The Princess and the Goblin · Chapter
XIV: That Night Week explained
Irene spends the week thinking about her promise to visit the old lady but remains uncertain if it was a dream.
What happens
Irene spends the week thinking about her promise to visit the old lady but remains uncertain if it was a dream. On Friday, she resolves to go but is frightened by a goblin creature that leaps through her window. In her panic, she flees outside and up the mountain, where she becomes lost and terrified. She sees a mysterious silver light, which she believes to be her great-great-grandmother's lamp, and it guides her back home. Once safe, she finally runs up the tower stairs and knocks on the old lady's door.
Themes in this chapter
Courage vs. Fear
Irene's initial fear of the goblin creature causes her to flee into danger, but she later finds courage by following the lamp and returning to the tower.
Trust and Belief
Irene struggles to believe in the reality of her grandmother and the lamp, yet her trust in the light ultimately guides her to safety.
Deception and Appearance
The goblin creature appears terrifying and causes Irene to misjudge the situation, while the lamp's true nature as a guide is revealed.
Characters to notice
- Princess Irene
Irene spends the week contemplating her promise, is frightened by a goblin creature, flees outside, and is guided back by the mysterious lamp.
- Lootie
Irene's nurse, who notices Irene's thoughtful mood but cannot discover her secret; she later searches for Irene when she goes missing.
- The Old Lady
The old lady is the object of Irene's promise; her lamp is seen as a guiding light that helps Irene find her way home.
Key passages
“During the whole of the week Irene had been thinking every other moment of her promise to the old lady, although even now she could not feel quite sure that she had not been dreaming.”
All week, Irene constantly thought about her promise to the old lady, but she still wasn't certain if it had been a dream.
Irene's uncertainty about the reality of her grandmother.
“She was too frightened to cry out, but not too frightened to jump from her chair and run from the room.”
She was too scared to scream, but she managed to leap up and flee the room.
Irene's panicked reaction to the goblin creature.
“She saw now that she ought to have run up the stairs at once.”
She realized she should have immediately gone up the stairs.
Irene's regret after fleeing outside.
“She had but to keep that light in view and she must find the house.”
She only needed to follow that light to find her way home.
Irene's realization that the lamp guides her.