Summary
Chapter 5: The Deplorable Word
The beautiful queen Jadis, at the end of the hallway, has been awakened by the bell. At the same time, the castle seems to be crumbling apart because of the resonance of the bell. The Queen wants to know who Polly and Digory are, and how a "common child" like Digory came there to awaken her. Polly and Digory explain to the Queen that they arrived in her world because of Uncle Andrew's magic. Polly finds the Queen scary, but Digory is charmed by her beauty and strength. Queen Jadis will only speak directly to Digory, not to Polly, which Polly finds irritating.
Queen Jadis grabs the two children by the hands and leads them out of the crumbling castle. On the way out, she gives them a brief tour, naming the rooms and the great things her ancestors did in them. The rooms she shows them and the stories she tells are of how she and her ancestors committed torture, imprisoned people, and punished or killed people for "rebellious thoughts." Polly recognizes the evil behind these stories and would like to leave this terrible place, but she cannot: the Queen is holding onto her left hand and therefore Polly cannot reach her yellow ring, in her left-hand pocket.
Finally, the three of them step outside into stale air; the children become more aware that nothing at all lives in this world. Digory and Polly can see the empty ruins of a city and a large red sun, low on the horizon. Queen Jadis tells them the story of Charn, and how her sister started a war over who would ascend to its throne. Queen Jadis and her sister fought a great battle, but right as her sister declared victory, Queen Jadis said the "Deplorable Word": a secret forbidden spell that ended all life except for that of the one who says the word. Hence, Queen Jadis became the Queen of the World, as the only surviving being on her planet. Digory and Polly question the morality of ending all life, but the Queen sees no issue with it. In fact, Queen Jadis believes that, as a queen, she is not required to follow the same rules of morality as are common people.
Queen Jadis demands that the children bring her back to their world so she can rule it. She believes that Uncle Andrew must have used his magic at some point to see her and that when he saw her he fell in love with her and now wants the children to bring Queen Jadis back to him. Digory politely denies this story, and Polly chimes in that this story is "absolute bosh," or completely made-up. When the children refuse to bring her back, she becomes angry, and lets go of their hands. At that moment, both Digory and Polly shout out to each other to indicate they should both touch their yellow rings, in order to escape the Queen and go back to the Wood.
Chapter 6: The Beginning of Uncle Andrew’s Troubles
Queen Jadis, now known alternatively as the Witch, is able to follow Polly and Digory to the Wood Between the Worlds by holding onto Polly's hair. In this way, Digory and Polly discover that the rings work not only for the person wearing the ring, but for anyone touching the wearer of the ring.
In the Wood Between the Worlds, the Witch is weak and pale. Polly wants to leave the Witch there, but Digory feels a little bad for her. Polly urges him to leave her, and they put on their green rings and jump into the home pool, which will take them back to London. However, as they jump in, the Witch grabs Digory by the ear and is thus able to follow them back to Uncle Andrew's attic.
Upon arrival, Uncle Andrew is astounded by Queen Jadis' beauty, and scared of her power. The Witch tells Uncle Andrew he will be her slave; she plans to conquer their world. The Witch orders Uncle Andrew to get her a “chariot”; he leaves the attic to do as she says. But first, Uncle Andrew goes to his room, pours himself a drink, and dresses in his best suit and top hat, which he vainly hopes will make him more attractive to her. Meanwhile, the Witch waits impatiently in the attic and is no longer talking to the children now that she has Uncle Andrew to control.
Eventually, the Witch loses patience and goes to see what is taking Uncle Andrew so long. With the Witch gone, Digory and Polly discuss how all of this came about because of Digory’s desire to ring the bell and his sympathy for the Witch. Digory apologizes to Polly, and Polly forgives him. Polly agrees to help Digory get the Witch out of London. However, first, Polly must go home, because she is late for dinner.
Uncle Andrew asks the maid to order a hansom cab for the Witch (a horse-drawn carriage, to serve as the chariot she requested). Uncle Andrew then approaches Aunt Letty, who is mending a mattress in the drawing-room. While he asks Aunt Letty if she can lend him money (which Aunt Letty refuses to do), the Witch suddenly appears in the drawing room.
Analysis: Chapters 5 - 6
Chapter Five begins one of the key plot points: the awakening of Queen Jadis. As the antagonist, Queen Jadis becomes the major source of conflict throughout the rest of the novel. Queen Jadis is immediately characterized as powerful, arrogant, ruthless, and cruel: she is a classic fairy tale villain, who clearly symbolizes evil.
These chapters specifically help to develop the theme of magic, and its use for evil by Queen Jadis. Her magic is of a different breed than Uncle Andrew’s, because she has the power to destroy all life. While impressed by her magic, the children are also scared and intimidated. Thus, the book introduces the theme of good and evil. Queen Jadis delights in her use of magic to rule and destroy others; the children, by contrast, express shock at Queen Jadis' cruel treatment of the people of Charn. The Queen does not feel remorse for having destroyed all of Charn; rather, she feels it was completely necessary. Polly and Digory, who have a strong sense of right and wrong, immediately question her logic, asking why she has the right to kill all life, if she is to go on living herself. They recognize the queen’s immorality, and thus, her evil.
Another theme introduced in these chapters is that of Creation and Destruction. Here, Queen Jadis demonstrates creation's contrast: the destruction of Charn. The children note that in the hall of Charn’s ancestors the people begin as “kind and wise,” but then become “solemn,” then “strong, proud, and happy… but cruel,” then “cruel, but they no longer looked happy,” and the last of the faces, before the Queen, look, “despairing: as if the people they had belonged to had done dreadful things and also suffered dreadful things.” (55-56). Charn is another allusion to Atlantis (the first being in Chapter Two): a beautiful utopia that is destroyed through immorality and greed. Charn thus serves as both as a representation of the destructive power of evil, and as an allegory for the current affairs of the modern world. Likewise, the destruction of Charn also foreshadows the evil-doing that Queen Jadis will try and commit in Narnia.
As the children are trapped in Queen Jadis’ hands, their friendship is silently tested again. Polly wants to escape, but cannot because the hand nearest to her yellow ring is being held by the Queen; Digory could escape, but knows it is not right to leave without Polly. Despite their argument over the bell, Digory still acts out of loyalty and duty, and stays; as a boy who knows what is right, he knows he cannot leave her there.
In Chapter Six, once the children have arrived back in London, they have a moment to discuss the fight they had over the bell. This discussion demonstrates an important element of friendship: resolving differences, forgiveness, and cooperation. Digory realizes the error of his actions, Polly forgives him, and they agree to work together in trying to get the Witch out of London.
