Essay Questions

When Aslan greeted Edmund, he told him "Well done." Why was he pleased with him?

Edmund did not see Aslan when Lucy saw him at the top of the cliff, but trusted in her belief of what she had seen and voted to go up the cliff with her. He made the valid observation that when they first came to Narnia Lucy visited first and nobody believed her then either. This time he thought they should trust in her greater faith and closer relationship with Aslan. He was also congratulated because he had changed as a person significantly since their first adventure and become a much better person because of it. Aslan congratulated him also because although he did not see him when Lucy did he had the strength of faith to follow his guidance and believe without question.

Trumpkin does not believe in any of the old Narnian legends. Why is this and why does he continue to doubt despite continued evidence of its existence?

Trumpkin is quite convinced that the old Kings and Queens are fictional and when he meets them for himself he thinks they are children. Even when they prove to be worthy monarchs with skills and wisdom, he still does not put all the pieces together and deduce that if the first kings and queens really existed than in all likelihood the other legends of Old Narnia did too. He does not believe in Aslan until he meets him. Even after meeting Aslan he does not believe in fauns and dryads and other Narnian residents. He is essentially pragmatic and seemingly incapable of faith. This is probably out of fear of being disappointed and fear of not planning sufficiently for battle; he does not rest on the laurels of mystical help arriving and wants to plan for warfare with the tools and people he can see in front of him.

How has Susan changed since their first visit to Narnia?

Although still a skilled archer, Susan has become far more fearful as she has become older. Younger children are far more fearless than older children and have absolute belief in anything being possible. Now that she is older Susan is scared of far more things. She believes that Lucy has seen Aslan but wants to avoid being in the woods for too long and so pretends that she does not believe it. She also turns to attacking Lucy rather than looking inwardly at herself and this is why Aslan gently reprimands her for letting fear rule her faith in what is the right thing to do.

This novel introduces the character of Reepicheep. How does his character in this novel suggest how instrumental he is going to become in Narnian history?

Reepicheep is fundamentally loyal and is the bravest knight in all of Narnia. This is suggested the first time he is introduced as he is ready to go to war immediately and is the most combative member of Caspian's army. His main problem seems to be his diminutive stature but his courage is unmatched. He is also the first character to offer to go to Miraz and challenge him to a duel. He is already showing that he is not a politicker or a negotiator but a knight and a combatant.