The Silver Chair

C. S. Lewis

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1953

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-9

Chapters 10-12

Chapters 13-16

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Literary Devices

Narrative Structure: The Hero’s Quest

The narrative structure of the hero’s quest is typical of works of fantasy and reminiscent of both mythological and religious texts. In The Silver Chair, the protagonists are sent on a dangerous journey by Aslan with the purpose of finding the long-lost Prince Rilian, as established in Chapter 2: “And now hear your task. [...] I lay on you this command, that you seek this lost prince until either you have found him and brought him to his father’s house, or else died in the attempt, or else gone back to your own world” (19). The solemn (and indeed, almost biblical) tone of this particular quote lends the entire plot a heavy significance that transcends its more practical aspects. Not only must the children find a missing prince, but they must commit to the possibility of laying down their very lives in the attempt, and thus the mission becomes a hero’s quest of the utmost gravity.

Due to Aslan’s intervention, which makes the characters’ fates seem ineluctable, the quest takes on a mythical dimension. The narrative structure of the quest is also allegorical, and C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia series as a whole can be read as a Christian Allegory. Indeed, biblical figures often participate in quests or tasks set by God that are meant, at least partially, to test a character’s faith. This is also the case in The Silver Chair, since Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum each struggle with their faith in Aslan before eventually reconciling their actions with their beliefs. Finally, the narrative structure of the quest is characterized by a series of increasingly challenging obstacles to overcome, which enable character growth.

Similes

In The Silver Chair, the narrator often uses similes to compare Narnia with the real world. By doing so, the narrator associates fantastical details with more commonplace elements to create a sense of familiarity for the reader. As a result, although Narnia is described as a place of wonder and mystery, it is still made to feel intimate and comfortable. When Eustace and Jill step into Narnia for the first time, for example, the narrator comments that the sun “poured through the doorway as the light of a June day pours into a garage when you open the door” (9). The image thus created is striking, which makes Narnia feel appealing, yet familiar enough to resonate with a young reader.

Other similes draw on similar ideas while adding humor to the narrative as well. The narrator remarks, for instance, that “the Narnians all felt about Trumpkin as people feel at school about some crusty teacher, whom everyone is a little afraid of and makes fun of and nobody really dislikes” (39), a sentiment clearly aiming to strike a chord with Lewis’s target audience. In short, his use of similes is meant to evoke familiarity in the reader, often to contrast with Narnia’s wondrous qualities or simply to create a humorous effect.

Narrative Voice

In all the novels in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia series, the story is told by a first-person omniscient narrator who occasionally offers commentary on characters and events. Apart from those sporadic interventions, the rest of the novel is told in the third person, as the narrator is not directly involved in the story. The narrator’s voice is introduced at the very beginning and can be read as a fictionalized version of C.S. Lewis telling the reader about the nature of his story:

It was a dull autumn day and Jill Pole was crying behind the gym.

She was crying because they had been bullying her. This is not going to be a school story, so I shall say as little as possible about Jill’s school, which is not a pleasant subject (3).

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Indeed, the narrator’s voice is characterized by direct addresses to the implied reader, a deliberate choice designed to direct the reader’s attention to specific details and guide the overall interpretation of the story in Lewis’s intended direction. While such narrative techniques may seem a bit heavy-handed by modern standards, they are characteristic of Lewis’s narrative voice, for he frequently opts to use a somewhat overbearing tone in order to convey important information designed to keep young readers focused on the structure of the plot. For instance, after Jill thinks she is about to have a good night’s sleep, the narrator adds that it “just shows how little anyone knows about what is going to happen to them next” (33). This creates a sense of dramatic irony that reinforces the tension and anticipation of what might next befall the characters on this adventure.

Additionally, Lewis’s recurring tendency to address readers directly creates a sense of kinship between author and reader that encourages the latter to embrace the narrative’s moral stance. For example, when Jill breaks down after she is introduced to the King and Queen of the giants, the narrator comments, “I hope you won’t lose all interest in Jill for the rest of the book if I tell you that at this moment she began to cry” (82). The narrator asks the reader to show compassion for Jill, echoing the previous comment that “crying is all right in its way while it lasts” (15) and thereby encouraging the reader to agree.