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
When Trumpkin, Peter, and Edmund reach the entrance to the mound, two guard-badgers let them in. As Peter and Edmund follow their D.L.F. through the ancient tunnels, keenly aware of how much time has passed since their own time as rulers of Narnia. They hear voices arguing as they approach the council chamber so they pause outside the door.
The mound over the Stone Table has been built—and weathered with age—since the boys’ time in Narnia, and this offers readers a reminder not just of how long they’ve been gone but of how long the Telmarine forces have ruled in their turn and oppressed Narnia with their evil.
Themes
Trumpkin, Peter, and Edmund listen as Prince Caspian explains yet again why he didn’t blow the horn at sunrise; as soon as Trumpkin left, Miraz’s army attacked and Caspian blew the horn as soon as he safely could. Nikabrik angrily replies that he’s not likely to forget the attack, since the Dwarves under his command took the most punishment from it and one in five of them died. Trufflehunter chastises Nikabrik for acting as if no other group suffered casualties. Regardless, Nikabrik retorts, no magical help has appeared—no Aslan, no King Peter. Trufflehunter counsels patience; he believes King Peter will return. Nikabrik maintains that they’ve run out of time. They’re low on food and morale is slipping. Finally, Prince Caspian interrupts their debate to ask what, exactly, Nikabrik wants to do and who, exactly, are the “friends” he’s brought into the council chamber.
Things have gone from bad to worse on the Narnian side in the few days since Nikabrik left, and every casualty compromises the army’s morale. Yet again, Nikabrik focuses only on what happens to the Dwarves instead of the Narnian cause. The fight for independence asks everyone to work together and to be willing to make sacrifices for the greater good, but Nikabrik’s single-minded focus on the Dwarves’—by extension, his—interests leads him down evil paths. In contrast, the book highlights Trufflehunter’s enduring and simple faith that Aslan will appear and make everything right. And because readers have already seen Aslan and the children arrive in Narnia, they know that he will soon be vindicated.
Themes
Nikabrik defensively retorts that he should have as much right as anyone to invite his friends to join the cause and ignores Trufflehunter’s warning that he should be more respectful of the rightful king. Doctor Cornelius asks the newcomers to introduce themselves. One identifies herself as nothing more than a “poor old woman” who knows a little magic. The other, in a “dull, gray” voice, describes himself as “hunger” and “thirst” and swears that he never lets his quarry go; he can fast for a hundred years without dying and drink a river of blood without bursting. He’s eager to take vengeance on the prince’s enemies. Caspian again asks to hear Nikabrik’s plan.
Nikabrik’s anger and defensiveness in this moment could point to some residual sense that what he’s about to suggest is wrong, but it could also indicate how deeply he feels wronged by not just the Telmarine enemy but also his Narnian allies. In either case, his self-centered attitude sees only the Dwarves’ sacrifices and no one else’s, betraying the same selfishness that the Telmarines have in their approach to ruling the country. And it’s very clear that his friends represent evil magic. But he hungers for the power he thinks they can give him.
Themes
Nikabrik points out how little anyone really knows about the ancient days of Narnia. The Old Narnian forces have tried one connection to the past—their bid (failed, in his opinion) to summon King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy with the horn. Or Aslan, for that matter, who wasn’t even always very friendly towards Dwarves or animals like the wolves, as far as Nikabrik is concerned. And after showing up once in the old stories, he seems to have abandoned Narnia. But other ancient forces exist. The others remain silent for a long moment before Caspian asks who Nikabrik means.
Nikabrik’s version of history points out the struggles between good and evil that have happened in Narnia before—in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Dwarves and wolves were the servants and enforcers of the White Witch’s evil empire. Nikabrik wants to restore a world of Dwarfish importance, not a world meant for the equal flourishing of all Narnians. He willfully ignores and downplays Aslan’s role in history in his bid to gain power for himself and his people.
Themes
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Nikabrik wants to call on the White Witch, believing that her power is the greatest Narnia has ever seen: she even killed Aslan. Trufflehunter protests that Aslan came back to life, but Nikabrik doubts it. And even if he did, his power—and the power of the rulers he established—faded after a time, unlike the Witch, who ruled for a century. Caspian protests that the White Witch is the villain of her story. Perhaps she was, to humans, or the beavers, Nikabrik replies coldly. But she was very good to the Dwarves. And as a Dwarf, his allegiance lies first and foremost with his own people. He and the other Dwarves aren’t afraid of the Witch, and he doesn’t much care about the rest of the Old Narnians, whom he feels have betrayed and abused his people during the war. He and his friends are ready to summon her then and there.
Evil powers have seduced Nikabrik, playing on his sense of grievance over the way the Telmarines oppressed and abused all Narnians, and also over the way Aslan and the Narnians mistreated (and still, in his opinion, take advantage of) the Dwarves. They hint to him that he can have enduring power, even though history clearly shows that no one’s power lasts forever, not even Aslan’s. After a time, evil finds a way back into the world and must be defeated once again. He wants power for himself and his people, and if Caspian won’t protect the Dwarves’ interests adequately (in Nikabrik’s opinion) then he will take matters into his own hands. Essentially, Nikabrik challenges Caspian’s right to rule in this moment and seems about to stage a coup.
Themes
Caspian shouts angrily at Nikabrik, whose grand plan for Narnian victory involves hags, werewolves, witches, and black sorcery. He and Trufflehunter attack Nikabrik and his friends before they can summon the White Witch, and Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin rush into the room to help. The lamp is overturned and extinguished in the fray, and when the fighting stops and Edmund relights it, Nikabrik, the hag, and the were-wolf lie dead on the floor.
Aslan—and the goodness he represents—asserts his power over evil in this moment. Nikabrik and his friends, ready to call on evil power, think they have the upper hand, but they don’t know that Aslan’s friends stand outside the door ready to support the outnumbered Caspian and Trufflehunter. Aslan rewards their unwavering faith and their willingness to risk their lives for the collective Narnian cause.
Themes
Trumpkin introduces Peter to Caspian as the High King. Peter immediately promises to help Caspian claim his rightful place on the Narnian throne. He embraces Trufflehunter, praising the badger for his enduring belief. Caspian mourns Nikabrik’s death even though the Dwarf never seemed to get over his hatred of the Telmarine prince. He thinks Nikabrik’s suffering turned him sour and believes that he would have been a good, peaceful member of society if the Old Narnian forces had won quickly. Then Peter notices that Caspian has a bleeding bite wound. They dress it first, then find another room of the How to eat breakfast. It’s not the kind of meal any of them would prefer, but their hunger and fatigue make it delicious.
Caspian shows his own capacity for forgiveness and gentleness (traits he shares with Aslan) when he mourns the traitorous Nikabrik’s death. He understands why circumstances might have inclined the Dwarf to lose faith in Aslan and the restoration of Narnia, since the war has continued to test their faith and resolve. Goodness encourages faith without compulsion and readily turns the other cheek. Caspian’s words here show compassion for the untrusting Dwarf rather than a sense of superiority, and they offer further proof that he will be a just and good ruler for all of Narnia
Themes
