Prince Caspian

The detailed imagery that supported Lewis’s descriptions of setting in the first few chapters here lends itself it to characterization. For example, Lewis describes Doctor Cornelius as “the smallest, and also the fattest, man Caspian had ever seen. He had a long, silvery, pointed beard which came down to his waist, and his face, which was brown and covered with wrinkles, looked very wise, very ugly, and very kind” (498). Lewis also offers a colorful description of Reepicheep:

He was of course bigger than a common mouse, well over a foot high when he stood on his hind legs, and with ears nearly as long (though broader) than a rabbit’s […] He wore a rapier at his side, and twirled his whiskers as if they were a moustache (883).

Notably, these new characters are all nonhuman (or only partly human, as in Cornelius’s case). The individuality that emerges from Lewis’s descriptions of them is key to the novel’s unfolding depiction of nature, which in Narnia is full of nonhuman creatures capable of speech and rational thought. Much of the novel’s condemnation of Telmarine rule involves the Telmarines’ failure to respect such creatures, whom they have instead set out to dominate or even destroy, developing the theme of Spirituality and Humanity’s Relationship to Nature.

The Telmarines’ abusive rule has sparked a backlash against some of Narnia’s creatures. Nikabrik hates the Telmarines for oppressing the dwarfs and is highly suspicious of humans. He even suggests killing Prince Caspian, who he believes will deceive them, and proclaims that he will embrace the support of notoriously cruel figures if it suits his goals: “I’ll believe in anyone or anything, […] that’ll batter these cursed Telmarine barbarians to pieces or drive them out of Narnia. Anyone or anything, Aslan or the White Witch, do you understand?” (855). Although the novel suggests that Nikabrik’s anger at the situation is justified, his tribalism and his focus on ends rather than means are not. His quickness to judge people of other groups and his selfish focus on his own goals foreshadow future conflict.

Trufflehunter provides a contrasting perspective, reminding Nikabrik that dwarfs are “as forgetful and changeable as the Humans themselves” and suggesting that one should not make generalized judgments based on group identity (725). These comments establish Trufflehunter as a voice of tolerance and wisdom, as does his faith in and support of Aslan: a Christ/God figure in the Narnia series and therefore the ultimate embodiment of goodness. Aslan leaves Narnia at the end of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but like Christ, it is implied he will eventually return. In his absence, however, Narnia’s residents debate whether he exists and should be believed in, just as people on Earth debate questions of God and spiritual belief.

Tellingly, the cruel and greedy King Miraz and his Telmarine supporters do not so much doubt Aslan’s existence as feel threatened by the idea of him returning to Narnia. Doctor Cornelius tells Caspian, “They feel safer if no one in Narnia dares to go down to the coast and look out to sea—towards Aslan’s land and the morning and the eastern end of the world” (613). This quotation associates Aslan with the morning, suggesting that his return would bring a new dawn or beginning for Narnia, free from the violence of the Telmarines. This regime change is no doubt part of what Miraz fears, but Lewis also implies a deeper animosity toward Aslan. From murdering potential rivals to subduing the natural world, Miraz’s actions imply his unwillingness to acknowledge any power but his own. This sets him and his followers at odds with Aslan, who, as Narnia’s version of God, is the ultimate authority.

Although Aslan himself has not yet appeared in the novel, hints of him inform the novel’s depiction of destiny. Glenstorm, for example, foresees himself and other Old Narnians fighting a war together, suggesting that all of the characters are destined to play certain roles in an upcoming conflict. When Prince Caspian hears about this war, he is suddenly certain it will happen, which implies that there is a larger power at work than his own decision-making. Furthermore, Doctor Cornelius tells Caspian that using Susan’s horn could call the Pevensie children or even Aslan to him, affirming that the children’s destinies are intertwined with Prince Caspian’s and that Aslan is in some way also involved.