The Silver Chair | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

The Silver Chair

Why I love this story so much

77
The Silver Chair

The Silver Chair is one of the books in the ever popular Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. Of all of the books in the series, something about The Silver Chair has always captivated me. Imagery and metaphors abound in almost all of Lewis’ writing, but this book in particular seems to capture one of the deepest and most profound of the human complexes.

The basic premise of this story is that Prince Rillian of Narnia has gone missing, and the main characters, a couple of school children named Jill and Eustace have been charged with the duty of finding him. After a long journey full of twists and turns, typical of Lewis’ writing, the children eventually come across a young man who appears to be a bit strange. The young man tells them that he suffers from nightly episodes of psychosis, during which he must be bound to a silver chair by the Lady of the Green Kirtle who rules the city. If he is released from the Silver Chair during an episode, he will turn into an evil serpent and kill everyone in sight. The children of course, eventually discover that this is a lie the Lady has fed to this young man. The truth is that she has bewitched him, and he is only free from her enchantment for one hour every night. Far from becoming a murderous serpent during that hour, he is actually able to remember who he really is. He remembers that he is Prince Rillian. That he is not actually crazy. And in no way will he become a deranged killer. The children of course go on to free Prince Rillian, and all of the wrongs are righted.

I think I love this story so deeply because it is such a direct metaphor for the human condition. I see people everywhere, myself included who are tied to silver chairs, desperate to be freed. We have been told that we are mad, and we believe it. It is what we have been told so it must be true. And we forget who we really are.

We have been told that we are not smart. Or not beautiful. We have been told that we must be quiet. We have been told that we are too much so we stifle ourselves. We have been told that we are not good enough at something, and so we never touch that thing again. We have been told that we can’t. That we shouldn’t. That this is just the way it is. Don’t try to change it.

And as a result we live in madness. We live gray lives where we don’t reach our full potential. We have forgotten who we really are. We have forgotten the power that lives within each of us. We have forgotten that we are meant to live in color. That we are meant to be fearless. That we are meant to change this place. We are meant to challenge the status quo. We are meant to expect greater things. We are meant to believe.

We are meant to get up out of our silver chairs and walk into freedom. We are meant to walk out of the madness and into confidence and joy. We must figure out what and who the Lady of the Green Kirtles is in our lives and who the Jill and Eustace’s are. We must decide which voice we are going to listen to. Each of us is a Prince Rillian. We must remember who we are and walk into the destiny that was intended for us.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Sorority
Rebekah Lee

I remember my freshman year oh so well. I remember feeling terrified the night before orientation. The one thing that I dreaded the most was not the new people, the new environment, or even the academic pressure. I was dreading having to talk to sorority girls about Recruitment. I remember cutting off and avoiding any Rho Gamma/Panhellenic Officer that came my way during First Week. I looked at them like they had asked me to cut my arm off whenever they asked me if I wanted to rush. To be honest, I did not even know what rush was, but I knew that I did NOT want to be a part of it. To me, it was dumb. It was a waste of money. It was a waste of my time.

And guess what? I did not rush my freshman year. I spent the first half of my freshman year isolating myself from everyone on campus. I spent all of my time in the library, and then (since I was a commuter) went back home once my work was finished.

Keep Reading...Show less
10 Must Watch Shows During Winter Break
Netflix

Now that the semester is over, you are probably wondering what your purpose of life is beside writing essays and constantly studying. Breaks give you time for some rest and relaxation, and what better way to relax than cuddling with some hot cocoa and some Netflix. Here is a list compiled of shows that must make it into your binge watching sessions, with the website in which you can find it. Enjoy!

Keep Reading...Show less
Disney Princesses
The Odyssey
Tiana would no doubt be disappointed in the food our cafeteria has to offer.

And hopefully she would cook for everyone in her dorm.

She definitley would not take any 8:00 am classes because she would be up late baking and cleaning up the communal kitchen that are available in every dorm.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

The Struggles of Being A Last Semester Senior, As Told By Michael Scott

25 reasons your last semester in college is the best and worst time of your life

1730
Michael Scott

The day you walked onto your school's campus for the first time you were scared, excited, and unsure of how the next four years of your life were going to turn out. You doubted it would go fast and even though you weren't positive about what your future plans would hold, you had plenty of time. You figured out your major, added a minor or two, joined a handful of organizations and all of the sudden you're here. Your final semester of undergrad. Now you've got 25 problems and graduation is only one.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Syllabus Week At UD Explained By "The Office"

"The Office" understands the struggle of the first week back from winter break.

1327
the office

January 19th is the first day of the second semester at the University of Dayton, and students couldn't be more excited. However, the excitement that students are experiencing may be short-lived once they see what this semester's courses will entail. Although students will be happy to be back at Dayton, they may realize this semester will be more difficult than they predicted. Here are some things that happen during syllabus week explained by " The Office."

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments