5/11

5/11 Jewel, the unicorn in C. S. Lewis's The Last Battle, offers another important version. His relationship with King Tirian is a friendship between companions who have shared danger. The king has someone beside him who knows him, cares about him, and will face a terrible situation with him. That is a different role from the unicorn everyone is chasing. Jewel participates in the decisions and the fighting. He has loyalties, courage, and a place among the people trying to defend Narnia. His presence carries the history of a friendship rather than only the rarity of a species. The book also allows him to share Tirian's mistakes. Their anger can get ahead of their judgment. Being a noble creature does not give Jewel perfect knowledge, and being loyal does not mean every decision he supports will be right. That combination gives him personality. A beautiful, powerful unicorn can still need better information, make a rash choice, and stand by a friend through the consequences. In a conversation where unicorns so often appear as prizes, victims, or symbols, Jewel deserves attention as an active character with relationships of his own.