As the children stray from the Signs, disaster ensues. Important themes from these chapters include: (1) The reality of Evil and its seductive beauty (Our culture wants to say that there is no such thing as evil; however, the Biblical witness is clear that Evil is real and can masquerade as beauty); (2) Safety in wise counsel (Puddleglum's wise counsel literally saves the children's lives and stops the Quest from failing); (3) The danger of being wise in your own eyes (Jill exclaims "Bother the Signs!" She wants her own way, and she wants it now. There will be dreadful consequences from this over-inflated sense of self-worthiness and rejection of Aslan's way); (4) Comfort is often the enemy of the Quest--redux (The children's desire for comfort causes them not only to neglect the practices that will enable them to complete the Quest, but also to become totally derailed and preoccupied by things that have nothing whatsoever to do with the Quest); (5) The danger of naiveté in the face of Evil (Because they so desperately want what the Lady seems to be offering (warmth and comfort and respite), they let their guard down and trust her, to their peril,even though they have ample reason to be suspicious); (6) The slippery slope of neglecting the Signs: Compromise (When we neglect the Signs and compromise rather than fleeing temptation, we can end up in environments where doing the unimaginable not only becomes possible but seems normal); and (7) The importance of conviction and true repentance (Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum are truly and deeply convicted of their failure/sin and resolve to get back to the Quest: metanoia).
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