The Silver Chair

In the final section of the book, all of the classic tropes and patterns are fully satisfied as Lewis neatly brings the narrative full circle, and yet despite effectively tying up the story’s loose ends, Lewis also contrives to leave a tantalizing sense of stories never-to-be-told. Thus, the mysterious land of Bism represents the unknown realms that exist beyond the boundaries of any Narnian map, implying that Aslan’s world is infinite, surpassing the understanding of the mortal creatures who live within it. The urge and drive to explore the very limits of such boundaries, a characteristic that runs in Rilian’s family, also represents one last temptation that the prince must overcome in order to return to Narnia and fulfill his destiny as its future monarch. This struggle occurs when Golg invites him to join the Earthmen on their journey to Bism, for despite his waiting responsibilities, he suffers a moment of vanity in which he imagines that he might surpass the accomplishments of his father and reach the bottom of the earth just as Caspian once reached its outermost edges. Although he eventually turns down the offer, he does admit, “I have left half of my heart in the land of Bism” (148), thus illustrating his newfound steadfastness in resisting the Dangers of Temptation.

Now freed from the witch’s enslavement, the Earthmen are joyful and eager to go back to their homeland, which is even deeper down the earth than the witch’s city. Significantly, however, Bism is portrayed as a beautiful, fantastical world full of living gems and witty salamanders, which contrasts sharply with the dull, unimaginative caverns that the children have seen. This dynamic suggests that, without the witch’s dark corruption, every part of the world that Aslan created is naturally good, whether it exists in the reaches of the sky or in the fastness of the earth itself. Thus, the symbolism of Narnia as a Christian Allegory holds true in every sense, for any evil in Aslan’s creation can only be an aberration for what is right and good.

Following the protagonists’ symbolic death in the Underworld, their rebirth likewise is represented by their return to the surface world as wiser and more experienced individuals. Their arrival significantly coincides with the traditional Great Snow Dance, which blends the solemnity of an annual ritual with the hilarity of a snowball fight and highlights the playfulness and innate spirituality with which all Narnians greet the world and strive to connect deeply with the natural elements. The scene thus blends lighthearted humor with both celebration and deep significance, for the travelers’ sudden appearance from the earth and into the midst of a merry festival occurs almost mystically, underscoring Aslan’s unseen yet benevolent role in safeguarding their fate. In the end, Prince Rilian’s brief reunion with King Caspian signals both the end of an era for the Narnian subjects as well as the end of the children’s quest, and Aslan thus brings Jill and Eustace back to his mountain, echoing the beginning of the story. The theme of Narnia as a Christian Allegory also concludes, quite appropriately, with forgiveness, when Aslan forgives Jill for her less-than-perfect performance in following his guidance, suggesting that despite whatever mistakes a person makes in the course of life, redemption can always be attained after successfully facing the Dangers of Temptation. The transformative power of such spiritual forgiveness is fully celebrated in Lewis’s description of Jill’s relief:

And in less time than it takes to breathe Jill forgot about the dead King of Narnia and remembered only how she had made Eustace fall over the cliff, and how she had helped to muff nearly all the signs, and about all the snappings and quarrelings. And she wanted to say ‘I’m sorry’ but she could not speak. Then the Lion drew them toward him with his eyes, and bent down and touched their pale faces with his tongue, and said: ‘Think of that no more. I will not always be scolding. You have done the work for which I sent you into Narnia’ (167).

In accordance with this final scene of forgiveness and new hope, King Caspian’s rebirth and eternal life in Aslan’s realm further reinforces Lewis’s Christian message, foreshadowing the eventual end of The Chronicles of Narnia series, as The Last Battle depicts Narnia being destroyed and its inhabitants moving to higher and higher eternal realms beyond it.

Finally, the authorial criticism implied in the story’s Narrative Voice with regard to Experiment House is ultimately resolved when Jill and Eustace’s triumphant return from Narnia scares their bullies away and even precipitates a series of events resulting in drastic improvements to the school’s administration. This ending reveals the children’s character growth and new ability to tackle obstacles in their own world, for now that they have “the strength of Aslan in them” (170), they are well-prepared to become fully rounded individuals within the context of their own lives, especially with their strengthened relationship to help support them. The narrator also comments with characteristic humor that the Head of the school was deemed bad enough at her job to get into Parliament, “where she lived happily ever after” (171). This subverted fairy-tale ending wraps up the narrative and echoes Lewis’s playful assertion that “it is the stupidest children who are the most childish and the stupidest grownups who are the most grown-up” (169).