The Voyage of the Dawn Treader facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

First edition dustjacket
Author	C. S. Lewis
Illustrator	Pauline Baynes
Cover artist	Pauline Baynes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Series	The Chronicles of Narnia
Genre	Children's fantasy novel, Christian literature
Publisher	Geoffrey Bles
Publication date	15 September 1952
Media type	Print (hardcover)
Pages	223 pp (first edition) 52,038 words (US)
ISBN	978-0-00-671680-8 (Collins, 1998; full colour)
OCLC	2805288
LC Class	PZ8.L48 Vo
Preceded by	Prince Caspian
Followed by	The Silver Chair

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is an exciting fantasy book for kids by C. S. Lewis. It was first published in 1952. This book is the third one Lewis published in his famous The Chronicles of Narnia series. However, in newer versions of the books, it is listed as the fifth story in the series. This is because the books are now ordered by when the events happen in Narnia.

Like the other Narnia books, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has beautiful drawings by Pauline Baynes. These drawings are still used in many copies of the book today. Interestingly, this is the only Narnia book that does not have a main bad guy.

C. S. Lewis wrote this book for Geoffrey Corbett. Geoffrey was the foster-son of Owen Barfield, who was a good friend and helper to Lewis. The book has also been made into a movie and a TV show. A BBC television series showed it in 1989. A feature film was released in 2010.

The Story of the Dawn Treader

The story begins with two of the Pevensie children, Lucy and Edmund. They are staying with their annoying cousin, Eustace Scrubb. Their older brother, Peter, is studying for an exam. Their older sister, Susan, is traveling with their parents.

One day, Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace are pulled into the Narnian world. This happens through a painting of a ship on the sea. The painting was hanging in Lucy's guest bedroom. It had been an unwanted gift to Eustace's parents. The three children land in the ocean near the ship from the painting. This ship is called the Dawn Treader. The crew quickly brings them aboard.

Meeting Old Friends

The Dawn Treader is the ship of Caspian X. He is the King of Narnia. Edmund and Lucy had helped Caspian become king in the book Prince Caspian. The ship's captain is Lord Drinian, and the first mate is Rhince.

Three years have passed since Caspian became king. He has started a special quest. He promised to sail east for a year and a day. His goal is to find the seven lost Lords of Narnia. Their names are Argoz, Bern, Mavramorn, Octesian, Restimar, Revilian, and Rhoop. Caspian mentions that Trumpkin the dwarf is in charge of Narnia while he is away.

Lucy and Edmund are very happy to be back in Narnia. Eustace, however, is not pleased. He has never been there before. He used to tease his cousins, saying Narnia was not real. The brave Talking Mouse Reepicheep is also on board. He hopes to find Aslan's Country far to the east. Eustace tries to tease Reepicheep, but the mouse shows his fierce and brave spirit.

Adventures on the Islands

Their first stop is the Lone Islands. These islands are part of Narnia. But they have forgotten Narnian ways. For example, the slave trade is common there. This is against Narnian law. Caspian, Lucy, Edmund, Eustace, and Reepicheep are captured. A slave trader plans to sell them.

Before they reach the slave market, a man "buys" Caspian. This man turns out to be Lord Bern. He is one of the lost lords. He had moved to the islands and married there after being sent away from Narnia. When Caspian tells him who he is, Lord Bern accepts him as King. Caspian takes back the islands for Narnia. He replaces the greedy governor, Gumpas, with Lord Bern. He names Lord Bern the Duke of the Lone Islands.

At the second island, Eustace avoids helping fix the ship. A storm had damaged it. He hides in a dead dragon's cave to escape the rain. The dragon's treasure makes him greedy. He fills his pockets with gold and jewels. He also puts on a large golden bracelet. As he sleeps, he turns into a dragon.

As a dragon, Eustace realizes how badly he behaved before. He tries to get rid of his dragon skin, but he cannot. Only with the help of Aslan can he become human again. This process is very painful. Caspian recognizes the bracelet. It belonged to Lord Octesian, another lost lord. They wonder if the dragon killed Octesian, or if the dragon was Octesian. Aslan changes Eustace back into a boy. Because of his experience, Eustace becomes a much kinder person.

They barely escape a sea-serpent. Then they stop at Deathwater Island. This island has a pool of water that turns anything in it to gold. One of the missing lords, Lord Restimar, turned into gold here. Next, they land on the Duffers' Island. Lucy removes an invisibility spell from the Duffers (who later become Dufflepuds). She also becomes friends with the Magician who cast the spell.

They reach the Island Where Dreams Come True. It is called the Dark Island because it is always dark. Here, they rescue a very sad Lord Rhoop. Finally, they arrive at the Island of the Star. They find the three remaining lost lords in a deep, magical sleep.

Ramandu, a fallen star living on the island, tells them how to wake the lords. They must sail to the edge of the world. There, one crew member must be left behind. Lord Rhoop wants to sleep next to his friends until they wake up. Everyone agrees, and they set sail again.

Journey to the World's End

The Dawn Treader sails into an area where merpeople live. The water here turns sweet instead of salty. Reepicheep discovers this when he jumps in to fight a mer-man. He thought the mer-man challenged him.

At last, the water becomes too shallow for the ship to go farther. Caspian orders a small boat to be lowered. He says he will go to the world's end with Reepicheep. The crew objects. They say that as King of Narnia, he cannot leave them. Caspian goes to his cabin, angry. But he returns to say that Aslan appeared to him. Aslan told him that only Lucy, Edmund, Eustace, and Reepicheep will continue.

These four travel in a small boat. They go through a sea of lilies. They reach a wall of water that goes up into the sky. To fulfill Ramandu's condition, Reepicheep paddles his small boat up the waterfall. He is never seen in Narnia again.

Edmund, Eustace, and Lucy find a Lamb. The Lamb turns into Aslan. Aslan tells Edmund and Lucy that they will not return to Narnia. He says they must learn to know him by 'another name' in their own world. Then, he sends the children home.

It is mentioned that the four lords woke up when Caspian returned to the island. Caspian married Ramandu's daughter. Eventually, the Dawn Treader and everyone else safely return to Narnia.

Back in the human world, everyone notices how much Eustace has changed. People say "you'd never know him for the same boy." However, his mother thinks Edmund and Lucy were a bad influence. She believes they made him "commonplace and tiresome."

Main Characters

• Lucy Pevensie – The youngest of the four Pevensie children.
• Edmund Pevensie – The second youngest of the Pevensie children.
• Eustace Scrubb – A cousin of the Pevensie siblings. Edmund and Lucy stay with him and his parents.
• Caspian X – The King of Narnia.
• Reepicheep – A brave Talking Mouse who is a loyal friend to King Caspian.
• Lord Drinian – The Captain of the Dawn Treader.
• Seven Great Lords of Narnia – These are the characters Caspian is looking for. Two of them are dead. Three are in a magical sleep. Only Lord Bern and Lord Rhoop play a big part in the story.
• Ramandu – A "star at rest" who becomes young again by eating special fire-berries.
• Ramandu's daughter – Ramandu's daughter. She becomes the future Queen of Narnia, Caspian's wife, and mother of Rilian.
• Pug – A slave trader and pirate from the Lone Islands. He captures the main characters.
• Gumpas – The Governor of the Lone Islands. He allows slavery. Caspian removes him from power.
• Coriakin – The Magician (and a star) who rules the Dufflepuds. He does this as a punishment for things he did wrong.

How the Book Was Written

C. S. Lewis made some changes to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader for its American edition. These changes were made after the British version was ready. When HarperCollins started publishing the series in 1994, they decided to use the earlier British text.

One small change was in the first chapter. Lewis changed the description of Eustace. He changed "far too stupid to make anything up himself" to "quite incapable of making anything up himself." Some people think Lewis wanted to make the book softer for American readers. Others think he might have started to like Eustace more. It is also thought that calling a character "stupid" in a children's book might not be the best choice.

A bigger change was in Chapter 12, "The Dark Island." Lewis rewrote the ending of this chapter. This made the experience for the reader much better. The new ending makes the island feel more real and scary. It also helps readers feel the same emotions as the characters.

Ideas Behind the Story

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader shows a lot of influence from Lewis's Irish background. It is similar to old Irish stories called Immram. These stories are about sea voyages. However, unlike those voyages, the Dawn Treader travels East, not West.

The book also shows that Aslan represents Jesus Christ. At the end of the book, Aslan appears as a lamb. A lamb is a symbol often used for him. This scene reminds readers of a part in the Bible. Aslan then turns into a Lion. He tells the Pevensie children, "'I am [in your world],' said Aslan. 'But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little you may know me better there'".

Eustace turning into a dragon when he finds gold is like the story of Fáfnir from Norse myths. In those myths, dragons' gold is often cursed. If Eustace had known about these myths, he might have been more careful.

Other Versions of the Story

Plays and Radio Shows

• In 1983, a musical play of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was first performed. This happened at Northwestern College (Minnesota).
• A play version of the story was written and directed by Ken Hill. It was first shown in Newcastle in 1985.
• The BBC made a TV miniseries of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 1989. It was released with the previous story as Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
• BBC Radio made a radio play based on the book in 1994.
• Focus on the Family released a longer radio version as part of their full series of the Narnia books.
• A playscript for 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' was written by Erina Caradus. It was first performed in 2008.
• In 2000, a musical version was created and performed by the Alternative Community School of Ithaca, NY.
• The BG Touring Theatre company performed a play version of the story at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Movie Adaptation

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the third movie in The Chronicles of Narnia film series. This movie was made by Walden Media. Unlike the first two movies, which Disney distributed, this one was distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Michael Apted became the director. Andrew Adamson, who directed the first two, chose to be a producer instead. Will Poulter joined the cast as Eustace Scrubb. Many actors from the earlier films returned. These included Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Ben Barnes, Liam Neeson, and Tilda Swinton.

The movie was shown in regular theaters and in 3D. It was released in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on December 10, 2010.

Legacy and Influence

• "The Dawntreader" is a song about the sea by Joni Mitchell. It is on her first album, Song to a Seagull (1968).
• "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is a song by Bobby Wynn. It is based on The Chronicles of Narnia.
• "Dawn Treader" is a song by Charlotte Hatherley. It is on her 2007 album The Deep Blue.
• The spaceship Dawn Treader in Greg Bear's book Anvil of Stars is probably named after the ship in this book.

See also

In Spanish: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader para niños