r/NarniaBooks

Note about last chapter's summary: Someone rightfully pointed out that Uncle Andrew taking a few drinks isn't the same as getting drunk. I'm sorry about that, went back and fixed that in the previous post.

Summary

Aunt Letty confronts Jadis immediately and orders her to leave the house. Jadis tries to blast Aunt Letty like she did to Charn's gates, but realizes that power doesn't work in our world. Instead, she grabs Aunt Letty, lifts her above her head, and throws Letty across the room. The hansom arrives, so Jadis leaves with Uncle Andrew.

Aunt Letty fortunately is uninjured due to landing on a mattress. Digory has to consider his options. He doesn't realize that Jadis has lost her "blasting" powers, but worries about the damage she can do in London. Digory plans to get Jadis back into the Wood using his yellow ring, but with no money and no idea where she is, he realizes his best chance is to wait until she and his Uncle return. Polly is sent to her room when she can't fully explain to her mother why her clothes are wet from the previous chapters.

While Digory's waiting, he overhears his Aunt Letty talking to a visitor about Mabel's ( Digory's mother) illness and that only fruit from the land of youth could do her any good. Digory gets wild hope from this and begins thinking of using the ring to explore other worlds when he sees Jadis.

Jadis arrives, standing on the roof of the hansom and flogging the horse Strawberry without mercy. The hansom crashes into a lamppost, but Jadis jumps clear and rides the horse. The police and a crowd of spectators show up. A policeman tries to question Uncle Andrew, but has to step back to avoid getting killed by Strawberry. The Cabby (Strawberry's owner and the owner of the smashed hansom) arrives and tries to talk to Jadis and soothe Strawberry. Jadis responds by saying, "Dog! Dog, unhand our royal charger. We are the Empress Jadis."

Thoughts

Jadis standing on the hansom roof as she rides was quite the striking image and I liked how the text described it. It's also interesting that Digory's fixation on the land of youth becomes his focus for a good amount of the rest of this book, from what I remember.

Optional Discussion Questions

You don't have to answer all/any of these questions, they're just for discussion.

1. Why do you suppose Letty thought Jadis was from a circus and why does she not approve of bare arms? Also, what is sal volatile?

2. Do you suppose the Wood had something to do with Jadis no longer having her "blasting" powers or is it from being in our world?

3. I personally found the "Sarah the housemaid having a great day" running joke to be funny, though maybe it's not for everyone. What do you think of it?

4. The text mentions Digory, his Mother, and Aunt Letty having lunch, while Polly shows up late for dinner. I'm a bit confused here. Is something happening with the day that I'm not getting, are Digory and Polly's families acting differently, or both? And what are your impressions of Digory's and Polly's families, from the brief glimpses we get?

5. What do you think of Aunt Letty mentioning the land of youth and Digory's hope that he gets as a result?

6. What'd you think of Jadis' return on the hansom? And what are your thoughts on the police and the crowd showing up?

7. What do you think of the Cabby?

8. Anything else you want to ask about/bring up about this chapter?

A poem I wrote recently, inspired by Susan Pevensie and her life after Narnia. Mostly because I’ve always wanted more of her story:

Her stooped shoulders bear the cost
Of memories, of grief, of loss
Her soul has turned to stone from frost
Then her thoughts turn to him

On the darkest night she wept
It’s like she lived through an eclipse
The stone shattered end to end
When he lived again

For once she knelt, crowned a queen
Her arrows true, nearly unseen
He stood with a golden gleam
Where she was meant to be

For past the lantern, once she tread
She changed back to a girl instead
An exile, just better off than dead
Cast on forgotten seas

So roots she grew, on shifting sands
She learned to love those foreign lands
To dance, to dream, and to hold hands
And to treasure other things

She turned her face, and built a wall
She wouldn’t think of it at all
couldn’t bear to let the shields fall
As the losses compounded on

But when she’d tell children’s tales
There, her careful defenses failed
Her stories took a different trail
Of gentler days long gone

She sits, facing out into the night
Her tired limbs give up the fight
“Remember me” she asks the gleam of light
“I still remember you”

And there he stands at an open door
The pain and doubt of moments before
Disappear as though they never were
And with him, she walks through