Polly Plummer

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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.

Biography

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.^[1] 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 which was transformed along with the creation of the new world) 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 Eyre, 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 Henley).

References

Narnia portal

• Ford, Paul (2005), Polly Plummer (in The Companion to Narnia: A Complete Guide to the Magical World of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, HarperSanFrancisco, ISBN 0-06-079127-6 

v d e The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Prince Caspian The Voyage of the Dawn Treader The Silver Chair The Horse and His Boy The Magician's Nephew The Last Battle Film · Soundtrack · Game Film · Soundtrack · Game Film · Soundtrack · Game Characters and creatures Aravis • Aslan • Mr. and Mrs. Beaver • Bree • Caspian • Centaurs • Coriakin • Digory • Drinian • Edmund • Emeth • Eustace • Frank and Helen • Hwin • Jill • Lady of the Green Kirtle • Lucy • Maugrim • Miraz • Peter • Polly • Prunaprismia • Puddleglum • Rabadash • Ramandu • Ramandu's Daughter • Reepicheep • Rilian • Seven Great Lords of Narnia • Shasta/Cor • Shift • Susan • Tash • Tirian • Trumpkin • Mr. Tumnus • White Witch Universe Narnia (world) • Anvard • Archenland • Aslan's Country • Aslan's How • Cair Paravel • Calormen • Charn • Lantern Waste • Miraz's Castle • Narnia (country) • Telmar • Underland • Wood between the Worlds Adaptations ITV TV serial • Animated TV film • BBC TV serial (Season 1 • 2 • 3) Film series Cast list • Critical response • Music • Character Portrayals • Accolades Related Dawn Treader • Deplorable Word • First Battle of Beruna • Second Battle of Beruna • Hundred-Year Winter • Religion • Tisroc Category • Portal