The Silver Chair | Chapter 8: The House of Harfang

Chapter Summary:

Still standing in front of the giant King and Queen, Eustace tells them that the Lady of the Green Kirtle had sent them for the Autumn Feast. The King and Queen approve. Jill begins to cry from sheer exhaustion. The King and Queen order that Eustace, Jill, and Puddleglum be made comfortable and given food and rest.

Jill is provided with a large room that contains mostly human-sized items, indicating that the giants are used to smaller guests. A nurse attends Jill's every need, and brings her dolls and toys in abundance. Jill goes to sleep and has a dream during the night where Aslan takes her to the window and shows her the landscape. On the ground is a sign that says 'UNDER ME.' That night it rains, and all of the snow that fell the day before washes away.

The next morning, Jill does not remember the dream. Eustace and Puddleglum join Jill, and they look out upon the nearby land from the window. There on the ground are the words 'UNDER ME' on what is obviously a ruined city--the one they have been searching for.

Eustace, Jill, and Puddleglum realize that they had crossed the ruined city in order to get to Harfang. Jill and Eustace realize that they had been so focused on reaching Harfang that they had fairly forgotten about the signs and their task. They now realize that they need to go beneath the ruined city. Immediately, they try to think of a way to sneak away from the castle. Puddleglum suggests that they act as innocent and cheerful as possible.

About that time, Jill's nurse reappears and asks them to join the giants on the lawn to see off the King and Queen as they go hunting. Jill approaches the Queen and asks permission to explore the castle grounds during the day, and the Queen grants her request.

Reflection:

If I recall, this is the second time in the TCON series that a dream has occurred. I believe the first was in The Horse and His Boy when Shasta was awaiting for Aravis, Bree, and Hwin at the Tombs just outside of Tashbaan. (Double checking the chapter--it looks like the dream was only casually mentioned. Shasta wakes up and thinks to himself that he has had a nightmare.)

So really, this is actually the first dream with any substance at all in the TCON series. And it's clearly one sent by Aslan. In fact, the dream itself reveals one of the very signs for which they were supposed to be looking in the first place. But Jill does not remember the dream when she wakes up. She only remembers it once she goes to the castle window and sees the words 'UNDER ME' written in the ruins south of Harfang. The dream then immediately rushes back into Jill's mind. (I don't know about you, but I often don't remember my dreams--but every once in awhile something I experience in real life will remind me of a dream I've had.)

The result of the dream is significant--Eustace and Jill break out of their Harfang haze, as it were. They realize that they had been so focused on Harfang and all that it could offer their journey that they had nearly forgotten the reason for their journey in the first place. And finally--finally--Puddleglum of all people has enough sense to note that perhaps this was exactly the intention of the Lady of the Green Kirtle. My guess is that he's right. She was, after all, dressed in green.

So, from a theological/allegorical standpoint, C.S. Lewis says something pretty interesting in this chapter--that dreams can matter. Their substance is not necessarily substance to ignore, and that Aslan can speak through dreams just in the same way he can do so in real life. And maybe those dreams will even be used to awaken something in you (or remind you of something) that you didn't know was there before. Chances are, the entire plot of the novel and the success of the journey at hand hinges upon a mere dream. We are such stuff as dreams are made on.