| The Silver Chair |
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| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
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SYNOPSIS Quest The story begins with Eustace Scrubb , who was introduced in ''The Voyage Of The'' Dawn Treader , and his classmate Jill Pole , who are unhappy at their school, Experiment House, where bullies are left unrebuked. While trying to escape from the bullies, they blunder through a temporary interdimensional gate into Aslan 's country in the Narnia universe. Aslan explains to Jill that she and Eustace are charged with the quest to find the Narnian Prince Rilian, who had disappeared some years prior. Rilian, if he is still alive, is the son of King Caspian X (formerly Prince Caspian ), who is now an old man. Rilian was captivated by the evil spells of an enchantress named The Lady Of The Green Kirtle — said to be one of the same breed of Northern Witches as the White Witch in '' The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe ''— and needs to be brought back to inherit the throne. Aslan gives Jill four hints, or "Signs", to guide them on their quest, and then releases her and Eustace into Narnia. Of these Signs, the fourth and final is that a key moment in their quest they will be commanded to do something in Aslan's name, and they must obey this command. In Narnia, Jill and Eustace are aided by a Parliament of talking Owl s (a pun on Chaucer 's '' Parlement Of Foules ''). On their journey to the far north of Narnia, they are accompanied by a gloomy but stalwart Marsh-wiggle , appropriately named Puddleglum . Land of the giants During their journey to the harsh northland, the three cross the River Shribble , which marks their exit from Narnia and entrance into the land of the giants. The first giants they encounter do not notice them (fortunately), but are playing: they are throwing huge boulders at a rock-cairn near the trio. Escaping from these giants, they continue north until being stopped short by a deep and sinister canyon. The sole route across this barrior is an enormous and sinister bridge, many times larger in scale than anything a human being might normally use. The three principal characters continue to be in the Narnian universe, but by crossing this bridge their quest enters a new and surreal phase. Harfang Not long after crossing this bridge, the members of the quest start to receive advice that conflicts with the "Signs" which Aslan had charged Jill to follow. Hungry and suffering from exposure, they are encouraged by a lady to proceed northward to Harfang, a castle of what are described as "Gentle Giants." In the process of crawling towards this goal, the threesome ignore most of the clues that Aslan has given them. Reaching Harfang, Jill, Eustace and Puddleglum are given a warm welcome by the giants, who are in active preparation for Harfang's "Autumn Feast." Refreshed by a sleep in shelter, but discouraged by their failure to follow Aslan's Signs, the threesome begin to discuss what to do next. The conversation is interrupted when a glance at the giant's cookbook presents evidence of what the humans' actual use at the "Autumn Feast" will be. In a desperate attempt to escape from the "Gentle Giants," Scrubb, Pole, and Puddleglum escape from the castle, force themselves into a small nearby hole and find themselves falling down a steep slope. They continue to fall, bouncing and rolling periodically, until reaching the bottom of a steep and unclimbable underground slope: they are now completely helpless. Underland After coming to rest at the bottom of the slope, Puddleglum, Eustace, and Jill are taken captive by gnomes; they have reached the Underland . They are placed on a boat and rowed for uncounted days across a " Sunless Sea " until finally reaching the city of the gnomes, where reigns the enchantress the Lady of the Green Kirtle and a young man being raised by the Lady as a protege. A series of rapid events bring the threesome from Narnia and the unknown youth together, alone. The young man, who is not given a name, treats the travelers pleasantly but does not seem to be right in the head; he himself explains that he suffers from nightly psychotic episodes. During these episodes he must, by the Lady's orders, be bound to a silver chair; if he is released, he will immedeately be transformed into a green Serpent , deadly to all nearby. The threesome determine to witness the youth in his torment, which they sense could be a key to their quest. End of the quest As Pole, Scrubb, and Puddleglum witness the young man tied to his chair, his "ravings" seem to indicate desperate health within an enchanted captivity, rather than psychosis. Finally, after launching a battery of dire threats, the youth begs his companions to release him in the name of Aslan. After a short debate, they decide to do so. The climax of the quest has been reached: the young man reveals himself to be the vanished Prince Rilian, kept underground by the Lady of the Green Kirtle for sinister purposes. Rilian draws his sword, hacks the silver chair to pieces, kills the enchantress, and leads the travelers in their escape from the Underworld. The gnomes, previously also enslaved by the Lady and now freed by her death, guide them to a route upward, out of the Underworld. The travelers thus return to Narnia and Rilian returns to Cair Paravel . Eustace and Jill watch as King Caspian returns home and meets his long-lost son just before dying. Conclusion Aslan then appears and congratulates Eustace and Jill on achieving their goal of returning Rilian to Narnia, before they return to Aslan's country and arrive at the stream where Jill first met Aslan. The body of King Caspian appears in the stream and Aslan instructs Eustace to drive a thorn into his paw. Eustace obeys, and Aslan's blood flows over the dead King, who is then revived and re-appears as the young Caspian. Aslan explains that when Jill and Eustace return to their own world, Caspian will go with them briefly, to help set things right there. They reach the wall which surrounds Experiment House, and part of the wall collapses. Caspian, Eustace and Jill run towards the wall and the school bullies run back towards the school in terror, having also seen Aslan. Aslan and Caspian return to Aslan's country while Eustace and Jill sneak back into their school. The headmistress at Experiment House reports the "collapsed wall, convicts and lion" to the police but when the police arrive there is no sign of any of this. The headmistress is eventually replaced, the bullies are expelled, and Experiment House becomes a good school. Meanwhile, back in Narnia, Prince Rilian succeeds his late father Caspian and is dubbed King Rilian the Disenchanted. COMMENTARY In some versions of the novel, it is shown that the Lady of the Green Kirtle—the enchantress of the Underworld—is shown to be the White Witch from The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe and The Magician's Nephew herself, who plagued Narnia for decades in the past. ADAPTIONS
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