1. Apart from not being able to tell stories, what other disadvantages does Eustace have, from not reading the right sort of books?Eustace doesn't seem to have had much relationship with animals at all, let alone mythical ones like dragons. He hates performing animals, which might have been a good reflection of his mother's snobbish views on such entertainment. Or it might also be that he has never had the closeness of a pet, given how finicky Eustace has become under his mother's upbringing. Books featuring illustrations of grain silos and fat foreign children doing exercises at model schools might show lots about economics, commerce, transportation, governments, industry and how to make money, but may not be anywhere as informative about animals, except maybe about livestock.
And I'd really think badly of him if his treatment of insects was extended to habitual cruelty to more developed animals such as cats and dogs. What he did to Reepicheep was bad enough, and at least Reepicheep could talk back to him and defend himself. But as his treatment of Reepicheep showed, he had no way of imagining what life is for any animal let alone the sort of diet and attributes of a dragon which he didn't know about.
2. Do you think Eustace’s new positive experiences as a dragon outweigh the negative ones?No, not really. Though it is pleasant for him to learn his efforts at being helpful are appreciated, I'd imagine that Eustace was a very frightened dragon, who was very afraid of being left behind, to live out his days all alone. Especially now that the crew has a good reason to do so, as sympathetic as they are, because of his size and dragonish habits.
3. Why would Reepicheep's stories not perhaps seem comforting?Reepicheep's stories, though well meant, would be a lot more comforting if there had been a doctor or equivalent turning up who could say how long the dragon effect would last, what he needed to do, himself, and reassure him that he wouldn't have to stay a dragon forever. Nevertheless, those stories were well-meant, and Eustace never forgot them or the kindness of Reepicheep.
4. The writer said these stories are not allegory, so how would you describe the ‘un-dragoning’ of Eustace? Why do you think it hurt so much? I'd agree it isn't an allegory, since this part of the story is about removing a scaly dragon skin. And whether anyone thinks this story is an allegory or not, I'm not at all sure exactly which Biblical story it would be an allegory of, anyway, despite the parallels with baptism. There is an Old Testament story about the Prophet Elisha which I think you would find it in either Kings or Chronicles.
A man called Naaman suffered from leprosy, and the Prophet told him to bathe in the Jordan seven times. Eventually he did, after a lot of whining, and was then healed. But Gehazi, Elisha's greedy servant, caught the leprosy instead. Though both baptism and communion has a similar premise of washing off old sins and being redeemed into a new life, the story of Naaman, a leper, sounds most like this episode of VDT.
Of course the undragonning of Eustace would hurt. Under his own efforts it wouldn't hurt so much because it is natural to wince away from too much pain inflicted. That is why Aslan had to do it to get to the root of the problem which was Eustace's habit of letting himself off too lightly.
5. How does Eustace's encounter with Aslan compare to the first experiences of the Pevensies in LWW and Trumpkin and Caspian in PC? Whose encounter would you rather have?I think Eustace's encounter was like that of Naaman undergoing prescribed treatment in the previous question I answered, only rather more so. The only other encounter which was similar was Edmund's talk with Aslan after he was rescued. In both cases each cousin underwent a profound and painful transformation. The one I would have liked best is that of Trumpkin, which was playful, like that of the newly resurrected Aslan with Susan and Lucy, but I doubt I'd deserve it.
6. Do you think it was mere chance that Edmund awoke when he did?No, I think Eustace wanted to talk to Edmund in particular. Did he know a bit about Edmund's past already? Did Aslan somehow suggest that Edmund would be the best person for Eustace to speak to? Maybe it might have been because Edmund and Eustace had been sharing accommodation, had not got on well beforehand and know just how they were getting on each other's nerves.
7. Why do you think Eustace didn't want to hear Edmund's story?Maybe too much information? Or had he overheard some information earlier from the other Pevensies, or Edmund and Lucy themselves?
8. How do you think Eustace felt about losing his pockets full of jewels? And what do you think when you read, “he began to be a different boy..." ? What do you think Lewis means by "he began to be better"? Have you seen anything like this in life or in other stories?I don't think he missed the jewellery. By that time, whilst listening to Reepicheep he would have very likely heard a bit more about cursed treasure.
I can't say I've seen anything like Eustace's "beginning to be better" in real life, though I might have been missing something.
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But I've seen this sort of situation in other books, for example,
What Katy Did or even in
Seven Little Australians after Judy's harrowing death. I think C.S.Lewis is quite right. No matter how much Eustace might have the good intentions to be better, he will still have relapses due to anger or frustration, depending on how prolonged the frustrating situations might be.
9. It seems likely that the dragon on the island was either the missing Lord or the eater of the lord. What does it say about the other lord that this dragon remained alone on the Island? (Reepicheep would not have left a dragon alive that had eaten his shipmate and Caspian and co wouldn't have left Eustace behind)Now that is a very good question. I wonder how well the seven lords got along with each other, anyway? Or did they have cabin fever? On the whole, Lord Bern, who fell in love with a native girl, seems to have had the best fate he could have had. But wouldn't that sort of good fortune annoy the other six lords, who might have felt he deserted ship?
Did they all land on the Lone Island when he did, and what got them to move on? And were their attitudes a real factor in the other men leaving the ship? At Dragon Island, they seem to have abandoned their shipmate to his fate. Was he marooned because he was considered too greedy with supplies? Or did they flee from the dragon he'd become?
10. Why is the fate of the bracelet important? It is as important an artifact as the inscribed pewter plate left by Dirk Hartog at Shark Bay (W.A.Coast) four hundred years ago last Tuesday (25/10/1616, at Cape Inscription on Dirk Hartog Island). This plate was replaced by another Dutch explorer,
Willem de Vlamingh and that inscribed plate ended up in the National Maritime Museum, with the original now housed in Amsterdam. The bracelet or armlet is a guide and a warning to any more accidental tourists who might happen by.
11. What is your favorite part/scene in this chapter?How Eustace was undragonned, actually.