The Old Narnians are an oppressed
people. There is no way to read Prince Caspian without seeing them as
victims of extraordinary injustice. The
injustice runs so deep that the New Narnians, who are ancestors of the invading
Telmarine people, do not believe that Old Narnia is anything more than legend. Old Narnia, for all practical purposes, does
not and never existed. This means that
the Old Narnians have a justifiable anger and we cannot argue against their
desire for the end of their oppression. There
is still a choice to be made, however.
The book Prince Caspian and
the character it is named for demonstrate that there is a right way to confront
to injustice.This essay is best read after reading the novel and will reveal significant plot points.
We would speak in too general terms to
assume a binary Old vs. New conflict in Prince
Caspian. There are at least a couple
of factions in each group. Divisions in
New Narnia are represented by Prince Caspian and King Miraz. Divisions in Old Narnia are represented
through the dwarves Trumpkin and Nikabrik.
Put simply, Prince Caspian is one of the good guys. He is a Telmarine, but also the rightful King of Narnia. He has heard the stories of Old Narnia and he believes them – Aslan, talking animals, fauns and all. Caspian is the enemy of King Miraz, his uncle who usurped his throne and now tries to kill him. Although a New Narnian, in this conflict Caspian is on the side of the Old Narnians both by the conviction that Old Narnia is in the right and by the practicality of having a common enemy.
It is not as simple to say that Trumpkin is one of the good guys and that Nikabrik (by default) is one of the bad guys. Both want freedom for their people. Both oppose the oppressive King Miraz. Both understand the value of their people. The difference between Trumpkin and Nikabrik is how they respond to their shared beliefs.
As a believer in the legends, Prince Caspian blows the horn to cry for help and fully expects the arrival of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.[1] He also expects Aslan. Trumpkin volunteers to go out to retrieve the coming dignitaries. Here’s the trick, though. Trumpkin does not believe in the legends and therefore does not believe that blowing the horn will bring help. Further, he does not even believe that the people Caspian expects exist. He explains his actions:
I might as well die on a wild goose chase as die here. You are my King. I know the difference between giving advice and taking orders. You’ve had my advice, and now it’s time for the orders.
Like Trumpkin, Nikabrik acutely feels
the oppression from the Telmarines. He
makes a telling statement. His doubt of
the legends is not as great as Trumpkin’s.
He remembers that Aslan was not the only person more powerful than King
Miraz. There was someone else who may be
a helpful ally in the coming revolution.
He explains his motivation:
I’ll believe in anyone or anything that’ll better these cursed Telmarine barbarians to pieces or drive them out of Narnia. Anyone or anything, Aslan or the White Witch, do you understand?
Each dwarf presents an idea about how to defend against injustice. After a successful revolution, some sort of government is assumed to be in place by each dwarf. For Trumpkin, individuals are at the centre of what he defends, but social order is key to how injustice damages people. Individuals and freedom cannot be protected from injustice apart from the larger idea of social order. Simply revolting against King Miraz the oppressor will not bring about justice, even if the revolt is successful. A good alternative must replace King Miraz. For Trumpkin, that alternative is Caspian. Trumpkin is fighting for a new kind of social order.
Nikabrik also acknowledges the importance of government when considering justice and injustice. His priority is simple. Get rid of the evil King Miraz and his Telmarine people. Anyone who can help to remove the oppressor is an ally. Justice will be served because the unjust leader is removed. The problem with Nikabrik’s thinking is pointed out to him by Trufflehunter. One of the two powerful beings that Nikabrik calls on is the White Witch. As seen in The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe, the Witch is clearly an evil oppressor herself. Anyone with whom she disagrees is turned to stone, she responds violently to threats to her authority, and she goes out of her way to make people generally miserable. The ability to crush the oppressor Miraz is most certainly in her power. The alternative rule she would provide is not any better, however.
I think the lesson of Prince Caspian is clear. How we oppose injustice is at least as important as anything else for justice advocates. It is not enough to replace injustice. We must replace injustice with justice. What Nikabrik proposes is not justice. What Nikabrik proposes is a re-ordering of society that sees him on top and the Telmarines on bottom. Without doubt, the oppressor would change and the oppressed would change, but injustice would still be the ruler Narnia.
Trumpkin, on the other hand, proposes a just response to injustice. He works within agreed upon social structures[2]. This shows that justice does not simply require leadership, but instead requires moral leadership. Just as importantly, Trumpkin also acknowledges that he is a piece of the solution, but not the entirety of the solution or even the most important piece. This shows that justice requires that a willful humility and submission replace an imposed oppression.
This is where Caspian comes in. Caspian’s leadership is moral because he understands the story of which he is a part. He knows the history of oppression in Narnia and he attacks oppression itself, not simply the particular oppressor at the given moment. His part in the story is as a humble leader. His authority is not absolute. He yields at times to both Peter and Aslan. As importantly, he listens to his people and shares in their lives rather than simply existing over them. Narnia is just because Caspian is just. Caspian is just because he is humble. Old Narnia loves Caspian not because he forces them to, but because he respects them and loves them as well.
[2] Of course, this only works if
the agreed upon social structures are fair themselves, or at the very least
will allow for fairness.
This post originally appeared on my former blog ajdickinson.blogspot.ca. The date stamp is for the date of the original posting.
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