Polly Plummer
Encyclopedia
Polly Plummer is a major fictional character
from C. S. Lewis's fantasy
series The Chronicles of Narnia
. She appears in two of the seven books: The Magician's Nephew
and The Last Battle
.
In 1900, she is an 11-year-old girl who lives in London, England and is the neighbor of Digory Kirke
. Polly and Digory become friends and frequently meet to play together in the attic which connects all of the row-houses on their block. Polly uses the attic as a hide-out where she drinks ginger beer and writes a story (which she refuses to let Digory read).
One day the children accidentally enter the study of Digory's Uncle Andrew, who has made a set of magic rings which transport the wearer to other worlds via the Wood between the Worlds
. Uncle Andrew tricks Polly into trying on a ring; after she vanishes, he blackmails Digory into following her with another ring, in order to bring her back.
Personality wise, it is stated that she is just as brave as Digory in some ways but doesn't have the same desire to discover as much as she can. This is why he is the one who convinces her to go through the tunnels between the houses and to try to get into another world before returning to their own.
After being reunited in the Wood, Polly and Digory travel to the dying world of Charn
. There, against Polly's advice, Digory breaks an enchantment which releases Jadis, the future White Witch
. Jadis follows the children back through the Wood to London. After returning home and being confined to her room for missing dinner, Polly helps Digory return Jadis to the Wood and thence to the new world of Narnia, where they witness the creation of the world by Aslan
. Polly, Digory, and a cabby and his horse (who were brought along by mistake) are the only ones not alarmed by Aslan or his singing (Jadis and Uncle Andrew are both terrified). After the world is created, the children and the flying horse Fledge (Cabby's horse) then travel to a walled garden in the Western Wild to retrieve a magical apple. This apple, when planted, grows into a tree that serves to protect the young land of Narnia. Aslan gave Digory an apple from the newly planted tree to heal his sick mother. Polly and Digory then return to England, where he heals his mother and buries the apple core and the rings around it.
Even though Digory later moves away to a great house that his parents inherited from an uncle, Polly remains friends with Digory and visits him regularly at his new home.
She remains in contact with the other British "friends of Narnia" and is present with them when the apparition of Narnia's King Tirian appears to request their help. She seems like a very cheery and friendly adult, and insists the others call her "Aunt Polly". She is later killed in a railway accident and is transported to Aslan's country along with the other friends of Narnia. Once she arrives in Narnia, she becomes young again, as does Digory.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from C. S. Lewis's fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
series The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children by C. S. Lewis. It is considered a classic of children's literature and is the author's best-known work, having sold over 100 million copies in 47 languages...
. She appears in two of the seven books: The Magician's Nephew
The Magician's Nephew
The Magician's Nephew is a fantasy novel for children written by C. S. Lewis. It was the sixth book published in his The Chronicles of Narnia series, but is the first in the chronology of the Narnia novels' fictional universe. Thus it is an early example of a prequel.The novel is initially set in...
and The Last Battle
The Last Battle
The Last Battle is the seventh and final novel in The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. It won the prestigious Carnegie Medal in Literature in 1956.-Plot summary:In The Last Battle, Lewis brings The Chronicles of Narnia to an end...
.
The Magician's Nephew
Polly is introduced in The Magician's Nephew - which was the sixth book in the series to be published but is first in the internal chronology of Narnia.In 1900, she is an 11-year-old girl who lives in London, England and is the neighbor of Digory Kirke
Digory Kirke
Digory Kirke is a fictional character from C. S. Lewis' fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. He is in three of the seven books: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Magician's Nephew, and The Last Battle, and is mentioned in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.In the 2005 film The Chronicles...
. Polly and Digory become friends and frequently meet to play together in the attic which connects all of the row-houses on their block. Polly uses the attic as a hide-out where she drinks ginger beer and writes a story (which she refuses to let Digory read).
One day the children accidentally enter the study of Digory's Uncle Andrew, who has made a set of magic rings which transport the wearer to other worlds via the Wood between the Worlds
Wood between the Worlds
The Wood between the Worlds is a linking room location in The Magician's Nephew, part of The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis.-The Magician's Nephew:...
. Uncle Andrew tricks Polly into trying on a ring; after she vanishes, he blackmails Digory into following her with another ring, in order to bring her back.
Personality wise, it is stated that she is just as brave as Digory in some ways but doesn't have the same desire to discover as much as she can. This is why he is the one who convinces her to go through the tunnels between the houses and to try to get into another world before returning to their own.
After being reunited in the Wood, Polly and Digory travel to the dying world of Charn
Charn
Charn is a fictional city appearing in the 1955 book The Magician's Nephew, book six in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, written as a prequel to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In the book, Charn is described as a very large and completely deserted city that is in a semi-ruined state....
. There, against Polly's advice, Digory breaks an enchantment which releases Jadis, the future White Witch
White Witch
Jadis is the main antagonist of The Magician's Nephew and of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in C.S. Lewis' series, The Chronicles of Narnia...
. Jadis follows the children back through the Wood to London. After returning home and being confined to her room for missing dinner, Polly helps Digory return Jadis to the Wood and thence to the new world of Narnia, where they witness the creation of the world by Aslan
Aslan
Aslan, the "Great Lion," is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is the eponymous lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books...
. Polly, Digory, and a cabby and his horse (who were brought along by mistake) are the only ones not alarmed by Aslan or his singing (Jadis and Uncle Andrew are both terrified). After the world is created, the children and the flying horse Fledge (Cabby's horse) then travel to a walled garden in the Western Wild to retrieve a magical apple. This apple, when planted, grows into a tree that serves to protect the young land of Narnia. Aslan gave Digory an apple from the newly planted tree to heal his sick mother. Polly and Digory then return to England, where he heals his mother and buries the apple core and the rings around it.
Even though Digory later moves away to a great house that his parents inherited from an uncle, Polly remains friends with Digory and visits him regularly at his new home.
The Last Battle
In The Last Battle, the final book in the series (both chronologically and in order of publication), Polly is an adult of 60. It is the first time since the Magician's Nephew that she has appeared - or even been mentioned - in any of the stories.She remains in contact with the other British "friends of Narnia" and is present with them when the apparition of Narnia's King Tirian appears to request their help. She seems like a very cheery and friendly adult, and insists the others call her "Aunt Polly". She is later killed in a railway accident and is transported to Aslan's country along with the other friends of Narnia. Once she arrives in Narnia, she becomes young again, as does Digory.
Trivia
- When Digory first meets Polly and tells her of the strange goings-on that occur in Uncle Andrew's private attic, Polly muses that he might keep a mad wife locked up there. This could be a reference to Jane EyreJane EyreJane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was released the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York...
, for one of the main characters, Rochester, is forced to keep his violent and insane wife Bertha locked away in the attic. By chance, the film adaptation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe had an actress who went on to play Young Jane Eyre in a television adaption of the Jane Eyre book (Georgie HenleyGeorgie HenleyGeorgina Helen "Georgie" Henley is a British teen actress. She is known for her portrayal of Lucy Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia film series, for which she won the Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by a Youth Female in a Lead or Supporting Role in The Lion, the Witch...
).