Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Book Report

by Stony Hakala

January 5, 2003

Mod 1

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

by C. S. Lewis (270 pages)

PERSONAL CONNECTIONS:

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader there is a character named Reepicheep, the Mouse. Reepicheep's feelings about honor and adventure are similar and different when compared to mine.

Reepicheep feels very strongly about his honor. He will get very angry - often violent - when he is insulted, sees wrong being done to others, or when he catches someone lying or stealing.

One example of a situation in which Reepicheep's honor was challenged was when "Reepicheep was sitting on the bulwarks far forward just beside the dragon's head, looking out at the eastern horizon and singing softly in his little chirpy voice the song the Dryad had made for him" with his tail hanging down to the deck. (pp. 33-34) Then Eustace came up to the deck and thought it would be funny to pull Reep's tail down and swing him around in circles a couple of times and drop the Mouse and run. Sooall of a sudden Eustace pulled the mouse down and started swinging him in circles. Reepicheep, still in the boy's clutches, drew his sword and stabbed Eustace in the hand twice, thus making Eustace let go of his tail. Reep wanted Eustace to draw his sword and fight. But Eustace hadn't one, so he ran down to the cabins with Reepicheep in hot pursuit. As you can plainly see, Reepicheep feels very strongly and seriously about his honor.

Reepicheep loves adventure that puts one's self at risk. He would jump at any chance he had to become involved in a life-threatening event. One of Reepicheep's most important adventures was that he desired to sail to the very east and find World's End. For there might the one and only thing that he could possibly want in the entire world, Aslan's Country. When he was still in his cradle, a Dryad spoke a verse over him, (p. 22) and ever since he had wanted to sail to the utter east in search of Aslan's Country. Then after almost 203 pages, Ramandu told Caspian that to awake the three lords of Narnia they had to sail to the World's End, or as close as possible to it, and come back to the island on which they were now having left one of their company behind. That one person must go on to the utter east and never return to the world. This was Reepicheep's heart's desire! So they sailed on towards the east. Then the Dawn Treader reached as far as it could go. Then Caspian made a speech, which ended with him angrily stomping into his cabin. After about an hour he came back out and said that Aslan had told him to let the Pevensies, Eustace and Reepicheep go on sailing in a small row boat towards the End of the World. So they did. Then the boat reached as far as it could go. Reepicheep then bid them farewell and took off in his little coracle. The kids could still see him rowing towards the End of the World when he reached it and went over. No one knows what happened to Reepicheep the Mouse, but I agree with the author when he says that he expects that Reep now lives in Aslan's Country still this day and on forever in time. Now you know pretty much how Reepicheep feels about adventures - he will always keep to his adventures, even if it costs him his life.

I feel very strongly about my honor, even though some of my actions show differently sometimes. I too sometimes get very angry when my honor is challenged. If I was in Reepicheep's place when Eustace was swinging him around by his tail, I too would have stabbed Eustace. But I would have only chased him from the bulwark to the deck, just to give him a scare.

I love adventures! But when my life is definitely gone, I will back out. I love to explore, especially woods and wetlands. If I was Reepicheep and was about to decide if I should sail over the World's End, I would probably have said exactly what he said. But when I reached the very edge I would have hesitated and looked over to see what was down below the world and then gone over.

My feelings about honor are similar but different from Reepicheep's because I want to have everybody trust me all the time. Also to have some people look up to me. Reepicheep has a lot of people's trust already. But I think that he believes that nobody takes him seriously which is why he jumps at any chance for an adventure.

My feelings about adventure are also similar but different from Reep's because I will not put my life at stake if I know that I will die. Reepicheep will take that risk, unlike me. But we both love adventures!

CHARACTER:

I chose Eustace because he is the most dynamic character in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The changes he undergoes are very dramatic and obvious.

In the beginning of the book, Eustace is spoiled, cruel and selfish. He thinks that he's smarter and more powerful than everyone else. He "liked animals, especially beetles if they were dead and pinned on a card." He is used to always getting his way, and threatening people with lawsuits if he doesn't.

Eustace began to change once he is pulled into Narnia, where all his knowledge of Earth's science and laws are of no use. He is used to threatening people to get his way, but when he threatens to "bring an action" against Prince Caspian, he learns that nobody even knows what an "action" is, and they're not frightened by it. He quickly learns that honor, loyalty and helpfulness are valued in Narnia - and he lacks all of these qualities. He changes from being very sure that his is superior to being very uncertain how to cope with life in Narnia.

Eustace thought he could get away with anything, until he swung Reepicheep by the tail. The Mouse taught Eustace the meaning of consequences, by stabbing him with a sword and threatening to kill him in a duel. Eustace changes his mind about being cruel - not because he thinks it's wrong to be cruel, but just because he fears the consequences. Still, it's a change for the better that Eustace starts to think about consequences.

The biggest change in Eustace happened on Dragon Island, when he was magically changed into a real dragon. He finally sees what he really is: an ugly beast whom everyone hates and fears. He is even revolted and ashamed by his own dragonish cruelty; he would go off and hide when he ate the