Prince Caspian | Chapter 11: The Lion Roars

Chapter Summary:

Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Trumpkin are all awake and listening to Lucy's plea for them to follow her and the invisible Aslan immediately. When Peter begrudgingly agrees to follow her, the others do as well.

Aslan, visible only to Lucy, leads the group to a quick, hidden path to the Great River. At the point of crossing the river, Edmund is able to see Aslan, and then Peter. Not much later, just as they reach Aslan's How and the Stone Table, Susan is able to see Aslan as well.

Aslan stops, and greets Peter, Edmund, and Susan. Then, Aslan pounces at Trumpkin, who can suddenly see Aslan, and throws him into the air using his mouth and catches him. Trumpkin then believes in Aslan.

Aslan tells Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin to go into Aslan's How and deal with what they find there. Armed, Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin do so. Lucy and Susan stay with Aslan as he roars. His roar calls the different trees from all over Narnia, and a party and feast begins, with a great deal of dancing. 

Reflection:

Like the last chapter, this chapter shows us a great lesson in faith. As each character--Edmund, Peter, Susan, and Trumpkin come to have faith in Aslan again, they in turn begin to finally see him. As they are each beginning to see him, they see only his shadow, and then eventually his full form. 

This makes physical movement a very significant aspect of this chapter--perhaps the most significant aspect of this chapter. Every conflict, every concern, and every doubt in this chapter is based upon physical movement. When Lucy goes to wake up her siblings and Trumpkin, she is having to convince them, at the most basic level, to get up and move--to follow her and the Aslan that only she can see. Then, as each character begins to see Aslan, they begin to see him as they move toward Aslan's How and the Stone Table. 

Most significant, I think, is what happens when Aslan stops his march atop Aslan's How. Here is what happens:

"'Hush!' said the other four [to Trumpkin], for now Aslan had stopped and turned and stood facing them, looking so majestic that they felt as glad as anyone can who feels afraid, and as afraid as anyone can who feels glad. The boys strove forward: Lucy made way for them: and Susan and the Dwarf shrank back" (p. 263).

This is the culminating paragraph of this chapter, and the most important one. Lucy, who has already had her turn, moves aside for her two brothers, who are excited (though a little ashamed perhaps) that they can finally see Aslan and greet him. Aslan's first words to each of them? To Peter: "My dear son" (p. 263), and to Edmund: "Well done" (p. 263). It is important, of course, what Susan (who can see Aslan) and Trumpkin (who can't see Aslan--yet) do when they have the opportunity to greet Aslan. They both take a step back. Not surprisingly, Aslan greets Susan differently than the others:

"Then, after an awful pause, the deep voice said, 'Susan.' Susan made no answer but the others thought she was crying. 'You have listened to fears, child,' said Aslan. 'Come, let me breathe on you. Forget them. Are you brave again?'"

This is interesting indeed. I would argue, first of all, that it is significantly more worrisome for Susan that she can see Aslan and will not greet him than for Trumpkin, who currently cannot see Aslan at all. Aslan tells Susan that she has listened to fears--what fears? Who has she listened to? And why did that prevent her from seeing Aslan and believing in him? All is not well for Susan.

Finally--movements come into play in the last part of the chapter, when the trees come and dance around Aslan, Susan, and Lucy. In fact, the last few paragraphs of this chapter are written largely as a large dance. The trees are so glad of Aslan's return that they are literally dancing around him. Another way to put it is this: Aslan's return is enough to make trees dance--but Susan will not even greet him. Yikes.