The Silver Chair Study Guide

C. S. Lewis grew up in a comfortable, book-filled home, which resulted in an early love for stories and mythology. Lewis's mother passed away when he was just 10 years old, a loss that deeply affected him and influenced his later writings. As a boy, Lewis went to boarding schools in England, where he excelled academically. Later, as a young man, Lewis served in the British Army during World War I and was wounded in the Battle of Arras in 1917. After the war, Lewis attended Oxford University, where he studied literature and philosophy. It was here that he began his writing career and formed significant friendships, most notably with J. R. R. Tolkien. These relationships were crucial in his conversion back to Christianity in 1931, an event that influenced his later work. Lewis became a distinguished academic, holding positions at Oxford and later at Cambridge University. Lewis is best known for his works of fiction and Christian apologetics. His most famous works include The Chronicles of Narnia, a seven-book series that includes The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Last Battle, to name a few. His other notable works of fiction include The Screwtape Letters and The Space Trilogy. Lewis passed away on November 22, 1963 from kidney failure.

In 1943, C. S. Lewis published a book titled the Abolition of Man, which was a tract that provided a critique of the English education system. In particular, Lewis was concerned that modern education believed too firmly in the value of subjectivity while failing to teach children right from wrong. In the beginning of The Silver Chair, Lewis parodies the type of school he is criticizing in the Abolition of Man. Jill’s teachers give her and her classmates free reign to behave how they want, which results in a lot of bullying and no moral education. By contrast, the lessons Jill receives from Aslan while in Narnia—which are built on Christian principles—are of value to Lewis and resemble what he advocates for in the Abolition of Man.

The Chronicles of Narnia are some of the most famous and celebrated children’s novels of all time, especially the first installment, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. The main characters in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe—the Pevensie children—appear in several other Narnia novels, though they only appear in The Silver Chair by name. Eustace Scrubb, one of the main characters in The Silver Chair, is also a prominent character in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and his voyage with King Caspian in that novel is regularly referenced throughout The Silver Chair. The Silver Chair also relies heavily on references to the Christian Bible and Greek myths. For instance, the character of Aslan is a god-like figure who lives in an Edenic paradise far above Narnia and grants those who are worthy the gift of eternal life in his paradise after their death in Narnia. Additionally, Aslan calls humans “sons of Adam” and “daughters of Eve,” which is a direct reference to the Christian creation story in the Bible. Lewis also borrows the image of the serpent from the Bible, which functions as a symbol of temptation and evil. Similarly, Rilian’s confinement in the silver chair recalls the punishment Hades gives to Theseus and Pirithous in a famous Greek myth. Theseus and Pirithous travel to the Underworld to steal Persephone, Hades’s wife, away from him. However, they are caught, and Hades ties them to a chair that makes them forget their identities. Rilian’s silver chair similarly causes him to forget his true self, and the Underland of Narnia bears a striking resemblance in name and description to the Underworld of Greek myth.