The "Darkness" of the Silver Chair

[fantasia]

In all my time at NarniaWeb, people keep talking about how The Silver Chair is the second darkest book in the Narnia series. At first I laughed cause I don't agree (I don't see how it's dark except when they're underground... it's pretty dark then ) but since so many people seem to feel this way, I thought it was high time I started a thread on this.

Do you think The Silver Chair is a dark book? Why or why not?

[Eustace]

I definitely know some of what people are referring to when they say SC is a dark book. Although, I usually don't refer to it as a dark book I consider LB a dark book. Anyway, what they mean is that SC has:
1. A lot of arguing and bickering between the main characters.
2. You almost can feel that it has a cold snowy aspect to it.
3. They don't listen to Puddleglum most of the time and he turns out to be right.
4. This the only book where Narnians accidently eat Narnians. (Well, I beg to differ I don't actually think they ate Narnian meat.)
5. Caspian dies and there is a funeral.
6. All the things that they can remember when they get back to Aslan is all the bickering on their trip.

[DamselJillPole]

Well in terms of how everything is written in the book will also be shown on film to me being a film major for three years now the "misen scene" on film is going to look pretty dark how I'm seeing it.

The things that are going to be a big possibility that's going to be thrown out to the production team is "Trapped" and losts of colors that you'll possibly see throughout the film (if ever made) will be dark colors instead of bright colors, they'll step away from the social realism and concentrate on a film noir technique that will lead you to the darkest place of all; underground.

I believe this because the book very well does have it's dark moments, Jill and Eustace being chased by school bullies (which is not fun for a lot of people), having to do with lots of detail that Eustace gets pushed off a cliff, there's lots of night scenes instead of day time details and I consider this dark (scary parts doesn't automatically mean "This is going to be a dark story" but means that much of the story takes place at night), The gruseome story about King Caspian's wife dying and his son missing is told at night in an owl parliment (This feels dark), when Puddleglum leads Jill and Eustace up further north it gets darker, grey winter skies (not alot of bright colors like you see in Narnia), the night Jill is forgeting her signs and Aslan appears mad at her in Harfang is going to appear at night (this whole plot here is dark in everyones minds and will appear dark in a film), same goes for when Jill finds out the giants were planing to eat them for an Autumn Feast (The giants had been nice to them and caring, this realization is grusome/dark), also the realization that Eustace and puddleglum had when they were eating talking stag (This is the first realization the audience gets when eating a talking animal from Narnia and it's a dark tear jerker), underground (it's dark, that automatically says dark story/ dark film), Rilian's enchantment (his talk is worse than the WW's, he's scary at first, he's dressed in black and that says "this is dark") as well as other scenes underground with logk and what Puddleglum does, etc it's all dark. And just when Jill makes her way out of the underground and is back in Narnia it's dark in Narnia to still make you think about the darkness in underland but the dancing lawn makes you feel relieved at the same time.

This book is certainly dark, again it doesn't matter how the story is before it leads up to the underground part, it's dark in a sense that most of the story takes place around nighttime and it's a more erie <--(cant spell) feeling people will get because of it's "misen scene" meaning the set up.

[Movie Aristotle]

I think Damsel put it very well, so I'll only expand on a few points.

This story deals with cannibalism, which is a very dark, scary concept no matter what story it is in.

This story also deals with an insanity, even though it turns out to be induced by enchantment. When the Lady tries to enchant them all, you get the feeling that our heroes are slowly slipping into insanity. That is a pretty dark concept. I'm guessing Black Swan capitalized off of the idea of descending into madness, and I certainly wouldn't call that movie lighthearted.

Even if Rilian never actually turned into a serpent, the idea of someone going mad each night and then turning into a hideous monster who might kill even friends is a dark one.

There is also a feeling of failure that goes throughout the film. They keep missing one sign after another, and things seem more dire each time.

The quest seems hopeless, and continues to feel more hopeless as the story goes on. A lot of this feeling is due to Puddleglum, who is an extreme pessimist (though we don't fully understand this until after the story is over), but even so, the kids do find themselves in a pretty dire situation. The solution? Stamping on a fire with a bare foot and hurting yourself in the process (reminds me a little of 127 Hours) and then decapitating a witch, who has incidentally, turned into a huge serpent. Even then our heroes are not safe, since the witch's entire realm is crumbling around them, etc.

Even if you don't think that The Silver Chair is dark, you'd probably at least agree that the story is bleak, wouldn't you?

[stateofgreen]

Cannibalism? I don’t think I noticed humans eating other humans in that book?
Or did you mean when Puddleglum and Eustace ate the talking stag?

Physical bondage, spiritual bondage, mental bondage---that all could be perceived as “dark” in theme. It has parts where it’s gloomy, moody, and melancholy. The sad and dark parts might have to do with when the LOTGK kills Lilliandil and Caspian and Rilian are in mourning and she tries to enchant the rest after Rilian destroys the chair.

The long lost prince theme is pretty sad and all of the traveling where the kids and Puddleglum bicker and the kids complain about being cold, tired, and hungry for real food.

The only truly dark part (speaking only of the physical setting) is the Underland.

I think it’s a very hopeful book. Eustace and Jill learn how to overcome the bullies and learn about trusting each other and Aslan. The Prince is found. Puddleglum shows hope and courage and teaches it to the others in the midst of adversity. The Narnia creatures give lots of comic relief. So it has "dark" themes but it isn't a "dark" book at all.

[Lucy85]

I bet the poster probably meant the talking stag, as in eating a talking animal in Narnia is akin to cannibalism to our way of thinking. I have never really thought of this book as dark, but it is moodier than the others. The main characters bicker and quarrel a lot and the weather and atmosphere of the book make it "dark."

[puddleglum32]

I think its a dark book because of the atmosphere that the children and their guide, are faced with everywhere they go.Like when they go to Harfang, and the underworld, and even the owls hideout. It is usually always a dark place wherever they go.

[stateofgreen]

....I have never really thought of this book as dark, but it is moodier than the others. The main characters bicker and quarrel a lot and the weather and atmosphere of the book make it "dark."

I remember someone comparing the books to the seasons in a post somewhere on these boards. They said VDT was summer, Silver Chair was autumn, LWW was winter, and PC was spring (?)....I don't recall what they termed HHB and MN to be. Anyway, I agree in atmosphere and weather SC is a very "autumnal" kind of book. I just thought of something else---a lot of the creatures seem to love the darkness...i.e. the owls think life is much better at night, Golg and his fellow dwarves think the Underland is much better than the Overland...they sort of seem to be advocating life in the dark as a better lifestyle.

[Movie Aristotle]

Yes, the children eating talking stag is part of what I meant by cannibalism, but I was mainly referring to the fact that the giants were going to eat our heroes! Being captured, treated as a guest, and then cooked in a pie is a scary idea. (Would you call Sweeny Todd a dark film?)

[Pattertwigs Pal]

I'd never thought of SC as being dark before. I can certainly see how one could think that. I don't get the same feeling of hopelessness and dread as I do reading LB. Nor do I get mad at the characters as I do in LB. I had no problem with SC as a child (as far as I can remember anyway. I even put a sticker in it because I liked it so much ... not sure why). I scared easily as a child and was very sensitive to things. I had trouble with Disney movies, Bambi in particular, but I never had any problems with watching the BBC's Narnia. SC is rather a "gray" book kind of dismal. It is hard to accurately analyze it because I know the story so well that I can see ahead to the light. I think a lot of the stuff happens so quickly in SC that the full impact of it isn't felt. Before the reader has much time to processes that the giants plan to eat the children they are already on the run and then safe underground. Actually, I think that MN is "darker" than SC - Uncle Andrew and Jadis are quite chilling with their "above the rules attitude." For most of the book, Digory's mother is near death. I could say more on that but this is a thread for SC so I probably show stop.

[stateofgreen]

Yes, the children eating talking stag is part of what I meant by cannibalism, but I was mainly referring to the fact that the giants were going to eat our heroes! Being captured, treated as a guest, and then cooked in a pie is a scary idea. (Would you call Sweeney Todd a dark film?)

Oh I forgot about the Harfang Giants... I don't consider
them human though... Yeah the cannibalism is a morbidly dark theme
there, but Lewis has fun with it.

[Pattertwigs Pal]

In my previous post, I forgot to mention that Eustace's interest in reading about how humans should be cooked adds a bit of humor which lights the mood a bit.

[Lucy of Narnia]

I definitely know some of what people are referring to when they say SC is a dark book. Although, I usually don't refer to it as a dark book I consider LB a dark book. Anyway, what they mean is that SC has:
1. A lot of arguing and bickering between the main characters.
2. You almost can feel that it has a cold snowy aspect to it.
3. They don't listen to Puddleglum most of the time and he turns out to be right.
4. This the only book where Narnians accidently eat Narnians. (Well, I beg to differ I don't actually think they ate Narnian meat.)
5. Caspian dies and there is a funeral.
6. All the things that they can remember when they get back to Aslan is all the bickering on their trip.

I wanted to point out that numbers 1, and 2 were in LWW (Susan and Peter arguing, the tension between Ed and Lucy and for #2 the whole snowy, cold atmosphere in the hopelessness of the WW following them could be similar). #5 Is sort of like Mr. Tumnus (as far as tension goes) but he ends up okay, where Caspian (a familiar character for the kids) dies, so that is a bit darker. Just some points. I never see SC as dark but people keep saying it is...depends on how they do the movie.

[Aravis Narnia]

A good character dies at the beginning of the book. And not of old age, but of a snake bite. Not those many snakes have bites that are lethal to humans- let alone to adults. So that alone is a grim beginning.

Plus the plot of the book involves searching for a disappeared human.

Caspian first loses his wife, then his son. Nobody knows (other than Aslan and the Emperor) what happened to Rilian exactly.

Overall, the atmosphere is gloomy. Not the bright seas of VDT. Not the sultry sun of Calormen in HHB. Rather, these are the gloomy highlands, er, northern lands.

Experiment House sounds like the school in Another Brick in the Wall Part II. Where instead of preventing bullying, they let it slide- where it makes things worse. The school may deem itself very left wing, but who knows if atrocities a la Crunchem Hall were happening there as well.

[coracle]

..
This book is certainly dark, again it doesn't matter how the story is before it leads up to the underground part, it's dark in a sense that most of the story takes place around nighttime and it's a more erie <--(cant spell) feeling people will get because of it's "misen scene" meaning the set up.

Is this what you meant by misen scene?

[waggawerewolf27]

I think so, Coracle. Actually I don't see SC as so much dark as very grey. It has all the greyness of overcast skies, of late autumn and early winter, and of no skies at all. No wonder that of all the things Puddleglum, the children and the Prince miss about the Overworld, the Sun is one of the most important.

The children, deep in an autumn term at school, are also unhappy. They expect to see grey moors when they go through the garden door, and find Aslan's country instead, one of the few moments of brightness in the story. Narnia is bright and colourful also, but that aspect of it is ruined by the knowledge that the frail old king is actually the same Caspian in the spring of his life in PC and in its summer in VDT.

Even when Prince Rilian returns to Narnia, there is a sense of wasted lives and opportunities, as Caspian only stays alive long enough to meet his son.