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The Lion’s Skin
Throughout the novel, the stable’s symbolic role fluctuates, as it begins as a site of deception but eventually transforms into one of divine redemption. Initially, the stable appears to be a simple wooden structure, insignificant except that Shift claims that Aslan is sitting inside. Notably, in the Christian tradition, Jesus Christ is born in a stable, so the use of a stable here fits with the novel’s reliance on Christian imagery. However, although Shift claims the stable is a religious site, he is lying. As such, the stable becomes a perversion of religious belief and ceremony, as Shift parades Puzzle around at night, claiming the donkey is Aslan. Then, when Rishda takes charge, the stable becomes a sight of fear and violence, as Tash begins taking revenge on everyone who falsely claimed that he and Aslan are one in the same. Still, in the final chapters of the novel, the stable becomes a holy site after all because Aslan transforms it into a portal leading to eternal paradise for the worthy. The ultimate fate of the stable aligns with the Christian belief that the greatness of God will always triumph over evil, as Aslan’s glory transforms the profane into the sacred.
The Stable Quotes in The Last Battle
The The Last Battle quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Stable. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 10
Quotes
“Nay, my Father,” answered Emeth. “Thou hast said that their Aslan and our Tash are all one. And if that is the truth, then Tash himself is in yonder. And how then sayest thou that I have nothing to do with him? For gladly would I die a thousand deaths if I might look once on the face of Tash.”
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Chapter 11
Quotes
But Tirian gazed round and saw how very few of the animals had moved.
“To me! to me!” he called. “Have you all turned cowards since I was your King?”
“We daren’t,” whimpered dozens of voices. “Tashlan would be angry. Shield us from Tashlan.”
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Chapter 12
Quotes
Seven Kings and Queens stood before him, all with crowns on their heads and all in glittering clothes, but the Kings wore fine mail as well and had their swords drawn in their hands. Tirian bowed courteously and was about to speak when the youngest of the Queens laughed. He stared hard at her face, and then gasped with amazement, for he knew her. It was Jill: but not Jill as he had last seen her, with her face all dirt and tears and an old drill dress half slipping off one shoulder. Now she looked cool and fresh, as fresh as if she had just come from bathing. And at first he thought she looked older, but then didn’t, and he could never make up his mind on that point. And then he saw that the youngest of the Kings was Eustace: but he also was changed as Jill was changed.
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Chapter 13
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But very soon every Dwarf began suspecting that every other Dwarf had found something nicer than he had, and they started grabbing and snatching, and went on to quarreling, till in a few minutes there was a free fight and all the good food was smeared on their faces and clothes or trodden under foot. “But when at last they sat down to nurse their black eyes and their bleeding noses, they all said:
“Well, at any rate there’s no Humbug here. We haven’t let anyone take us in. The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs.”
“You see,” said Aslan. “They will not let us help them. They have chosen cunning instead of belief. Their prison is only in their own minds, yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they cannot be taken out. But come, children. I have other work to do.”
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Get the entire The Last Battle LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Stable Symbol Timeline in The Last Battle
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Stable appears in The Last Battle. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4
...and Shift is standing in front of it, addressing a crowd. Then, he opens a stable door and Puzzle walks out. Shift presents him as Aslan. From afar, Tirian cannot tell...
(full context)
Chapter 6
...what has been going on in Narnia because Shift kept him locked up in the stable. Ultimately, Tirian decides to believe Puzzle and spares the donkey’s life. Now that he knows...
(full context)
Chapter 10
...Tashlan will not come and talk to them, they are welcome to go inside the stable one by one to see Tashlan. Upon this suggestion, no one speaks up and many...
(full context)
...young and handsome officer named Emeth, steps up and asks if he can enter the stable as well. Rishda attempts to prevent Emeth from entering the stable. However, Emeth insists, claiming...
(full context)
Not wanting to admit the truth, Shift and Rishda allow Emeth into the stable. From the side, Tirian admires Emeth’s bravery, insisting that Emeth deserves a better entity to...
(full context)
Chapter 12
...white rock first. From there, she can see a Calormene soldier throwing Eustace into the stable. Although Tirian and Jewel attempt to help Eustace, they are too late by the time...
(full context)
...the white rock, Poggin voices his fear that they all might end up in the stable. Seeing that Jill is afraid, Jewel tries comforting her by suggesting the stable might take...
(full context)
Tirian decides to willingly allow the Calormenes to drive him toward the stable. Then, when he gets close, Tirian grabs Rishda and pulls him into the stable. As...
(full context)
Chapter 13
Tirian looks around and sees that he is no longer in a stable. Rather, he and the kings and queens are standing in a beautiful natural setting with...
(full context)
...Lucy and Tirian speak to the dwarves, the dwarves believe they are simply in a stable. They cannot see the wonderful world that everyone else is privy to.
(full context)
...to eat. However, the dwarves think the feast only consists of items from around the stable and do not see its magnificence. Aslan tells everyone else that the dwarves refuse to...
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Chapter 15
...no faith in Tash. Emeth’s determination to see Tash himself pushed him to enter the stable after Ginger came out, leading to a confrontation with a Calormene who threatened to kill...
(full context)
Chapter 16
...Lucy shares with Mr. Tumnus, her oldest Narnian friend, that the garden seems like the stable because it is larger on the inside than it appears from outside. Mr. Tumnus explains...
(full context)
