History Literature / TheSilverChair

The fourth installment of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' and the sixth book chronologically. A few months after ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'', Eustace, with schoolmate and fellow outcast Jill Pole, returns to Narnia, and is sent on a quest to rescue Caspian's long-kidnapped son Rilian from a witch, reuniting them just before [[spoiler: the king's death of old age.]]

* ObfuscatingStupidity: The tactic by which Eustace, Jill, and Puddleglum escape from Harfang.* TheOwlKnowingOne: Eustace and Jill receive some guidance from Glimfeather and [[StealthPun the Parliament of Owls]].

* ObfuscatingStupidity: The tactic by which Eustace, Jill, and Puddleglum escape from Harfang.
* OneWingedAngel: Evidently, the Lady was unfamiliar with the [[EvilOverlordList Evil Overlord's Handbook]], especially Item 34.
** Note: That's Item 34 on that list ("I will not turn into a snake; it never helps,") not the better-known RuleThirtyFour.
* TheOwlKnowingOne: Eustace and Jill receive some guidance from Glimfeather and [[StealthPun the Parliament of Owls]].

* GenreSavvy: Puddleglum explains his view of how quests like theirs usually go on several occasions, [[LampshadeHanging hanging a few lampshades]] as he goes, such as his guess of the Queen's reasoning for being a LoadBearingBoss.

* LadyAndKnight: The children meet the Lady riding with her Knight (who turns out to be [[spoiler: Rilian in disguise]]).

* YouHaveToBelieveMe: The man in the Silver Chair ''really'' doesn't do much to dispel their suspicions that he's a raving lunatic. [[spoiler: He's really just, during his brief moments of sanity, so aware of how strongly he's enchanted time that he is beyond desperate to escape it, thus coming across as insane and reinforcing the lie that those few moments are of madness rather than clarity.]]

* YouHaveToBelieveMe: The man in the Silver Chair ''really'' doesn't do much to dispel their suspicions that he's a raving lunatic.

* EskimosArentReal: The Lady of the Green Kirtle claims not to believe in lions or any other aspect of the outside world. She's lying, but she nearly bewitches the overlanders into agreeing with her. (This is a typical Creator/CSLewis allegory; in order to describe Narnia to the Lady, they have to do so in terms of things that she ''does'' accept the existence of, allowing her to dismiss it with "So you made up a bigger version of a cat, and called it a lion", in the same way as heaven can only described in terms of the mortal world.)
* ExoticEntree: The protagonists discover that the venison served at the table of the "Friendly Giants" came from a Talking Stag. The author notes that for anyone of Narnian culture, this is the equivalent of cannibalism. [[spoiler: If that weren't enough, the characters later find out they are on the menu for the following night.]]

* AuthorTract: At the end of the book, where the Lady of the Green Kirtle is set up as a HollywoodAtheist of the "completely evil" variety and Lewis puts into her mouth some deliberately skewed philosophical arguments against the existence of Aslan (particularly bad because the Green Lady actually ''knows'' that Aslan exists, and is just straight-up lying, which is another common stereotype regarding atheists).
** Given that the Green Witch is an immortal, supernatural liar, she could be read as more like a demon than an atheist. Though it is certainly true that she is ''tempting'' the protagonists to atheism.

* HeyItsThatGuy: In the BBC miniseries, Puddleglum is the [[TheNthDoctor Fourth]] [[TomBaker Doctor]].

* PatrickStewartSpeech[=/=]ShutUpHannibal: Puddleglum does an incredibly [[MomentOfAwesome awesome]] one. The BBC Television adaptation is more concise without losing any of its impact, especially when delivered by TomBaker himself. It can be seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wuiq7j4nCA here.]]

* PatrickStewartSpeech[=/=]ShutUpHannibal: Puddleglum does an incredibly [[MomentOfAwesome awesome]] one. The BBC Television adaptation is more concise without losing any of its impact, especially when delivered by {{Creator/Tom[[==]]Baker}} himself. It can be seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wuiq7j4nCA here.]]

* PatrickStewartSpeech[=/=]ShutUpHannibal: Puddleglum does an incredibly [[MomentOfAwesome awesome]] one. The BBC Television adaptation is more concise without losing any of its impact, especially when delivered by {{Creator/TomBaker}} himself. It can be seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wuiq7j4nCA here.]]

* ShutUpHannibal[=/=]: Puddleglum does an incredibly [[MomentOfAwesome awesome]] one. The BBC Television adaptation is more concise without losing any of its impact, espeally when delivered by {{Creator/TomBaker}} himself. It can be seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wuiq7j4nCA here.]]
-->'''Puddleglum''': There is one thing to say. Suppose we have only dreamed and made up these things, like sun, sky, stars and moon and Aslan himself. In that case, it seems to me that the made-up things are a good deal better than the real ones; and if this black pit of a kingdom is the best you can make, then it's a poor world. And we four can make a dream world to lick your real one hollow. As for me, I shall live like a Narnian! Even if there isn't any Narnia, so thanking you very much for supper. We're going to leave your court at once and make our way across your great darkness to search for 'our land' '''ABOVE!'''

* ShutUpHannibal: Puddleglum does an incredibly [[MomentOfAwesome awesome]] one.

** This line is also a CallBack to Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader. Eustace was [[CharacterDevelopment a lot meaner]] in that book, and was introduced with the line "His name was Eustace Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."

* BoardingSchoolOfHorrors: Jill's and Eustace's school, which is a mix of the author's personal experience and educational theories he spoke against in ''The Abolition of Man''.

** This line is also a CallBack to TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader. Eustace was [[CharacterDevelopment a lot meaner]] in that book, and was introduced with the line "His name was Eustace Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."

-->"A Centaur has a man-stomach and a horse-stomach. And of course both want breakfast. So first of all he has porridge and pavenders and kidneys and bacon and omlette and cold ham and toast and marmalade and coffee and beer. And after that he tends to the horse part of himself by grazing for an hour or so and finishing up with a hot mash, some oats, and a bag of sugar. That's why it's such a serious thing to ask a Centaur to stay for the weeekend. A very serious thing indeed."

* ImAHumanitarian: Not literally, but it's mentioned that in Narnian culture, eating talking animals is considered equivalent to cannibalism, as they have human-level intelligence . When Puddleglum finds out [[IAteWhat what the giants served him]], he has a massive attack of FridgeHorror and is momentarily almost DrivenToSuicide.