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Characters of Narnia:
"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses
.... There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal." -C.
S. Lewis, "The Weight of Glory"
Sons and Daughters of Adam Although man is not created in Narnia, he
nevertheless plays an important role there. The children are "called" into
Narnia when there is trouble. And it is significant that only a human can serve
as King or Queen. Mr. Beaver knows that:
When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone Sits at Cair Paravel in throne, The evil time
will be over and done.
Lewis seems to be clearly affirming that if we are Christians we will one day
become kings and queens. All of us have this potential. In "The Weight of Glory"
he writes: "It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and
goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk
to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly
tempted to worship, or else a horror and corruption such as you now meet, if at
all, only in a nightmare .... There are no ordinary people." Narnian life
illustrates the difference in values. Where else but in Narnia could a mouse be
respected as the most valiant of all the beasts?
Every individual who enters Narnia is changed and develops qualities he never
knew he had! Frank, a simple cabby, feels he is not fit to be a King: "I ain't
no sort of chap for a job like that. I never 'ad much eddycation, you see." Yet
his voice grows steadily richer, and by the time of his coronation he has a
brand new expression of courage and kindness on his face, without an ounce of
quarrelsomeness, sharpness, or cunning. Digory too feels himself unfit for his
task, but with the helpmates provided for him he achieves his goal and learns to
obey. Every single time the children return to Narnia, all their old skills and
royal strength are quickly revived. "Once a king or queen in Narnia, always a
king or queen."
Each person in Narnia has a special task to performusually something he doesn't
want to do. Digory knows he must put on a magic ring and bravely rescue Polly,
and, of course, he must get the apple. Lucy must help the Dufflepuds; Peter must
kill Fenris Ulf, and so on. But they are always provided with some kind of help
in their tasks. In The Lion, Father Christmas presents three of the children
with special gifts that prove invaluable, even in later adventures. The gifts
are appropriate to their personalities and generally reflect the roles each will
play in the salvation of Narnia: Peter receives a silver shield with the Lion
insignia, and a gold sword. Lucy receives a small dagger to defend herself if
necessary, and a diamond vial containing fluid that will immediately restore
someone who is sick or injured. Susan is given a bow, quiver of arrows and an
ivory horn which, if blown, will summon help immediately.
In every case, if one keeps his eyes on Aslan and not himself, he will find
himself made of sturdier stuff than he ever thought possible. J. R. R. Tolkien
describes well what we find in the Narnia tales: "Man as a whole, Man pitted
against the universe, have we seen him at all'til we see that he is like a hero
in a fairy tale?"
Digory Kirke (1888-1949) In The Magician's Nephew, twelve year old Digory and
his ailing mother are staying with his Aunt and Uncle Ketterley in London while
his father is in India. With Polly, Digory witnesses the founding of Narnia,
finally bringing back to his mother the curative apple from Narnia. He buries
both the magic rings used to transport the children into other worlds and the
apple core in his back yard which produces a great tree.
At the end of his adventure, his parents take him to live in a house in the
country with Uncle Andrew. By 1940, when the Pevensie children come to stay with
him, he is a famous professor and traveler still living in the grand old country
house. He has shaggy white hair on his face as well as his head, and is so odd
looking the children have to stifle laughs. His house is a tourist attraction
ten miles from the nearest train station and two miles from a post office. He
owns the Ketterley House too. He has no wife, only a housekeeper and three
servants. When the special Narnian tree he had planted blew down in a storm, he
made a wardrobe from the wood, which he now keeps in his country home. By 1942,
however, he has become so poor that he has to live in a small cottage and tutor
students like Peter to make a living. Then seven years later, as a result of a
"reunion" he holds for friends of Narnia, he and the others end up in a fatal
train accident.
The Pevensies and their Cousin Peter is the oldest Pevensie, followed by Susan,
Edmund, and Lucy. Because of the air-raids during the war they are sent from
London to stay with Professor Kirke. Peter is 13 years old, Susan 12, Edmund 10,
and Lucy 8 on their first adventure. In 1941, they are called back to Narnia to
aid Prince Caspian, after which Peter and Susan are told they are too old to
return to Narnia. One year later when Lucy and Edmund are sent to Cambridge to
stay with their Aunt and Uncle, they join Eustace Scrubb, their cousin, and sail
on the Dawn Treader. Peter at this time is being tutored for an exam by
Professor Kirke. Their parents, on the other hand, are in the U. S. for 16 weeks
while Mr. Pevensie lectures, and Susan tags along since she is "poor at
schoolwork" anyway.
In 1949, Digory and Polly, now 61 and 62 years old, feel they all are "needed"
in Narnia, and send Peter and Edmund after the magic rings Digory had buried in
London. As the others-Jill, Eustace, Digory, Polly, Lucy, and, by chance, Mr.
and Mrs. Pevensie-come to meet them on the train, a train crash kills all of
them instantly.
Peter (1927-1949), the oldest Pevensie, becomes High King of Narnia-"Peter the
Magnificent." He is described as deep-chested and a great warrior. Thus his
sword is an appropriate gift, for his use of it during battle with Fenris Ulf
displays great bravery: "Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was
going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do. He rushed
straight up to the monster and aimed a slash of his sword at its side .... he
had just time to duck down and plunge his sword, as hard as he could, between
the brute's forelegs into its heart. Then came a horrible, confused moment like
something in a nightmare . . . everything was blood and heat and hair. A moment
later he found that the monster lay dead." Peter is thus a perfect example of
the true chivalric ideal, tempering his courage with courtesy and
fair-mindedness. He apologizes, for example, for disbelieving Lucy, says it is
his fault that Edmund went bad, and refuses to kill Miraz when he has the
advantage. Later, Aslan gives him the keys to lock the door upon Narnia after it
has been destroyed. It is possible that Lewis appropriately named him after
Peter, the "rock" upon whom Christ builds his church, and who is given the keys
to the kingdom.
Lucy (1932-1949) becomes Lucy "The Valiant" as a Queen in Narnia, described as
"gay and golden haired." Lucy is one of the most clearly depicted characters in
all the Narnia books. It is she who first enters Narnia through the Wardrobe.
She and Susan are privileged to accompany Aslan to his sacrifice, and for their
faithfulness they experience a joyous ride on his back. In fact, Lucy seems to
be spiritually closer to Aslan than anyone else, and they seem to share a
special relationship of love!
During the children's long trek with Prince Caspian, Aslan appears to Lucy
before any of the others. His voice, which she has been longing for, is the one
she loves best in the world: "She rushed to him. She felt her heart would burst
if she lost a moment. And the next thing she knew was that she was kissing him
and putting her arms as far round his neck as she could and burying her face in
the beautiful rich silkiness of his mane. 'Aslan, Aslan. Dear Aslan,' sobbed
Lucy. 'At last.' " We can understand why, at the end of The Last Battle, during
all the final indescribable events in Aslan's Country, Lucy silently "drinks in"
everything more deeply than the others. Since Lucy seems to be the most
sensitive of all the children, her gift of healing cordial is appropriate. For
example, she compassionately visits the miserable Eustace while he is seasick,
offering him her own food and water. She is also the first one to sense his hurt
and help him after he has become a dragon. Given the frightening task of looking
into the Magician's Book to undo the spell on the Dufflepuds, she tactfully
tries to convince them they aren't ugly. She also feels guilty for having left
her friends so long.
In contrast, Susan (1928-1949) becomes Susan the Gentle as Queen of Narnia and
is known for her beauty: "Susan grew into a tall and gracious woman with black
hair that fell almost to her feet and the Kings of the countries beyond the sea
began to send ambassadors asking for her hand in marriage." In fact, Prince
Rabadash's vicious attack on Archenland in The Horse and His Boy is triggered by
his irrational passion to marry and avenge her. Tender-hearted and skilled at
archery and swimming, her gift of arrows is appropriate.
But one of the most perplexing and disappointing details of all the stories is
that in the end Susan is denied admittance to Aslan's Country. She is "no longer
a friend of Narnia." We can assume that she never really believed in Aslan in
her heart. In Prince Caspian, for instance, she is the last of the children to
see Aslan because, she says, she didn't let herself believe. Eustace says that
during the final days, "whenever you've tried to get her to come and talk about
Narnia or do anything about Narnia, she says, 'What wonderful memories you have!
Fancy your still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we
were children.' " Jill says, "she's interested in nothing nowadays except nylons
and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being
grown-up." "Grownup, indeed," replies Polly. "I wish she would grow up. She
wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now, and she'll waste
all the rest of her life trying to stay that age. Her whole idea is to race on
to the silliest time of one's life as quick as she can and then stop there as
long as she can." Susan is perhaps symbolic of the superficial Christian whose
commitment is too shallow to be real.
Edmund (1930-1949) commits treachery by succumbing to the Witch's temptation and
desiring to be King. Returning from his solo visit to Narnia, he grows
increasingly nasty and spiteful and even lies about having been there. But
though he is perhaps a seemingly unworthy person, Aslan, who sees the worth of
every individual, sacrifices himself in Edmund's place. Edmund's transformation
after he realizes the evil nature of the Witch-whom he really believed was bad
all along-is remarkable. He and Aslan stroll together alone, and although no one
hears what Aslan says, "it was a conversation which Edmund never forgot." Edmund
had "got past thinking about himself after all he'd been through and after the
talk he'd had that morning. He just went on looking at Aslan." It is thus
fitting that during the later adventure of the Dawn Treader, Eustace describes
his "undragoning" to Edmund. Ed admits, "You haven't been as bad as I was on my
first trip to Narnia. You were only an ass, but I was a traitor." However,
Edmund may never have fully realized what Aslan did for him-"it would be too
awful .... Think how you'd feel if you were he." As King, Edmund appropriately
becomes a "grave and quieter man than Peter, and great in council and judgement.
He was called King Edmund the Just."
Eustace Clarence Scrubb (1933-1949), the Pevensies' cousin, "half-deserved the
name," says Lewis, which means both "a person of little account, insignificant,"
and "to scratch at one's body." Both, of course, adequately dedescribe an
individual whose experience vividly illustrates the most drastic kind of change
that Aslan can produce in a person!
His "up-to-date" and "advanced" family is clearly portrayed. Eustace calls his
parents, Harold and Alberta, by their first names. They are vegetarians,
non-smokers, teetotallers, wear special underclothes, have little furniture, and
sleep with the windows open. After Eustace changes for the better, his mother
insists that he has become "tiresome and commonplace." At the beginning of The
Dawn Treader, Eustace is a puny, bossy bully, with no ability to imagine or make
things up, who tries to impress others with his infinite superiority. We can
just hear him bawling about "art" and "Plumptree's Vitaminised Nerve Food" and
"lodging a disposition" against his companions with the British Consul. His
diary of the voyage presents an excellent insight into his personality-his
self-centeredness and stupidity: "I have had a ghastly time .... It all proves .
. . the madness of setting out in a rotten little tub like this. It would be bad
enough even if one was with decent people instead of fiends in human form.
Caspian and Edmund are simply brutal to me .... I tried to explain that
perspiration really cools people down, so the men would need less water if they
were working." He believes that everyone is against him, despises the food and
"primitive" accommodations, has a run-in with Reepicheep-"that little brute"-and
all the while deceives himself into thinking he is being considerate. How like
Eustace to think Calormen the "least phoney" of all the countries!
But no matter how despicable Eustace is, he can't help but be changed by Narnia.
Physically, "his new life, little as he suspected it, had already done him some
good." His inner change comes on Dragon Island when he sets off alone, trying to
escape work. But he doesn't enjoy himself for long: "He began, almost for the
first time in his life, to feel lonely." His greediness and inner nastiness is,
of course, made tangible and visible by his transformation into a dragon. Yet
the experience vastly improves him. Realizing the nuisance he has been, he
begins to examine his thoughts about himself and the others. Then Aslan gets
hold of him and "from that time forth," Eustace really begins to be a different
boy. The change doesn't occur overnight. "He had relapses. There were still many
days when he could be very tiresome. But... the cure had begun."
Eustace and his friend Jill Pole provide good examples of what Lewis perceives
as dangerous trends in American and British educational systems. They attend
Experiment House, a "coeducational" or "mixed" school for both boys and girls.
"Some said it was not nearly so mixed as the minds of the people who ran it.
These people had the idea that boys and girls should be allowed to do what they
like." Elsewhere, Lewis attacks so-called "democratic" education which, so no
one will feel inferior, levels courses so that there is less distinction between
"intelligent" and "stupid" students.
At his school, Eustace reads only books of information with "pictures of grain
elevators or of fat foreign children doing exercises in model schools." They
discuss "exports and imports and governments and drains" in great detail but say
little about dragons. So, since Eustace has read none of the right books, he has
no idea what a dragon is and consequently has to turn into one before he learns!
These children also have no Bibles, so they don't even know about Adam and Eve,
nor do they have any idea how to tell a story straight (so Eustace has
difficulty in describing what happened). Eustace cares only about grades, not
about learning a subject for its own sake, and he likes dead beetles pinned to
cards.
At the beginning of The Silver Chair, Jill and Eustace are so miserable at
Experiment House, at the mercy of bullying classmates and subjected to other
"horrid things," that they are desperate to escape into Narnia. Not only do they
escape, of course, but Aslan comes back with them to wreak vengeance on the
school. The Head of Experiment House becomes hysterical and is "made an
Inspector to interfere with other Heads. And when they found she wasn't much
good even at that, they got her into Parliament where she lived happily ever
after." Once she and others have been expelled, Experiment House becomes quite a
good school after all. Even in Narnia, though, education can go bad. "The sort
of 'History' that was taught in Narnia under Miraz's rule was duller than the
truest history you ever read." Aslan rescues a poor schoolgirl, Gwendolen, stuck
inside a typical girls' school: "The walls became a mass of shimmering green,
and leafy branches arched overhead where the ceiling had been. Miss Prizzle
found she was standing on grass in a forest glade .... Then she saw the lion,
screamed and fled, and with her fled her class, who were mostly dumpy, prim
little girls with fat legs." Even Cor fears that once he is restored to
princedom again, "education and all sorts of horrible things are going to happen
to me." One of the acts of the four Kings and Queens is thus to "liberate young
dwarfs and satyrs from being sent to school." For the children from England,
going to Narnia greatly compensates for the faults of their schools. "Why don't
they teach logic?" asks Professor Kirke. "What do they teach them at these
schools?"
Animals Lewis believed that the presence of beings other than humans, who behave
humanly-"giants and dwarfs and Talking Beasts"-is a central element in all fairy
tales. There are two reasons for this. First, the writer can give these animal
characters a child's carefree life with no domestic or other responsibilities,
yet they are like adults because they can do what and go where they wish.
Second, they can portray personality types most succinctly. For example, where
do we see courage more clearly than in the swashbuckling Reepicheep, a two foot
mouse, proudly and fearlessly defending and jabbing with his small sword? Lewis
writes about the importance of animals in stories in his poem "Impenitence":
All the world's wiseacres in arms against them Shan't detach my heart for a
single moment From the man-like beasts of the earthy stories-- Badger or Moly .
. . .
Not that I'm so craz'd as to think the creatures Do behave that way, nor at all
deluded By some half-false sweetness of early childhood Sharply remembered ....
Look again. Look well at the beasts, the true ones ....
Why! they all cry out to be used as symbols, Masks for Man, cartoons, parodies
by Nature Formed to reveal us
Each to each, not fiercely but in her gentlest Vein of household laughter.
Lewis certainly has a convincing way of combining their humanness with their
innate animal characteristics-the "cawing, cooing, crowing, braying, neighing,
baying, barking, lowing, bleating, and trumpeting;" the "wagging tails, and
barking, and loose slobbery mouths and noses of dogs thrust into your hand."
Mrs. Beaver is a particularly memorable stereotype of the practical housewife
who takes time to pack clean hankies, ham, tea, and sugar-"I suppose the sewing
machine's too heavy to bring?" Bree snobbishly worries about his looks,
considers humans "funny little creatures," speaks to the mare, Hwin, instead of
her mistress, Aravis; patronizes Shasta, and, worst of all, doubts that Aslan is
a real lion. But how "horsey" he is, too, doing that which he likes best and is
afraid of losing in Narnia: "rubbing his back on the turf and waving all four
legs in the air." Lewis's most engaging and memorable creations though are
Reepicheep and Puddleglum:
Reepicheep Although mice were not originally Talking Beasts, Aslan gave them
this honor because they nibbled away at the cords which held him to the stone
table after his sacrificial death. Chief Mouse is Reepicheep, most valiant of
all the Talking Beasts of Narnia, who won undying glory in the second Battle of
Beruna: "It was a Mouse on its hind legs and stood about two feet high. A thin
band of gold passed round its head under one ear and over the other and in this
was stuck a long crimson feather. (As the Mouse's fur was very dark, almost
black, the effect was bold and striking.) Its left paw rested on the hilt of a
sword very nearly as long as its tail. Its balance . . . was perfect, and its
manners courtly." It twirls its whiskers like a long moustache. The mouse's
small size deceptively hides his abundant, often impulsive courage. In Prince
Caspian, for example, he graciously offers his men's services in Caspian's army:
" 'There are twelve of us, Sire,' he said with a dashing and graceful bow, 'and
I place all the resources of my people unreservedly at your Majesty's disposal.'
Caspian tried hard (and successfully) not to laugh." Naturally, it is he who
first offers to step through Aslan's door to the island of the Telmarines.
In The Voyage o f the Dawn Treader, we get an even better look at Reepicheep who
voluntarily serves as sentry over the water and indignantly jabs for his honor
at Eustace, who mockingly swirls him through the air by the tail. Of course, he
is first to volunteer to fight single-handedly against dragons. He even plays
chess daringly by sending his knight into the combined danger of queen and
castle, "For his mind was full of forlorn hopes, death or glory charges, and
last stands." Only Reepicheep wants to press on to the Dark Island for, he
argues, "here is as great an adventure as ever I heard of, and here, if we turn
back, no little impeachment of all our honours." For the same reason, he refuses
to leave Aslan's Table: "This is a very great adventure, and no danger seems to
me so great as that of knowing when I get back to Narnia that I left a mystery
behind me through fear." Then, he is the first to believe in the safety of the
food and the truthfulness of Ramandu's daughter: "I will drink to the lady," he
cries, as he valiantly raises his cup in the air.
His quest to reach the World's End has an Arthurian flavor: "The spell of it has
been on me all my life," he says. Quivering with excitement at the adventure's
end, he is determined to go on: "While I can, I sail east in The Dawn Treader.
When she fails me, I paddle east in my coracle. When she sinks, I shall swim
east with my four paws." As he throws his sword into the sea, it stands up with
its hilt above the surface like Arthur's Excalibur, a sign of valor. Indeed, he
does reach Aslan's Country, for who else but Reepicheep later welcomes the
children at the golden gates of Aslan's garden! Reepicheep's courage and dignity
are so extraordinary, however, that Aslan expresses concern that he may be
overcome by vanity. In Prince Caspian, the mouse loses his tail and thus his
balance in battle; so he requests a new tail, because "a tail is the honour and
glory of a Mouse." "I have sometimes wondered, friend," says Aslan, "whether you
do not think too much about your honour."
Reepicheep replies, "Permit me to remind you that a very small size has been
bestowed on us Mice, and if we did not guard our dignity, some (who weigh worth
by inches) would allow themselves very unsuitable pleasantries at our expense."
Aslan grants him his wish, not because of his dignity, but because of the love
and kindness of his people. Reepicheep seems not only immune from fear and loss
of dignity, but also from greed and envy. Surprisingly, he comforts Eustace when
he is a dragon, telling him stories of greater people who have fallen, and
"Eustace never forgot it." He also keeps out of the quarrel over the gold on
Deathwater Island.
Puddleglum Puddleglum the Marshwiggle is perhaps Lewis's most unique creation,
described as follows:. He has
"a long thin face with rather sunken cheeks, a tightly shut mouth, a sharp nose,
and no beard. It was wear- ing a high, pointed hat like a steeple, with an enor-
mously rude flat brim. The hair, if it could be called hair, which hung over its
large ears was greeny-grey, and each lock was flat rather than round, so that
they were like tiny reeds. Its expression was solemn, and its complexion muddy,
and you could see at once that it took a very serious view of life."
He has very long legs and arms, and webbed hands and feet, like a frog. Like all
Marshwiggles, who enjoy their privacy, he lives in a wigwam in the reedy
marshes. Lewis, according to Hooper and Green, based the character of Puddleglum
on his gardener Fred Paxford, who was similarly unusual and given to "gloomy
prognostications": "an inwardly optimistic, outwardly pessimistic, dear,
frustrating, shrewd country man of immense integrity." Indeed, poor Puddleglum
always expects the worst of every possible situation: "Very likely, what with
enemies, and mountains, and rivers to cross, and losing our way, and next to
nothing to eat, and sore feet, we'll hardly notice the weather."
Yet isn't he the perfect guide for Eustace and Jill on their mission to save
Rilian? His cold-blooded clear-sightedness and reliability are invaluable in the
frozen lands of the North. His pessimism keeps him from too readily succumbing
to giants or witches, and he remembers Aslan's rules when the children fail.
During the Witch's enchantment, for example, he stout-heartedly stamps out the
fire with his webbed foot and solidly denounces her world: "I'm on Aslan's side
even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as
I can even if there isn't any Narnia."
Rogues Various other characters provide good satires of common personality types
and sometimes receive humorous and ridiculous "rewards" for their actions. Uncle
Andrew, the proud and foolish dabbler in magic, is always out for his own skin.
Apparently he has mismanaged all of his sister's money, and if his vanity isn't
bad enough, he greedily plots the commercialization of Narnia by burying coins
or valuables and letting them spring up into trees. What a fitting punishment
when the animals plant him-fortunately, right-side up-and then the elephant
appropriately hoses him. Each animal kindly feeds him with nuts, worms, and
globs of honey (plus bees). Aslan calls him simply an "old sinner" who cannot
hear his voice, and puts him to sleep. In The Horse and His Boy, Rabadash
receives a similar judgment. He impetuously attacks Archenland for his own
private purpose of getting back at Susan and fulfilling his premature desire for
the throne. His reward is to be suspended from the castle wall in battle, hooked
by his own chain-shirt to a peg in the wall. Still, he indignantly threatens
vengeance on Lune's forces for this undignified insult. Although Aslan warns him
to cast aside his pride and anger, he bombards them with curses until his
nemesis: his ears become pointed and covered with gray hair; his face grows long
and thick; then he stands up on all fours until he is "simply and unmistakably,
a donkey." Yet Aslan's justice is tempered with mercy, for as long as Rabadash
does not stray from Tash's temple, he will remain a human.
In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Gumpas is the bilious governor of the Lone
Islands and the stereotype of the "progressive" politican. How fitting that "gump"
means dolt or numbskull! He sticks mechanically to his appoint ment schedule,
forms, rules and regulations, ledgers, records, minutes, dossiers, and
documents. He measures progress by economic development through slavery, as
proven by statistics and graphs. Fittingly, he is ousted by clever trickery and
a single word from Caspian. Lewis be lieved that no one is fit to own or
dominate another person. Although the Dufflepuds are probably based on a
fabulous medieval creature (see "Monopod" entry on page 151 of Index), they too
are some of Lewis's most unforgettable creations. A "duffer" means an incapable,
foolish, stupid, inept, unproductive person. Once dwarfs and servants of
Coriakin the Magician, they disobeyed his reasonable request that they obtain
water from a nearby stream instead of trudging half a mile away to a spring.
Coriakin, who because of their illogic, must rule by rough magic and not by
wisdom, is being punished for something he did and is in charge of them. He puts
an "uglifying spell" on them. To avoid seeing each other's ugliness, they put a
spell on each other making themselves invisible. And, of course, Lucy makes them
visible again, at their request.
As Lewis's own drawing showed, they are like mushrooms with three foot stalks
and an "umbrella" attached to each: "Each body had a single thick leg right
under it . . . and at the end of it, a single enormous foot-a broadtoed foot
with the toes curling up a little so that it looked rather like a small canoe."
The foot keeps off sun and rain, can be used as a boat, and bounces them up and
down like a spring. But they are very conceited and illogical: washing dishes
before dinner and planting boiled potatoes to save time! They constantly repeat
every trivial and obvious pronouncement from their Chief.
One can't help seeing in the Dufflepuds a little of his own relationship to God.
Although the Magician wants the best for them, they persist in going their own
foolish ways or changing what they are for something worse. Instead of allowing
Coriakin to rule them by wisdom, they view him in all the wrong ways: "One
minute they talk as if I ran everything and overheard everything and was
extremely dangerous. The next moment they think they can take me in by tricks
that a baby would see through-bless them!"
