Puddleglum is a fictional character in the children's fantasy seriesThe Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Puddleglum appears as a principal character in The Silver Chair, and is mentioned briefly at the end of The Last Battle. Puddleglum is a "Marsh-wiggle", a species invented by Lewis which appears only in this book, and the only Marsh-wiggle given a name or any lines of dialogue. He is gloomy and pessimistic and described by other characters as a "wet blanket", although by his account other Marsh-wiggles are gloomier still. Lewis said that his gardener Fred Paxford served as a model for Puddleglum.
Name
The name Puddleglum can be viewed as a concatenation of "Puddle" for Puddleglum's association with water and wetlands, and "glum" which describes his outlook on life. It likely derives from the translator John Studley, whose comical choices of words Lewis criticized: The association is further strengthened by the fact that "Stygian" refers to the River Styx which was said to flow through the classical Underworld, and the three adventurers in The Silver Chair descend to the Narnian Underworld.
Biographical summary
Character development
Puddleglum first appears in chapter 5 of The Silver Chair, where he introduces himself by saying, "Puddleglum's my name. But it doesn't matter if you forget it." From then on, he is a caricature of pessimism and a bastion of gloomy fortitude: "I see you're making the best of a bad job. That's right. You've been well brought up, you have. You've learned to put a good face on things." But in the end Lewis gives readers a small sign that maybe spending time with Eustace and Jill has had an effect on him. After Jill surprises him with a farewell hug, Puddleglum remarks, "Well, I wouldn't have dreamt of her doing that. Even though I am a good-looking chap."
In ''The Silver Chair''
Puddleglum is the companion of Eustace and Jill as they search for Prince Rilian, heir to the Narnian throne, who disappeared 10 years earlier. He is a unique character in Lewis's works. He is neither dashing nor charming, neither a great fighter nor a clever strategist. Yet he is instrumental in breaking the Lady of the Green Kirtle's spell and releasing the Prince by stamping out her magical fire. While the children initially consider him a "wet blanket" who removes the good from any situation, he proves to be a strong and steadfast companion, especially in Underland where he is all they have to cling to. It is Puddleglum who often spots the best course of action, and ultimately Puddleglum who wins the debate with the Lady, using an argument that incidentally reveals that he has overcome his cynical and pessimistic ways. She reacts furiously and turns into a serpent, only to be killed by Rilian, who finally realizes that she was the serpent who had killed his mother 10 years earlier. He then joins Rilian and the two children on their escape from the Underworld to Narnia.
Christian elements
Lewis, himself an expert on allegory, did not consider The Chronicles of Narnia allegory. He saw them as "suppositional" answering the question, "What might Christ become like, if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?' This is not allegory at all." While not allegorical, Narnia does present significant parallels with elements from Christianity. Lewis is perhaps using Puddleglum to give a somewhat existentialstatement of faith when he writes, "Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all of those things—trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones... We're just babies making up a game, if you're right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play-world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia... and that's a small loss if the world's as dull as you say." Lewis himself said of this passage: Lewis has, in sending the protagonists underground to a world which claims to be the only true one, also presented children with an inversion of Plato's allegory of the cave. Puddleglum, with Plato, recognizes the difference between the world of shadows, and the world with the sun.
The Christian rock bandThe Swift were formerly known as Puddleglum. A character from the children's bookKendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers by Lee Edward Födi is named Pugglemud as a homage to Puddleglum. American singer-songwriter Sarah Sparks sings "Puddleglum's Anthem" on her 2014 album "Into the Lantern Waste".
