If you're under the age of one hundred, you probably say the word awesome a million times a day. Because we tend to overuse that word, we've really forgotten exactly what it means. There are two sides to awesomeness: If we're in awe of something, it means that we're amazed by it or struck with a sense of wonder; it can also mean that we're frightened out of our wits or feel a sense of dread about the thing in question.
Luckily for us, both of these sets of emotional responses are at play in The Silver Chair. So when Jill sees Aslan for the first time, her sense of awe really is sheer terror, whereas Caspian and Eustace respond with the wonder and love variety. And though Puddleglum lives there and Eustace has been before, neither is immune from having their jaw drop in amazement while wandering through the fantastical lands. It's also easy quite easy to feel amazement when wandering through a fantasy otherworld. Everyone is capable of wonder—and fear—in Narnia.
Questions About Awe and Amazement
- What moments in the text inspire awe or amazement in you as a reader? Do they coincide with the moments when the characters feel such wonder or fear?
- Aslan is a character who inspires awe in everyone who meets him, but reactions to him vary from character to character. Why do the reactions to Aslan vary? Which seem to be the most extreme and why?
- In what ways does the landscape of Narnia and the Underland shock, surprise, or astonish us? What is the purpose of such grandeur or terror?
- How do the children react to the villains in this story? Do they exhibit fear, or does something else come up for them?
Chew on This
Lewis uses inexpressibility—saying he can't quite describe things—to emphasize the wondrous and dangerous nature of the landscape in Narnia and Underland.
Aslan's imposing nature and ability to overwhelm the characters' emotions comes from his symbolic nature, rather than his physically intimidating form.