The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

(spoilers)

The Chronicles of Narnia have always been one of my favorite series, a collection of classic high-fantasy novels I've read and loved as a child (the motion picture adaptations, too). After sorting through my dusty bookshelves in quarantine, I came upon my old copy of the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third installment in the series. It's been years since I had last picked it up, and I was curious to see how the story as I would see it now compared to my rosy ten-year-old memories of it. 

In this volume, the story follows the two youngest siblings, Edmund and Lucy, and their bratty cousin Eustace Scrubb. The three are magically transported to the fantasy land of Narnia, in which several hundreds of years have passed since their last visit. The three board King Caspian's ship the Dawn Treader (the same Prince Caspian from the last installment) and join him on his voyage to the unknown eastern waters in search of seven lords banished by his treacherous uncle. The hope that the travelers might also discover Aslan's fabled land beyond the sea also lingers in their minds. The adventure begins as the motley crew is thrown into a slave trade on the Lone Islands. However, they discover that the man who bought them did so because he recognized Caspian, and was one of the lords they were searching for. The crew helped overthrow the slavers and the corrupt governor, and instating the lord as the new leader. They learn from him that the other six lords continued on east past the Lone Islands.

The next island the Dawn Treader reaches seems like uninhabitated wilderness. However, Eustace gets an interesting character arc -- Eustace has to deal with being turned into a draon. Eventually, Aslan appears and returns Eustace back to normal, leaving him a much more mature and tolerable character as a result of the painful experience. Arriving at the next island, the crew finds a deep, beautifully clear pool with glittering gold lying at the bottom. They discover firsthand that the waters of the pool will turn anything it comes into contact with into gold, after a crew member almost solidifies himself. The statue at the bottom they recognize to be another lord of the seven. 

On the next few islands, they discover sorcery, a place where dreams come true, a colony of one-footed dwarfs, a huge sea serpent, several men locked into sleep and stone, and many more mystical lands. When the Dawn Treader continues to press on, it eventually encounters a vast, all-encompassing darkness. This was one of my favorite parts -- it offered a mysterious, tense, and uncharacteristically dark plot device as the darkness was the physical manifestation of dreams: daydreams, waking dreams, and nightmares. Finally, the crew finds themselves in beautifully clear waters, with a neverending daytime and fresh winds. The water starts tasting sweet instead of salty, and the members reach an almost enlightened state, living off the golden sunlight and seawaters as they press on. Aslan makes appearances here and there, helping the characters out of difficult situations and making a dramatic reveal in the final climax. Reading it now, I certainly see the metaphorical nature to C. S. Lewis's story, especially in the fabled, light-filled lands beyond the ocean mentioned. However, his influence in The Voyage of he Dawn Treader is significantly less than it was in other books, such as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. He felt more distant, as if watching from above and simply gently guiding the characters instead of leading them to the right answer as he had done before, but it's a feeling that certainly mirrors the omnipotence of God in the Bible. 

There are a few drawbacks to this novel that I hand't seen before, mostly in its somewhat rambly, episodic nature of storytelling. Sometimes, amazing situations and set-ups would be introduced that simply fell away without being explored to their full extent -- for example, the dragon, or the Darkness. Yet this is a trade-off I expect, as each situation Lewis creates is interesting enough that if he delved into them deeply, each would turn into their own novel. Furthermore, I enjoyed the picaresque style. The series of fantastical moments laced together set up a memorable high-adventure story that never left its readers feeling tired. 

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is my favorite out of The Chronicles of Narnia series. Rereading it has left me with much the same heart-warming feeling I had remembered, albeit with a little more awareness to the simple prose and sometimes lackluster resolutions. The children's journey is a remarkably vivid and magical one that has lingered in my memories for years. C. S. Lewis's excellent imagery and storytelling (think the golden pool, the lords in eternal slumber, the nightmarish Darkness contrasted to the clear and sweet, light-filled waters and the edge of the world) rises above mere children's bedtime stories, and makes The Voyage of the Dawn Treader definitely an experience I'd recommend to everyone, and is especially a must-read for those who enjoy fantasies or allegories.

- Tracy Li