The Silver Chair: Chapter 4 “A Parliament of Owls”

C.S. Lewis Read-Along, Vol. 4, Issue 5

Background: For C.S. Lewis, as opposed to J.R.R. Tolkien, the issue is not an in-depth backstory for the villain or even an analysis of the source material behind the character. The point is to create a character that resonates with the reader and helps them grasp lessons through fiction that may be eluding them in real life. As we are trained to see through evil disguises on the page, we become more skilled at doing so in person.

Quote:

“But we don’t think she killed the Prince,” said Glimfeather, “because no bones—”

“We know she didn’t,” said Scrubb. “Aslan told Pole he was still alive somewhere.”

“That almost makes it worse,” said the oldest owl. “It means she has some use for him, and some deep scheme against Narnia. Long, long ago, at the very beginning, a White Witch came out of the North and bound our land in snow and ice for a hundred years. And we think this may be some of the same crew.”

Pauline Baynes illustration

Jill’s true adventure begins with a very ordinary experience—being so tired you don’t want to get up to go to bed. She never gets to enjoy a nice, comfortable sleep inside Cair Paravel. Before she makes it to her bed, Glimfeather taps on her window with his beak¹ and asks her if she’s actually serious about searching for the lost prince. Jill realizes, for at least the third time already, she has forgotten about Aslan and his instructions.

She prepares as much as she can for an adventure before Glimfeather returns to carry her. Compared to riding on Aslan’s breath, she doesn’t seem to like this flight nearly as much. But this is much more like the normal experience in Narnia compared to Aslan’s Country. She’s not lounging easily in the warm sun on a bed of air. She’s flying through the cool night trying to hang on to an owl snapping at bats.²

In a tower ruins, she finds Eustace and a host of owls gathered in the dark. This is the eponymous “parliament of owls” from the chapter title. Alister McGrath notes the title is likely borrowed from Chaucer’s poem Parlement of Foules, in which the narrator falls asleep and dreams of a debate between high ranking eagles over potential marriage partners.³ But this gathering of birds is not about a positive love story. The owls share the tragic history of King Caspian, his wife (Ramandu’s daughter from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader), and their son Prince Rilian.

Before the owls begin, however, Eustace wants to make clear that he is loyal to Caspian. In this moment, we recognize his sanctification. Just as he stands up for those being bullied at Experiment House, Eustace risks himself to declare himself a “King’s man” despite being surrounded by owls with unknown (to him at least) loyalties. The Eustace we meet at the beginning of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader would’ve never taken this risk. A sign of maturity in Christ is the willingness to lay aside your comfort and even safety for the sake of others. This also mirrors the chivalry Lewis was often extolling through Narnia.