Essay Questions

What is Shift's main motivation and game-plan when fooling the Narnians?

Shift is basically a bully and his main objective is to make sure there is a better and more constant supply of oranges and bananas. He is savvy and cunning but not as smart as he thinks he is, primarily because he spends a lot of time with the easily-manipulated Puzzle. He doesn't seem to have a game plan in case any of the other animals also try to align with the Tisroc, and doesn't seem to have a contingency plan for Ginger's play for power. His objective seems to be to be able to manipulate the Narnians into obeying him by producing a false Aslan, and to get an easy life, but long-term, his objectives seem unprepared and barely thought out.

Why are Jill and Eustace the only people from the earthly world present in the battle?

Jill and Eustace are the only earth dwellers young enough to still be allowed to travel to Narnia. At the start of the Chronicles it was hinted at that it was number of visits that dictated whether or not a child was allowed to go back, but in this novel it is shown to be age that precludes visit after visit. Eustace and Jill are actually still school children but the Pevensie children are not really children anymore and so are not allowed to keep on visiting. That is why they are present in the New Narnia, which is Heaven, because they have been killed, but not in the original Narnia which they have aged out of.

Aslan says that any good thing done in the name of Tash is still a tribute to him, and any bad act done in his name is a tribute to Tash. What does he mean by this?

In the novel, Aslan represents all that is good, and is the allegorical God figure in the lives of the Narnians. Tash is the God worshipped by the Calormene, because they don't believe in Aslan. Tash is generally considered to be the allegorical devil entity in the enchanted lands; however, not all of the Calormene are bad people and many do great and honorable things in the name of Tash because they think he is the only good and benevolent God there is, as they have been taught. Aslan means that the good acts and the righteous intentions can only have been meant to honor him, but that they have just been using the incorrect name for the only good and benevolent God. Similarly this is true of any Narnians who are unaware of the existence of Tash but who have acted with bad intentions and said they did so in Aslan's name.