LITERARY ANALYSIS
story . But it all comes to a head in the head of Narnia himself . Like the stirrings of the Underworld in The Silver Chair as the Witch ’ s army prepares to overrun Narnia like a colony of ants , there is a stirring in Caspian to follow his own personal glory and adventure instead of actually following Aslan .
I mentioned before that the story of Eustace helps to build this theme of loyalty in the book . The different stories of Eustace and Caspian are actually linked in numerous ways . Notice that it is Eustace who picks up on the fact that Caspian is up to something before the others do . When the Dawn Treader had reached its eastern limit , Caspian orders the boat to be lowered and the crew to be gathered so he could speak to them .
‘ What ’ s he going to do ?’ whispered Eustace to Edmund . ‘ There ’ s a queer look in his eyes .’
‘ I think we probably all look the same ,’ said Edmund . 8
But Edmund was wrong . They had certainly all been changed as they got closer to the world ’ s end , but that was not what Eustace noticed . He saw that something wasn ’ t right with Caspian . The eyes tell something about someone ’ s heart . As Mr . Beaver says of Edmund in The Lion , the Witch , and the Wardrobe , “[ The ] moment I set eyes on that brother of yours I said to myself ‘ Treacherous ’. He had the look of one who has been with the Witch and eaten her food . You can always tell them if you ’ ve lived long enough in Narnia ; something about their eyes .” 9 Apparently , Eustace has been in Narnia long enough , or changed by Narnia enough , to notice . In fact , Eustace himself had experienced a similar temptation to Caspian earlier on the voyage .
As Michael Ward points out , both Eustace and Caspian are dragons in the story . 10 Eustace turns into a dragon after falling asleep “ on a dragon ’ s hoard with greedy , dragonish thoughts in his heart .” 11 And Caspian seems to have a sort of obsession with dragons — crimson dragons in his quarters on his dragon-shaped vessel .
Eustace is selfish and so forsakes his companions . Eustace is greedy and is filled with gold-lust when he sees the opportunity before him of the wealth in the dragon ’ s cave . Caspian is selfish and desires also to forsake his companions and his whole kingdom . Caspian is greedy and is filled with an adventure-lust when he realizes the prospect of pursuing Aslan ’ s home . “ Caspian harbours a self-serving ambition to abdicate and seize Aslan ’ s country by his own will . His urgent wish to go beyond the eastern edge of the world is another manifestation of dragonish greed , a kind of simony , a rapacious desire to grasp personal enlightenment — even at the price of his own life .” 12 Again , while this is a natural thing on the face of it for any Narnian to desire , it is not permissible for Caspian to pursue Aslan ’ s country in this way . If all Narnia can ’ t go with him , he must not grasp at Aslan ’ s country .
The parallels between Eustace and Caspian do not end there . For both of them , they are not set to rights until Aslan comes to work on them himself . Eustace was stopped from being the greedy , whiny , selfish brat he had been ( or at least , the work of changing him had begun ). But he cannot be fully restored to his friends and to his nature until the lion makes a deep rift in him and tears off his dragon ’ s hide . Similarly , Caspian is halted from abandoning ship , but he stalks off in a huff . However , he emerges from his quarters a humbled and changed King , having met Aslan while he was sulking . Notice that eyes play an important role here as well . As Eustace saw the strange look in Caspian ’ s eyes , so it is Aslan ’ s eyes that pierce through Caspian ’ s cold heart : “ It was terrible — his eyes .” 13
Caspian had completed his mission , fulfilled his oath by finding all the lords and rescuing those he could . But had he returned to Narnia in the foul mood in which he stormed into the heart of his dragon ship , his dragon heart would have perverted all of Narnia . This is why it was necessary ( in view of the kingdom ) that Aslan appear to Caspian and convict and change him .
One question about this “ unrest ” that Narnia is in remains . Why is it that Caspian is not allowed to pursue this last adventure ? Aslan had approved of Caspian ’ s oath and subsequent adventures , 14 so what was so different about this next journey ? The answer has been alluded to already . Caspian was a King , as his friends are quick to remind him . And , as Aslan once made clear , “ Once a king or queen in Narnia , always a king or queen .” 15 As
8 Voyage , 259 .
9 C . S . Lewis , The Lion , the Witch and the Wardrobe ( London : Harper- Collins Children ’ s Books , 2009 ), 82 .
10 Michael Ward , Planet Narnia : The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C . S . Lewis ( New York : Oxford University Press , 2008 ), 113-114 .
11 Voyage , 97 .
12 Ward , 114 .
13 Voyage , 262 .
14 Voyage , 21 .
15 The Lion , 167 .
6 THE COMMONS