3. When The Silver Chair was published in the United States, Lewis made a minor tweak to Puddleglum’s introduction:
Original: “He had been hard to see at first because he was nearly the same color as the marsh and because he sat so still.”
Revised: “It had been hard to see at first because it was nearly the same color as the marsh and because it sat so still.”
^Which version do you prefer? How could this small change affect the reader's first impressions of Puddleglum? (The revised version of the book has been out of print since 1994) ?
According to my edition of SC, (UK), Puddleglum, when he first appears, is considered "it", but once Eustace and Jill actually see him close enough to be introduced to, he becomes "he". And remains "he" ever after. That makes sense, in literature, because at a distance, especially if Puddleglum is sitting still, he would be hard to see and differentiate from his surroundings, as the quotation in question 3 says.
There is a convention in polite speech that it is impolite to talk about anyone, calling that person "it", unless one is very, very annoyed and disgusted with them. English, as far as I know, refers to everything mechanical as "it", however much men love their automobiles, boats etc, or how much value they put on inanimate objects. At other times, "it" is used for a creature if it is downright impossible to tell the difference, such as an unborn baby. But when the creature is living, sentient and responsive to humans, especially if it is possible to talk to that creature, then it must be "he" or "she".
It would be interesting to read SC in another language, such as French or German, just to see how French or German would treat this particular chapter. French divides just about everything into masculine and feminine, including tables, chairs and other inanimate objects. Including geographic features like beaches (la plage) and buildings (le chateau). Le chat is always le chat unless the particular cat arrives with a litter of kittens in tow, in which case the cat, most decidedly, becomes la chatte.
Whereas German does have an "it" form which affects how other words are used in relation to whatever is being said. Germans might refer to Der Mann, or Die Frau (the wife, the woman), but they also call a girl Das Fraulein which surely can't be right? Is it Der Marsh-wiggle, Die Marsh-wiggle or Das Marsh-wiggle? That, according to this question, really is the question. As we know, Der, Die and Das are the respective masculine, feminine and neuter forms of "The" in German, with Die as the plural as well.
4. The fear on Scrubb’s face at the mention of giants makes Jill “feel braver.” Why is that? What does that tell us about Jill?There is nothing like a school to foster competitive feelings among fellow students. And Jill is no exception. To some extent, she will have to unlearn competitiveness she learned at school, before learning new competencies if she and her companions are to succeed in their mission. On the other hand, noting that Eustace also appears scared justifies Jill's own feelings of fear, and helps her to face her own fears more bravely. In some ways I think that, having been demolished by Experiment House bullies, she is also a bit scared of Eustace's opinion of her.
5. What do you think of how the other Marsh-wiggles describe Puddleglum? What does their idea of Puddleglum tell us about them?According to Puddleglum, the other Marsh-wiggles think that he is positively flippant, flighty and too full of "bobbance and bounce". Possibly they think he drinks too much out of that square black bottle, but then where does he get it from? Marsh-wiggles with a more sober view of life than judges? Or from neighbours more grave than funeral directors? Maybe they are too scared to break out of their comfort zones, and feel challenged by Puddleglum's stated pessimistic views justifying his willingness to accompany Eustace and Jill.
6. “[Puddleglum] and Scrubb both had swords[...], but Jill had to be content with her knife.” How do you think this makes Jill feel?A bit left out, and yes, she and Eustace did start a fight about it. But that circumstance was pure happenstance, however Jill felt about it. Puddleglum did have a sword, something he was able to use, Eustace took along the sword put out for him in Cair Paravel, whilst Jill did equip herself with a knife she had in her room. Eustace was fortunately able to use the sword, having had some training aboard the Dawn Treader. Would Jill have used a sword more effectively? At this stage, Jill still has a rather competitive attitude to Eustace.
7. Do you think of marsh-wiggles as more similar to humans or talking beasts? How would you categorize the species?I think that both marsh-wiggles and talking beasts in Narnia are more similar to humans than we would give them credit for. The closest relationship we have with animals in this world is often with our pets, but we see clearly in Narnia, that animals can talk and interact with each other as well, using decipherable speech. Marsh-Wiggles are humanoid, like nymphs, river gods, dwarfs and giants, but they, like the talking animals, are all Old Narnians - natives.
I've a cat whose nine lives have just about run out, which still makes agreeing noises when communicating with us, as well as letting us know when he is in pain, hungry, and much more. But he is a cat, no more. In Narnia, animals who can talk are able to participate in battles and in government. Much of the charm of talking animals and marshwiggles in Narnia, is to wear down the distinctions some humans have made in the past between humans and other living creatures. Except that human biology, like much of the animal world, is divided into male and female. And what was defined as being a human society in 1788 is not tied solely to the ability to write up diaries, store legal and cultural information in libraries or engage in systemic and regulated agriculture.
There have been humans in the past from cultures, developed for their times, who have denied the undoubted humanity of more isolated natives or first peoples as they are now called in this world. Aborigines, for example, previously had no need for the sorts of technological advances made before the tall ships arrived. At least that particular injustice was fixed with a referendum in 1967 and with succeeding relevant legislation, and not by civil war or revolution, such as the one featured in PC, when Miraz was overthrown. Why should the Old Narnians, in particular, like Puddleglum, be so worried now about what might happen if Caspian dies without an heir?
Questions for the end of the book: What sort of Narnia does everyone think LOTGK have in mind for the realm she plans to conquer with Rilian's aid? How would she have treated the Old Narnians?