The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

by

C. S. Lewis

Gold Armband Symbol Analysis

Gold Armband Symbol Icon

The gold armband that turns Eustace into a dragon symbolizes the consequences of greed and the dangers of trying to go off on one’s own without consideration for others. When Eustace abandons the others to avoid having to do chores, he soon gets lost in the foggy mountains of Dragon Island. While lost, he finds the golden armband by the corpse of a dragon that may have been Lord Octesian. Despite all the signs of danger and despite not even particularly wanting the armband, Eustace claims it for himself and puts the gold armband on. (Notably, gold in the story is often associated with greed and temptation, including a later passage when the crew comes across a pool of water that turns things to gold and Caspian is tempted to claim it as his own.)

When Eustace wakes up again after putting on the armband, he’s in the form of a dragon. Being a dragon teaches Eustace how miserable it can be to live off on his own. He reunites with his companions from the Dawn Treader and begins helping them prepare to get sailing again. Eventually, with help from Aslan, Eustace learns how to shed his scaly old skin and be “reborn” in his human body again. One of the first things Eustace does in his new body is toss away the armband to show that he’s overcome its temptation. And so, while the armband represents the consequences of greed, it also helps illustrate how it’s never too late for greedy people like Eustace to atone for their actions and become less selfish people.

Gold Armband Quotes in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The The Voyage of the Dawn Treader quotes below all refer to the symbol of Gold Armband. 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:
Bravery Theme Icon
).
Chapter 6 Quotes

He had turned into a dragon while he was asleep. Sleeping on a dragon’s hoard with greedy, dragonish thoughts in his heart, he had become a dragon himself.

Related Characters: Eustace Scrubb
Related Symbols: Gold Armband
Page Number: 97
Explanation and Analysis:
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Gold Armband Symbol Timeline in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The timeline below shows where the symbol Gold Armband appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6
Growing Up and Selflessness Theme Icon
Temptation Theme Icon
...the dead dragon’s lair and finds a big horde of treasure. He puts on a gold armband that he likes, then falls asleep on the pile while the others continue to worry... (full context)
Bravery Theme Icon
...dragon to heal its paw, the cordial reduces some swelling. Just then, Caspian notices a gold armband on the dragon. (full context)
Chapter 7
Bravery Theme Icon
Caspian, Drinian, and Reepicheep recognize the dragon’s gold armband as belonging to a famous Narnian named Lord Octesian, one of the seven lords. They... (full context)
Growing Up and Selflessness Theme Icon
...his recent experiences, but he begins to act less selfishly. He doesn’t want Lord Octesian’s gold armband , so he throws it upward, where it gets caught on a rock and may... (full context)