and significance of this ethereal light even further, the next cavern houses old Father Time, a sleeping giant who also basks in “a pure, silver light” (104), symbolizing the inevitable passage of time and foreshadowing the eventual fall of all Narnian civilizations—an event, incidentally, that will not take place until The Last Battle, which concludes The Chronicles of Narnia. Finally, the protagonists sail across an enormous dark lake reminiscent of the River Styx from ancient Greek mythology, which dead souls had to cross to reach Hades’ realm. This passage thus marks a symbolic death for Eustace, Jill, and Puddleglum and foreshadows their rebirth when they later climb back out of the Underworld.

Eventually, the protagonists find themselves in the witch’s realm, a dark, quiet city populated with busy-looking Earthmen. Their meeting with Prince Rilian blurs the line between truth and illusion, as the prince’s conflicting claims present a dilemma that can only be resolved by maintaining their faith in Aslan and his signs of guidance. Even before the crucial moment is reached, however, the prince’s contradictory demeanor creates a sense of confusion and unreality, for as he tells them the version of his story that he currently believes to be true,  he intersperses the most dramatic moments in his speech with innocuous comments about dinner. This dynamic serves to highlight his fractured identity and shaky grasp of reality, intensifying the children’s confusion and unease and thus raising the tension in the narrative. Indeed, when Jill and Eustace are later faced with the decision to free the delirious prince, his erratic behavior renders them hesitant, and it is only when Puddleglum resumes his role as their moral compass and urges them to follow Aslan’s guidance without question that the children are finally able to fulfill Aslan’s instructions and free the prince from his enchantments. As Puddleglum stolidly tells the children, “Aslan didn’t tell Pole what would happen. He only told her what to do. [...] But that doesn’t let us off following the sign” (120).

In accordance with Lewis’s ongoing Christian subtext, the protagonists’ final confrontation with the witch symbolizes their ultimate struggle to free themselves from evil and temptation. The witch first attempts to sway them with her charm and lies, suggesting that the Dangers of Temptation are more insidious than brute force. Jill, Eustace, Puddleglum, and Rilian fight off her influence by remembering the sun (a symbol of Aslan’s light) and Aslan himself, before finally clinging to Puddleglum’s bold assertion that a world without Aslan is not worth believing in. Faced with Puddleglum’s unshakeable faith in Aslan, only then does the witch resort to physical violence and reveal her true nature by transforming into a serpent that Eustace and the prince can slay outright. The form of the serpent is the most overt manifestation of evil that the witch can take, and the significance of this particular form is of course echoed by the biblical story of the Garden of Eden and the serpent that originally caused the downfall of humankind into sin and disobedience.