We could easily argue that friendship is the highest virtue in Narnia, especially since loyalty, courage, charity, and faith are so closely tied to it. Friendship is also a universal form of love, and it is through love that Aslan calls the children into Narnia in the first place in The Silver Chair.
In Narnia, all friendships orbit around Aslan (note that Eustace initiates his relationship with Glimfeather by declaring loyalty to the King of Narnia), and while Aslan provides signs to help the children in their journey, he more often provides people or creatures whose knowledge and care will quite literally save their lives. Aslan knows that people can't make it on their own: They're imperfect and need help when they stumble.
But it's also important to discern those who don't deserve friendship, and this is a hard lesson for the children to learn. So it is that friendship, like growing up in general, is a subtle art and one with a steep—but totally worth it—learning curve.
Questions About Friendship
- Why do you suppose Jill becomes part of this adventure with Eustace? Why is she called into Narnia?
- Do you think that Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum are friends? Or is theirs a different sort of relationship? Explain.
- In what ways does friendship actively save the lives of the characters in the text?
- In what ways is Aslan a part of the friendships formed during the course of this work? Are there ways that he isn't?
Chew on This
Lewis shows us the life cycle of a friendship by recalling Eustace to Narnia only when his good friend, King Caspian is an old man on the point of death. He uses the allegory of the king's passing and resurrection to show the enduring nature of a true friendship.
Lewis takes pains to prove that favorable appearances do not always make good friendships, and that sometimes ugliness (or awkwardness or otherness) in a person or creature isn't a sign of evil or danger.