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Chapter 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Last Battle, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Belief, Deception, and False Prophets
The Value of Friendship
Redemption and Forgiveness
The End of the World
Summary
Analysis
Only a few minutes after Tirian’s dream, a young girl, Jill Pole, and a young boy, Eustace Scrubb, materialize before him. Jill apologizes that they did not come sooner following Tirian’s call for help. However, Tirian explains that he only called out to Aslan for help moments before their arrival. After noting this peculiarity, Tirian recalls reading in history books that time moves differently in Jill and Eustace’s world.
Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb are also characters from previous Narnia books, who have adventured together in Narnia and formed a close bond. The difference in time between Narnia and the other world is one that stays consistent throughout the series, so characters such as Eustace and Jill always see vastly different moments in Narnia’s history, even though they remain children.
Themes
As Jill is explaining what happened, Eustace cuts Tirian free. Wasting no time, Tirian escorts the children to a tower designed to oversee Lantern Waste. On the way there, he takes steps to ensure that no one will be able to track them. While they are walking, Jill and Eustace formally introduce themselves. When Tirian learns their names, he realizes they are the same Jill and Eustace that saved King Rilian—who was Prince Rilian at the time—over two centuries ago.
Jill and Eustace become fast friends with Tirian, just as they did with his ancestor, King Rilian. Through their interactions, it immediately becomes clear that Jill, Eustace, and Tirian trust one another to perform their respective roles, so that they may all reach safety. They are able to become such good friends, in part, because they all serve Aslan.
Themes
Then, Eustace recounts how the Professor and Aunt Polly held a supper for the Friends of Narnia because the Professor sensed that Narnia was in danger. As Eustace talks, Tirian realizes that the Professor and Aunt Polly are the people he knows as Lord Digory and Lady Polly, both of whom were present at the founding of Narnia. At the dinner, Tirian appeared in front of them asking for help. After seeing Tirian, the Professor claimed that the only way Eustace and Jill can return to Narnia is by using magic rings that the Professor and Aunt Polly used in their youth. Of the people present at the dinner, only Jill and Eustace were allowed to return because they are young and have not been to Narnia three times.
The Friends of Narnia dinner sees many of the different characters from the Narnia series gathered together in one spot. The magic rings the Professor describes in this scene are important objects in the first chronological entry of the series, The Magician’s Nephew. The Professor wants to get his hands on the rings again because they have the power to transport their wearers between worlds, and he hopes to heed Tirian’s call for help. The Professor ability to know that Narnia was in danger in the first place implies that there is a powerful bond between the two worlds, perhaps one that is spiritual in nature.
Themes
To acquire the rings, the Professor sent Peter and Edmund to London to fetch rings he hid long ago. Peter and Edmund departed for London ahead of everyone else because Eustace and Jill had to stay in school for the time being. After Peter and Edmund found the rings, the Professor and Aunt Polly took Lucy (Peter and Edmund’s sister), Jill, and Eustace on a train to London. However, during the train ride, there was a sudden jerking sensation and a noise. The next thing Jill and Eustace knew, they were in Narnia.
Eustace recollection of events is a bit convoluted and ultimately somewhat irrelevant, as he and Jill ended up in Narnia without needing to wear the rings after all. However, the final part of his story regarding the sudden jerking sensation is an important detail that will come up again later in the novel.
Themes
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As Eustace’s story comes to a close, the group arrives at the tower. Tirian warns the children that the tower is not a great place to stay and apologizes that he cannot provide them with better lodgings. The children claim that the tower looks nice, which Tirian knows is not true, but appreciates, nonetheless. He feels as though Aslan has sent him good people to aid his cause.
Both Tirian and the children display humility and willingness to take any number of setbacks in stride. The children know the glories of Narnia and recognize that Tirian is doing his best to make them feel at home, despite the circumstances. Furthermore, the goodness of Jill and Eustace helps restore Tirian’s faith.
Themes
To blend in unnoticed, Tirian equips himself, Jill, and Eustace with Calormene armor. Additionally, he gives them a potion to rub on their skin to darken it. The Calormenes are a dark-skinned people, so the potion is meant to help them blend in. Tirian asks the children about their skill with weapons. Both say they have practice with a bow and, although Jill tries to downplay her skill, Eustace assures Tirian she is a competent archer. Once their gear is all set, the children note that it would have been nice if they brought more provisions from their world, particularly tea and cocoa.
The Calormenes have often been depicted as the adversaries in Narnia, so dressing as them introduces a dichotomy between appearance and character traits. This disguise is a partial crossing of cultural and racial boundaries, as Tirian, Jill, and Eustace don the appearance of their enemies. This scene suggests that race and culture are secondary to what one believes.
Themes
