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Chapter 1: The Island
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
Eventually, Susan realizes that they’re in the courtyard of an ancient, ruined castle. Peter wonders who might have lived there; it seems like it has been abandoned for hundreds of years. Nevertheless, Lucy and Peter find it oddly familiar. The children cross the courtyard and enter what used to be the castle’s great hall. The roof has fallen in, grass has grown over the floor, and one end of the room has a raised dais. This reminds them, dreamily, of Cair Paravel, the castle from which they once ruled Narnia. Edmund calls them back to reality when he notes the fading light. If they want any sort of comfortable night, they’ll need to collect wood for a fire.
The repeated allusions to Cair Paravel suggest that the children have stumbled on its ruins. If that’s the case, hundreds of Narnian years have passed since the children were last there. And the collapse of the castle into ruin suggests the state of Narnia as a whole. In the siblings’ absence, some have abused power and perverted the natural order, although readers—like the children—will have to wait to find out the details of how this came to be. In the meantime, the children continue to work together, sharing power cooperatively.
Themes
Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy explore until they find a more accessible hole in the castle’s exterior wall, then they set to work gathering dead branches, sticks, dry leaves, and pinecones. On their fifth trip with armfuls of fuel, they find a well hidden in the weeds, which is still full of cold and clear water. As Peter and Edmund light a fire with Peter’s matches, Susan and Lucy collect apples from the orchard. The raw apples make a somewhat disappointing dinner. Afterwards, Susan goes to the well for a drink. When she returns, she looks shaken.
The children work together to supply the necessities for their comfort and safety; they share power among themselves and show their inherent goodness by looking out for their common interests. No one behaves selfishly because their survival depends on cooperation. This contributes to the book’s argument that altruism and generosity show a person’s goodness—and that only shared, mutually respectful power will allow the world to prosper.
Themes
Susan holds a small, solid gold chess piece in her hand. She hands it to Peter, and he shows it to Edmund and Lucy. All four look with surprised recognition, but it’s Lucy who finally breaks the silence by exclaiming that it looks just like one they had in their collection at Cair Paravel. Susan, on the verge of tears, muses about their happy life in Narnia and the marvelous adventures they had with its magical creatures—fauns, giants, and merpeople. Finally, Peter states the obvious, if somewhat surprising conclusion that they have returned to Cair Paravel. Edmund protests that the castle can’t have fallen into such disrepair in the space of a year; besides, the forest is too thick.
Although it seems like all four children have suspected that they are in fact in Narnia, the evident passage of time gives them pause. None of them truly believe it until they see conclusive evidence with their own eyes. This introduces one of the book’s most important themes: the importance of believing in the truth without needing proof. Their memories also recall the Golden Age, when they stood at the top of the natural hierarchy yet ruled with fairness and justice.
Themes
Peter agrees with Edmund but points out that the hall is the same size and shape as Cair Paravel’s; the well is in the same place as Cair Paravel’s; their chessmen lie scattered in the ruins; and shortly before they returned to England, they planted an orchard. Peter can still remember a mole named Lilygloves, who helped dig the holes, remarking that he’d appreciate the fruit someday—and now Lilygloves has been proven correct. Lucy claps her hands at the memory, but Edmund protests that they didn’t plant the orchard next to the gate, nor was their castle on an island. Still, the passage of time could explain these changes—the overgrown orchard and the transformation of a peninsula to an island through time or digging a simple canal.
The respectful debate among the siblings shows that they can hold and exercise power while still respecting each other—the foundation for good leadership instead of exploitation. In their debate, rather than trying to score points against one another, they all have a vested interest in uncovering the truth. Yet again, their memories of the happier, olden times provide a model for what Narnia can be when its kings and queens rule with justice and righteousness—but that vision seems a far cry from the Narnia of the present.
Themes
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Lucy remembers that Cair Paravel had a door at the back of the dais which led directly down to the treasure chamber. She suggests that they look for it; finding it will prove they are indeed in their old home. Because ivy covers the wall, they use a stick to tap along it until they find a hollow place. Susan balks at the idea of opening a passageway to whatever may lie in the dark, and Lucy chides her for her cowardice. Ignoring Susan, Peter and Edmund attack the door and within a few minutes, they remove all the vegetation and uncover a door. A few minutes of effort on the boys’ part breaks through the rotten wood. Again, Susan hesitates to enter the dark passageway. Peter reminds her that she was once a queen and should act like it.
When the children uncover the door, Susan first demonstrates the fear that will characterize her throughout the book. Although it was she who discovered incontrovertible proof that they have returned to Narnia, she chooses not to trust it, and this, in turn, this makes her fearful. Lucy and Peter both chide her, but their words don’t have much of an effect, pointing to the book’s claim that faith—and doubt—are acts of will. If Susan won’t choose to believe, then she won’t be able to see or accept the truth.
Themes
After several unsuccessful attempts to use burning branches as torches, Edmund remembers he has a brand-new flashlight (a recent birthday gift) in his pocket. He leads the way down the 16 stairs behind the door, followed by Lucy, then Susan, then Peter. As Edmund shines his torch around, all four children draw in their breaths; they are indeed in the treasure chamber of Cair Paravel. On either side of a central path running up the room sit suits of armor and shelves full of precious jewelry, gems, and trinkets. A thick layer of dust covers everything. The place seems sad and a little scary. But after a moment of silence, the children excitedly dig into the treasures, rediscovering their favorite things and reminiscing about their time in Narnia.
The magnificent treasures in the vault recall Narnia’s Golden Age and point to the relationships the children had, as rulers, with their subjects and with other neighboring kingdoms. When they ruled under Aslan’s wise authority, things were good. But now Narnia has crumbled and fallen, just like Cair Paravel itself. The thick layer of dust points to the passage of time, but it also underscores the ways in the Telmarine invaders have destroyed and buried the land’s former glory. As the children reminisce, they slowly rebuild the nobility and the strength that they possessed as kings and queens.
Themes
Anxious not to waste the battery in his flashlight, Peter suggests they return to the hall and their campfire as soon as possible. Before they go, he, Susan, and Lucy collect the gifts they received one Christmas long ago in Narnia (the reason why Edmund didn’t get one, the narrator assures readers, is explained in the first book). Lucy has a tiny bottle cut from pure diamond and filled with a magical cordial that can heal any injury or illness. Susan has a bow and quiver full of arrows. She used to have a magical horn which unfailingly summoned help, but that was lost. The bow still works. As Peter takes up his gift—a shield with a red lion and the great sword Rhindon, he assumes the regal bearing of the High King of Narnia. The children return to their campfire, where they huddle together for warmth and comfort through the night.
Although at this moment the siblings are working together—their huddle by the fire literalizes their need to stick together for protection and safety—it wasn’t always so. Edmund’s lack of a magical gift recalls his split from the rest in the previous book of the series—in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, he aligned himself with the forces of evil but eventually redeemed himself and became a force for good. His story suggests the potential for redemption, even when people make bad choices (and Susan is already allowing her fear to dictate her actions rather than her faith in Aslan, suggesting that she might be the one in need of redemption this time).
Themes
