Jill Pole

Jill Pole (1933 - 1949) is a major character from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. She appears in The Silver Chair and in The Last Battle.

Biography

Very little is known about Jill's family or her life before she becomes friends with Eustace. The only thing that is made clear is that she was bullied (like many other students) at her school by a group of truly mean kids referred to as Them, and that, when she needed to cry, she often took refuge behind the gym, where we (and Eustace) find her at the beginning of The Silver Chair.

The Silver Chair

Jill is in the same year as Eustace Scrubb in school. It is implied that Jill had been victimised by a gang of bullies that Eustace had tried to curry favor with previously. However, by the start of the story, Eustace and Jill have now become friends as a result of the change in Eustace's character and behaviour following his experience in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. She and Eustace, following the policy of their "experimental" school, address each other by surname throughout The Silver Chair, but develop a genuine affection for each other during the course of the story: near the very end, they refer to each other as "Jill" and "Eustace". With Eustace, she is called by Aslan into Narnia, and given the task of finding the missing Prince Rilian. Jill's experiences in Narnia make her much better able to cope with the adversities that face her in our world, and she and Eustace remain close friends through the period of time that lapses prior to her return to Narnia in The Last Battle.

The Last Battle

Jill was killed in a train wreck on her way to Bristol. However, at the moment of impact, she was called into Narnia by Aslan never to return to her own world.

Jill and Eustace Scrubb were sent into Narnia to help King Tirian in his struggle against the false appearance of Aslan and a Calormene invasion. They first freed the king from where he was tied to a tree. Then the three of them stole away to a Narnian supply garrison where they put on Calormene disguises and returned to Stable Hill. When they arrive they freed Jewel the Unicorn. Then Jill disobeyed the king's orders by entering the Stable, but in doing so, she discovered Puzzle the Donkey, the fake Aslan. Jill became Puzzle's friend and saved his life from Tirian, who would have killed the donkey right on the spot.

During the battle, Jill fought with her bow and arrow and killed several Calormene soldiers. She later entered into the stable door and came into Aslan's Country along with the others.

Skills

It is notable that Jill developed distinctive skill with bow and arrow, learning much during her first experience in Narnia and progressing further after returning home. She was also skilled in "woodcraft" (tracking and moving quietly through forested areas), as noted by King Tirian in The Last Battle; Eustace credits this to her time as a Girl Guide, but no doubt this was supplemented by her travels and experiences in The Silver Chair.

Commentary

Jill is comparable to the character Eustace: a non-believer who is miserable in the "modern" world but can conceive of nothing else, until she is jolted into a quest for spiritual knowledge. Jill's progression in faith, however, is incremental, as contrasted to the singular event which transforms Eustace.

Portrayal

In the BBC production, Jill Pole was portrayed by Camilla Power.

References

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