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Chapter 2: The Ancient Treasure House
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
The children wake up with the dawn after an uncomfortable night of sleeping on the ground. After a breakfast of apples, Edmund says what everybody thinks silently: they must get off the island. They make their way to the narrowest part of the channel that separates the island from the mainland. The only way to cross is to swim. Peter thinks that he and Susan could make it, but he’s not sure about Edmund and little Lucy. Lucy points out that she could swim and ride and do all sorts of things in Narnia that she can’t do in England. But Peter reminds her that they were “sort of grown-up then”; when they returned to England they also returned to their “proper” ages.
Edmund speaks for the group a lot in this first section when they are on the island; although he was a main antagonist before, after his redemption, he’s become an integral part of the siblings’ team. Lucy exhibits both courage and her faith in Aslan and Narnia in her conviction that she can do things here that she cannot at home. Time moves differently in the magical kingdom of Narnia, and children can take on adult roles, responsibilities, and activities.
Themes
This comment sparks an epiphany for Edmund. Remembering that no matter how much time they spent in Narnia, they always seemed to emerge from the magical wardrobe at the same moment they left, he guesses that Narnia time and England time work on completely different scales. If many years in Narnia equal only a few fractions of a second in England, then it makes sense that one year in England would be the equivalent of centuries in Narnia. Lucy begins to muse about how excited the Narnians will be to see the siblings again when everyone hushes her. A boat with two rowers in chain mail and a twitching bundle rounds the point and starts to come across the channel toward them. The children hide in the bushes and watch silently.
Edmund’s revelation adds a sense of realism in this fantasy novel. And it reminds readers of the connection points between worlds like Earth and Narnia, which will be important later in the story. Lucy greets the idea of a return to Narnia with absolute enthusiasm, recalling it as the happy place it was during her and her siblings’ reign. But when they first arrived, Narnia was in trouble, and it seems to be in trouble again now. As the children hide from the strange soldiers, they realize that evil forces are afoot.
Themes
The soldier in the front of the boat suddenly stops rowing telling his companion they’ve reached a good spot to drown their victim. As he stands and lifts the bundle, Peter can see that it’s a Dwarf, struggling like mad. Peter hears a soft twang near his ear. The soldier drops the Dwarf and falls into the water. Susan strings a second arrow as he stumbles back across the channel to the mainland. Before she can shoot again, the second soldier jumps from the boat, flounders across the water, and disappears after his companion.
Susan shows her concern for all living creatures both in working to rescue the Dwarf and in scaring off the soldiers with non-fatal shots. Her concern for the well-being of other creatures shows her inherent goodness in this situation. Meanwhile, the soldiers’ abandonment of their boat helpfully gives the children a safe way off the island.
Themes
Peter and Susan instantly plunge into the water to grab the boat. Once they’ve beached it, they remove the Dwarf, whom Edmund cuts loose with a pocketknife. Although he expresses concern that the children are ghosts, he thanks them for rescuing him. Lucy asks why anyone would assume they were ghosts, and the Dwarf answers that everyone knows that the shore of the island is as thick with ghosts as it is with trees. When “they” want to get rid of someone, they usually bring them to the island, allegedly to feed the ghosts. Now, of course, the Dwarf realizes that they actually drown or cut their victims’ throats.
The person or people in charge of Narnia now use fear to control their subjects. And they cover up murders and executions with the euphemism of “feeding the ghosts.” This suggests their unwillingness to take responsibility for their actions, blaming the deaths on supernatural forces, and it contrasts with the traits of good leaders, who focus on the wellbeing and trust of their subjects. Yet again, the book points toward the trouble Narnia is currently experiencing.
Themes
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No wonder the two soldiers escaped so quickly back to the mainland, Peter and Susan muse. Susan explains that she wasn’t shooting to kill (lest anyone think she missed her shots) and the Dwarf says it might be bad news for the party if the soldiers tell anyone what happened. Peter asks why they wanted to drown the Dwarf, who says it’s a long story. Before he tells it, he wants breakfast. When the children sadly inform him that they only have apples, he cheerfully directs their attention to the fishing gear in the boat.
Susan’s natural compassion led her to spare the soldiers, but the book suggests that there are sometimes consequences to letting evil forces escape. While it argues for a responsible use of power, it also suggests that sometimes, the circumstances warrant otherwise drastic measures, like killing one’s enemies in a time of war. The trust that develops almost instantly between the Dwarf and the children suggests that, somehow, they are all on the same side.
Themes
Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, and the Dwarf pile into the boat and row it around to the side of the island hidden from the mainland. The Dwarf catches enough fish for breakfast, and they bring them back to the castle ruins in Edmund’s hat. Surprised to find that the legends of its existence are true, the Dwarf once again wonders if he and the children are hallucinations or ghosts, but they assure him they are real. Without forks, their breakfast is messy, and a few fingers get singed, but everyone feels grateful for the hot food.
Like the children, the Dwarf struggles to accept strange truths, like truth of the legends he’s heard about Old Narnia and Cair Paravel. While the book emphasizes the importance of faith, it also shows how keeping faith can be a struggle. Faith is an act of will, and it sometimes requires going against received belief or superstition. The Dwarf’s willingness to stay with the children suggests his decision to trust them despite the strange circumstances.
Themes
After they clean up, the Dwarf produces a long pipe. Peter asks him to tell his story first and he agrees, since the children saved his life. He is, he tells them, a messenger of Prince Caspian the tenth, King of Narnia. Or at least, Caspian should be king of Narnia; at the moment only “us Old Narnians” support him, even though he is a “New Narnian,” or “Telmarine.” Edmund exclaims his confusion, and the Dwarf promises to tell them the story from the beginning, warning them that it’s rather long. Lucy assures him that they all love stories. It will take up the next few chapters, and the author assures readers that he’ll give them the edited version, with none of the children’s interruptions or questions.
The Dwarf finally introduces the central conflict in the book: in the years since the children left Narnia, a new race of humans (the Telmarines) entered Narnia. They used their power to oppress and abuse the Narnians, killing many and sending the remainder into hiding. The book uses a frame story to explain who Caspian is and what he stands for while keeping the action primarily focused on the children. And the children’s importance suggests that they will play a vital role in Narnia’s restoration.
Themes
