The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe | Chapter 7: A Day with the Beavers

Chapter Summary:

The chapter begins with the four children following the robin through the woods of Narnia, when suddenly the robin disappears and the children see a beaver beckoning to them from behind some trees. The children decide to follow the beaver, who leads them into thicker parts of the woods.

The beaver confirms with the children that they are Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve. The beaver explains that even some of the trees are on the side of the Witch, but that rumor has it that Aslan is coming (this gives the children unexplained warm fuzzy feelings, except Edmund who feels afraid). The beaver explains that Mr. Tumnus gave him orders to find the children if they ever entered Narnia (his proof is Lucy's handkerchief, which she had left with Mr. Tumnus after their first visit).

Mr. Beaver then takes the children to his home--a dam on the (quite frozen) river, where Mrs. Beaver is waiting. Edmund notices that the way to the White Witch's palace is just beyond the dam. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver then treat the children to a dinner of fresh fish, potatoes, rolls, and hot tea.

Reflection:

The protagonist of this chapter is not Peter, Susan, Edmund, or Lucy. No, it's not even Mr. or Mrs. Beaver, nor the robin, nor Mr. Tumnus or Aslan. You probably can't tell from my summary above, but the real highlight of this chapter is the food. Sounds a bit silly perhaps, but Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy mention hunger no less than four times in this chapter, and a full 25% of the chapter (the last quarter) is spent describing the incredible meal being served by Mr. & Mrs. Beaver.

I will say that C.S. Lewis is awfully practical. I often find it amusing that the characters in many stories never seem to have to eat (or it's just so completely irrelevant that the details are left out). The Harry Potter series attends to food somewhat--most often in the setting of grand meals in the great hall of Hogwarts. But in Narnia, food is something that is important, and when it's forgotten (like in real life), people get hungry! I appreciate this, because it's realistic. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy might be in a different world with a different time scheme, but that doesn't mean that their stomachs don't get grumbly after 3-4 hours. (Edmund might even be getting a little hangry... I just wanted to use the word hangry. It's hungry + angry.)

Now all the details about the food at the end of the chapter--I'm not as much of a fan of. (C.S. Lewis has gone a little Charles Dickens on us for a few paragraphs. I get that you can do imagery and I get that you like adjectives, but I don't need six of them to describe dinner rolls, even if they're the best dinner rolls I've ever had.) Perhaps the details are useful for some reason later in the story that I'm currently unaware of, but I don't think so. If I can't taste the food, I don't want to hear all about it. Hmm, I think I might be getting hangry.

Anyway, cheers to the unsung hero of chapter seven--the food. Most stories just go on without it, but C.S. Lewis wants Narnia to be a realistic country in many ways, and to be realistic, food must be eaten when the kiddos get hungry. Thank goodness they ran into Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, or they would be up a frozen creek, without... ice skates? Certainly a paddle wouldn't help.