Lewis is very good at helping us see situations from various points-of-view so that we can understand the whole picture in The Silver Chair. He helps us to see the world through the eyes of non-human species, like Golg, Puddleglum—and yes, the witch Queen. The adventurers continually encounter different creatures and have to make snap judgments about them based on what they see and experience in the moment. It's not an easy task, and one that takes a lot of faith, especially since a lot of these critters aren't ones from the human world.
There's also the idea of another world at play here because, hey, it's Narnia. Jill especially has a steep learning curve as she picks up the sights, customs, taboos, and ways of being that are different from anything she has experienced at Experiment House. Encountering the other in The Silver Chair, then, can mean one of two things for our adventurers: great personal growth and the formation of new friendships—or failure of the mission and possible death.
Questions About Foreignness and Other
- How does Lewis draw distinctions between Narnia and England (specifically, Experiment House)? In what ways are they different?
- What, in your opinion, is the hardest adjustment Jill has to make when she enters Narnia? Is it a physical change or more of a psychological/behavioral one?
- How does Lewis use appearances to help us make judgments about the characters in The Silver Chair?
- Why does Lewis use the inexpressibility topos when describing places and people in his so-called otherworlds?
Chew on This
Lewis often says that he can't describe something in Narnia adequately or can't find a proper comparison to our world so that readers will strive with their imaginations to complete the descriptions of the "otherworlds" encountered in The Silver Chair.
The variety of creatures that Jill and Eustace meet on their adventures challenge their ideas of good and evil and help them learn to trust their instincts more.