The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | Chapter 12: The Dark Island

Chapter Summary:

The Dawn Treader sails onward to the southeast for twelve days. Then, a large black mountain is spotted in the distance. The next day, it is much nearer. Soon, it is realized that the black mass is nothing more than darkness. Caspian and Drinian advise not sailing into the darkness, but Reepicheep, supported by Lucy, convince everyone to do so anyway for the sake of honor and adventure. 

After lighting torches, the Dawn Treader sails into the darkness. After five minutes, some is heard shouting for help. A man is brought on board in the darkness from the sea. The man tells them to flee immediately back toward the sunlight, as they have arrived in the land where dreams come true--not daydreams, but actual dreams.

Panic ensues, and the Dawn Treader tries to flee the darkness. Every individual begins to experience portions of their own personal nightmares. Everyone begins to worry that they will never get out. Lucy asks aloud for Aslan's help, and moments later an albatross appears and guides the Dawn Treader back towards the light. Only Lucy can sense that the albatross is Aslan himself. 

The Dawn Treader breaks back into the sunlight and the albatross vanishes. The man who has been pulled abroad identifies himself as Lord Rhoop--one of the seven Lords for whom Caspian is searching. Looking around, everyone realizes that the dark island and the darkness along with it have completely vanished.

Reflection:

This chapter is as fascinating as they come in the TCON series. And what makes it fascinating is that the entire fear that surrounds the dark island is the fear of the unknown. To paraphrase a former U.S. President--the Narnians had nothing to fear except fear itself. In fact, just a few short sentences from Lord Rhoop sent the men of Narnia (everyone except Reeipcheep) running in panic to bring the Dawn Treader back into the sunlight as quickly as possible.

Now, this is without knowing a single thing about Lord Rhoop. The Narnians don't know where he has come from, how he exactly got there, and for goodness sake, why he is apparently floating in the ocean. There's no evidence that there is any land at all in the darkness. Lord Rhoop doesn't even give an example of what he means when he says that this is the place where all dreams come true. It is very possible that the only danger present in the darkness was the fear of the unknown, and perhaps a fear of the darkness itself. I think it is very possible that the sounds that everyone is hearing as the Dawn Treader flees the darkness are only sounds created by their own imaginations.

Nevertheless, Lucy comes to the rescue when she (basically) prays to Aslan for help--and Aslan not only arrives, but he also brings the end of the darkness as well. Lucy alone knows that Aslan has saved the day once again--even if he has saved the Narnians only from their own imaginations.

More than most other chapters in this series, this chapter demonstrates to the readers some of the most interesting qualities of mankind--the tendency to fear what is not known, even to the point of psychological panic. It is a lesson in bravery, in adventure, in faith, and in fear. And what we learn, while not necessarily charming, is something that is true for all humanity--that we fear what we do not know, more than anything else.