I think I'd go with Polly. She's somewhat adventurous, but also has a grain of caution that makes her stop and think, "What will this lead to?" Then she's a bit bossy, and doesn't always choose the most effective way to influence other people.

Yet she was sensitive enough to realize that only Digory could make the hard choice about the apple, seeing that it was his mother who was ill.

Aravis, I think. I have the good fortune to live in a fairly progressive society, but I've always been one to refute gender stereotypes being imposed upon me. Her betrothal strikes me as one of the most dreadful things in the whole series. Sure, she would live a life of luxury, but would be property, and would probably be expected to live the way Lasaraleen does. Maybe Lasaraleen would spend all her time in palaces and at parties whether she wanted to or not because her husband would be keeping her there. I doubt if Lasaraleen wanted to go out alone for a ride in the desert that she would be allowed. Aravis is interested in "bows and arrows and horses and dogs and swimming". I appreciate that she is a female character who does not need to have "feminine" things as her main interest.

The one thing I can't identify with her on, as I'm not going to have any children, is that she had a child. I think it would have been cooler if she and Cor had adopted a poor child in a bad situation (like Cor had been) and raised him to rule after them, but...I know that's a pretty modern thought and it doesn't sit right with the whole "royal blood line" idea. Still, I can't be totally Aravis because of that. Maybe I'm more Polly in that respect, lol.

In rereading Prince Caspian recently, I was surprised by how much I identified with Caspian, especially when comparing him to myself as a child and young adolescent. Given that I've read the book a number of times, I was a puzzled that I had never noticed this before, but I think there's often a tendency to not see yourself in characters who are a different gender.

His longing for the Old Days reminded me of my young dreaminess, my early belief in fairies, and my interest in cryptozoology, hidden passageways, ancient mysteries and the like. His reticence to be king felt like the sort of reaction I would have had as well. Even his sense that Doctor Cornelius wouldn't have mentioned anything about the Old Days unless he meant to tell him more later on was also familiar. (I remember always picking "true" when someone would ask me a "true or false?" question as a child, because the likelihood that they would even ask the question if it wasn't "true" was next to none.) I'll be curious to see if I continue to pick up on this connection as I reread VDT.

Um. For me that would be Eustace. Certainly he was the character I identified most strongly with as a kid. I was small for my age and constantly bullied at school, though I never, as far as I can recall, curried favour with the bullies. I liked books of information and learning long words - at age 8 I was the only one in my class who could spell "scissors" and knew what "deciduous" meant. I also displayed an arrogance towards anyone whom I considered less intelligent than myself, which was just about everybody, including my parents. I was too weak to fight back when bullied, so I bottled it all up and nursed a private rage ("Note to self: investigate repercussions of impaling classmates").

But there's also a bit of Digory in me. Like him and unlike Eustace, I was fascinated by adventure (let's face it, I was hooked on Narnia from the age of 6). I had a real curiosity about the world, not "dead insects pinned to card". I loved science and logic, which was also the beginning of my faith in God; even when I was 5, I thought it was quite illogical that a universe as wonderful and complex as this could just spring into being for no reason. I also loved music and began writing my own when I was 7. And although I'm often as cowardly as Eustace, there's still a moral compass in me that will say, "No, this is wrong." I haven't grown up to be a professor (my supervisor at university when I was doing my Master's degree told me I wasn't clever enough to do a PhD), but I can imagine myself as Professor Kirke.

Still, I feel that I'm still waiting for Aslan to un-dragon me.

There are a several of characters that I relate to a great deal. Jill and her struggle, Edmund and certain aspects of his journey. And a few others.

But I'd have to say without a doubt that the character I identify with the most Is Shasta(or Cor I should say) I really relate to his longing for what lies beyond the small village that he grow up in and his hope that maybe, just maybe he has a greater purpose in life and that his true place in the world is out there somewhere. these are all things that resonate with me on a personal level and things like his bravery and that he keeps moving forward in spite of everything that go's wrong are vary inspiring to me.

I think I have to go with Caspian. The chapters "The Dwarf Tells of Prince Caspian" and "Caspian's Adventure in the Mountains" is probably the section of writing that resonates with me most strongly. I've been a dreamer who spends a lot of time in his head for as far back as I can remember. And, like Caspian who continues to have a restless soul in VDT and even SC, my longings haven't disappeared with age - even as society tells me I "ought to be thinking of battles and adventures, not fairy tales."

I finished VDT this morning and I still noticed the connection between my own personality and Caspian's, although considerably less so than in PC because the book just isn't focused on Caspian as much.

1. His verbal maneuvering with Gumpas and the sailors that wanted to turn back to home was one thing that I picked up on; I often have a sense of how to say or approach things in order to get the desired effect from others. (I suppose that sounds like emotional manipulation, but I use this skill to help create positive social atmospheres or to help things run smoothly.)
2. I also noticed that he and Lucy were very often on the same wave-length, as opposed to Edmund and Eustace: when Lucy says that Ramandu's Island has a dim, purple-like smell, for instance, Caspian says, "I know what you mean." I would have likely said the same thing.
3. Even Caspian's worst moment in the whole series, when he wants to go on to Aslan's Country despite what everyone is telling him, is familiar. While no Queen of Narnia, I have my duty to do like everyone else and usually I am very faithful about attending to it, as Caspian is faithful in attending to his country, but very rarely, once in a blue moon, the yearning for freedom and to seek after my own dreams becomes too strong and I get cross with people and I sometimes say things that I regret. Like Caspian, I always feel awful and ashamed when I "come out of it".

Interestingly, I remember now that I have seen a couple people type Caspian as an INFJ (my MBTI type); I think that might be a good hypothetical match for him based on what I've observed during this reread of the series. Still surprised that I never noticed it before now, but I can say with some conviction that Caspian is definitely the character that I identify with most in the series. I still see a little bit of myself in Jill at times, but the connection with Caspian's personality is much, much stronger.

Still, I feel that I'm still waiting for Aslan to un-dragon me.

Aren't we all.

But I'd have to say without a doubt that the character I identify with the most Is Shasta(or Cor I should say) I really relate to his longing for what lies beyond the small village that he grow up in and his hope that maybe, just maybe he has a greater purpose in life and that his true place in the world is somewhere else these are all things that resonate with me on a personal level and things like his bravery and that he keeps moving forward in spite of every thing that go's wrong are vary inspiring to me.

That's neat! I sense a bit of a Shasta/Cor-like vibe from you, actually. Which is a definite compliment, because Shasta is probably my favorite of the kids in the series!

I think I have to go with Caspian. The chapters "The Dwarf Tells of Prince Caspian" and "Caspian's Adventure in the Mountains" is probably the section of writing that resonates with me most strongly. I've been a dreamer who spends a lot of time in his head for as far back as I can remember. And, like Caspian who continues to have a restless soul in VDT and even SC, my longings haven't disappeared with age - even as society tells me I "ought to be thinking of battles and adventures, not fairy tales."

Oh, ditto to all of this! It's interesting that you identify with Caspian as well. I wonder if most INFJs and INTJs would say that they identify with Caspian, if pressed on it....

I am an INFJ, and I do NOT relate to Caspian very much at all. . . I never really liked him as a character. He just seems to be "there" throughout the series. . . a means to carry out a plot. I just feel like he doesn't have much of a personality. . . then again, neither do I, so maybe we relate with one another more than I thought

I am an INFJ, and I do NOT relate to Caspian very much at all. . . I never really liked him as a character. He just seems to be "there" throughout the series. . . a means to carry out a plot. I just feel like he doesn't have much of a personality. . . then again, neither do I, so maybe we relate with one another more than I thought

Dude, still waters run deep. Seriously, though, that's interesting. Thanks for sharing it.

I think Shasta. Well the younger me anyway. His longing for more. Learning to be more. He is by far my favorite character. His walk with Aslan is still one of my all time favorite stories in the series.
I also love how he is willing to learn even if painful. Just a legit dude!

When I was younger, my answer would have been Lucy. We do have the (admittedly superficial) connection of both being the youngest girl in a family of four (though in my family, it goes girl/boy/girl/boy rather than boy/girl/boy/girl), and that helped me connect with her a great deal. (And, as a bonus, there was never any argument from my sister when we would all play Narnia together and I always got to claim Lucy, since I was the obvious choice. ) When I was closer to her age, I was much more of an explorer and a dreamer, and while I wouldn't say I never lied, I recall being a rather honest kid.

Now that I'm older, though, I'm not very much like Lucy at all. I think I'm a lot more like Edmund. I suppose that's appropriate, since we're both the third child of four. I've found that I have quite a sarcastic streak and have something of a temper, though I'd like to think I've mellowed a bit with age. When, at least, with friends and family, I'm quite opinionated and don't think twice about saying what I mean. I also have a strong sense of fairness, which I think post-redemption Edmund has, even when he's not the fully-grown Edmund the Just.

I think I'm a bit like Jill in a lot of those ways as well. Unfortunately, this does mean I'm snappish and have a tendency to blame all of my problems on others; I like the idea of adventure, but I kind of prefer my comforts. But, when Jill was set on a task, she jumps to it quite enthusiastically, at least at first, and I'd like to think I'm the same way - even if we both have the same problem of losing said enthusiasm over time.

I rather think I'm a Polly. She had her own little life, she was prepared to learn and try to do the right thing, and she was a writer in her secret cave.
I love that she is still a Friend of Narnia in The Last Battle, and is a mentor of sorts. I also love that Lewis didn't just neatly marry her off to someone, but that she remained single, independent, and friends with Digory. (he couldn't marry her to him, as LWW clearly states that he was single!).

When it comes to what character I could see myself playing, my age and small size leads me to Mrs Beaver, Caspian's nurse, or small creatures (stage work or costumed live action filming).