Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Prince Caspian, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Good vs. Evil
Faith and Belief
Power vs. Leadership
Fear and Courage
Summary
Analysis
Following the gorge downstream proves more difficult than Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, and Trumpkin anticipated. They must venture so far into the forest initially that they fear losing sight of the river. Eventually, they find a place where they can climb down into the gorge itself. They rest and have a drink of refreshing water before continuing downstream, all the while looking for a place to climb up on the opposite side. It’s easier to follow the direction of the river, but the terrain is rougher, rockier, and more punishing than the forest. And they can’t find a place to climb back out.
Although the downstream route seemed like the best option to most of the siblings (and the Dwarf) it quickly becomes very difficult. Yet they press on, fully committed to their mistake. Their lack of faith makes their trek harder, and once they’ve gone too far in their error, it becomes more and more difficult to extricate themselves. The book thus strongly implies their foolishness for turning their backs on Aslan.
Themes
Eventually, Edmund, Peter, and Trumpkin begin to want to light a fire and roast some of their bear meat. Susan wants to press on. Lucy is too miserable to care. But when they can’t find enough dry wood, they must press on anyway. Finally, they round a bend and can see the Great River and the Beruna Bridge in the distance. Edmund notices that the present-day village at the foot of the bridge sits on the exact site where he and Peter won a battle long ago. The thought of their victories, more than anything else, buoys their spirits. As the country slopes downhill, the going gets easier.
The further the group pushes into their error—founded on a lack of faith—the more their group cohesion suffers. And while the book never truly punishes anyone for their doubts, here it rather unsubtly suggests that insufficient faith tends to make a person’s life incredibly difficult. In contrast, Edmund recalls victories the siblings had in the Golden Age, when their actions and choices were aligned with Aslan’s wishes.
Themes
Then, suddenly, some of Miraz’s forces attack Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, and Trumpkin. Trumpkin shouts, “Down!” and Peter looks up to see an arrow embedded in a nearby tree. They retreat uphill under a rain of arrows, realizing that they must turn back and find another way to cross the river. Although their plans have been frustrated, they all feel more cheerful climbing back through the difficult terrain. They reach the point where they originally descended into the gorge before sunset and soon have a blazing fire on which they roast some of the bear meat for dinner. With a good plan, a good meal, and a well-deserved rest, everyone feels cheerful and hopeful.
Aslan tried to show Lucy the right way earlier; by ignoring her, the group impeded their own progress. The fact that they feel better climbing back uphill, even though it’s physically more difficult, shows that they’re on the right path once more. Aslan rewards those who follow his wishes. And their returning good spirits prime them to remember (or, in Trumpkin’s case, discover) their faith when he next asks them to practice it.
Themes
Sometime later, Lucy wakes from a deep and restful sleep to the sound of a beloved voice calling her name. She doesn’t want to get up because she feels so happy and peaceful. But the voice calls insistently from a little way off. Looking for it, she realizes the trees near their campsite are moving. With a wildly beating heart, she gets up and walks towards them. They weave in and out of each other in a complicated, old-fashioned dance. As she gets closer, she realizes that they don’t quite look like trees or people; the dryads stir but aren’t yet fully awake. Lucy dances through the glade towards the darkness beyond from which the voice called her.
The voice, of course, is Aslan’s, and it fills Lucy with supernatural peace because Aslan allegorically represents a supernatural, divine power. The dancing trees offer further proof that Aslan has returned and that he plans to restore Narnia to its former glory. But the fact that they’re still asleep suggests that the time isn’t quite ripe for Aslan’s plan. The book hints that the children still have work to do—likely, reinvigorating their faith—before good can triumph over evil.
Themes
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Lucy exits the circle of dancing trees into a smooth grass clearing. Aslan, the great lion himself, stands in its center. Without a second of hesitation or doubt, Lucy rushes up to him, throwing her arms around his neck, burying her face in his silky mane, and kissing him. He kisses her gently with the tip of his rough tongue. She notes with surprise that he’s bigger. That’s only because she herself is older, he tells her. Lucy is so overwhelmed with happiness she doesn’t want to move or speak, but Aslan reminds her that they have work to do, especially after the day’s wasted trip. Lucy begins to complain about the others’ disbelief, but a growl from Aslan silences her. He gives her a look that suggests that she could have left them and come to him earlier, on her own.
In the Chronicles of Narnia’s Christian allegory, Aslan represents Jesus Christ, and the feelings Lucy has toward him—a mix of adoration, affection, and trust—thus represent what the book imagines as the proper attitude of Christians toward their God and his representatives. Aslan’s warm greeting back to Lucy shows how much he loves her and how deeply he invests himself in her wellbeing. It also, importantly, rewards her faith and trust in him. This isn’t to say that Lucy can’t disappoint Aslan; if the others need to remember (or discover) their faith, Aslan teaches Lucy that she needs the courage to follow her faith even when others don’t support it.
Themes
Aslan tells Lucy that she must run back, wake the others, and tell them they need to follow him immediately, although he warns her that they won’t be able to see him, at least at first. She feels disappointed; she’d imagined Aslan roaring in and frightening away all the enemies like last time. Now, she fears, everything will be “horrid.” Aslan gently reminds her that nothing happens the same way twice. She buries her face in his mane again, but this time, she feels some of his strength flowing into her. Soon, she feels ready to face the task at hand. They walk back through the dancing trees—all of whom bow to the lion—and Aslan waits on the edge of the glade for her.
Lucy’s faith is stronger than that of her siblings, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t feel doubts—when Aslan’s actions don’t conform to what she imagined, she feels a flash of disappointment and fear. In addition to emphasizing the value of faith, the book also shows readers that faith is voluntary—Lucy must choose to believe in Aslan even when his actions don’t make sense to her. And his compassion and goodness become apparent when he freely imbues Lucy with the courage she needs to face the challenge ahead.
Themes
Lucy worries about waking up four very tired people who are older than herself and who she knows are likely to doubt her once again. She starts with Peter, who tells her he’ll do “whatever [she] like[s]” before rolling back over and falling asleep again. Susan wakes easily but flatly tells Lucy she must have been dreaming. Lucy can barely rouse Edmund. When she does, he’s initially enthusiastic about Aslan. But because he cannot see the great lion, he worries that Lucy is dreaming or hallucinating. Still, he helps her wake the others.
Lucy’s low status in the group, as the youngest sister, becomes apparent yet again as she struggles to wake her siblings and then to convince them to follow her. Yet again, Susan shows the least faith and Edmund shows the most—but even his remains tenuous and shaky as long as he cannot see Aslan for himself. Yet, despite evidence to the contrary, he chooses to believe, demonstrating the active and voluntary nature of belief.
Themes
