The Princess and the Goblin · Chapter
XX: Irene’s Clue explained
Princess Irene wakes to a fright from battling animals in her room, remembers her grandmother's advice, and uses her magic ring and thread to follow a path through the mountain.
What happens
Princess Irene wakes to a fright from battling animals in her room, remembers her grandmother's advice, and uses her magic ring and thread to follow a path through the mountain. She bravely navigates dark passages and rough terrain, guided by the thread, until it leads her to a cavern where it disappears into a heap of stones, leaving her lost and crying.
Themes in this chapter
Courage vs. Fear
Irene overcomes her initial terror by following her grandmother's thread, but later succumbs to fear when the thread disappears.
Trust and Belief
Irene trusts her grandmother's guidance and the magic thread, even when it leads her into darkness and uncertainty.
Wisdom and Guidance
The grandmother's advice and the thread serve as a source of wisdom and guidance for Irene in her journey.
Characters to notice
- Princess Irene
Wakes in terror, uses grandmother's ring and thread, follows it through the mountain, becomes lost and distraught when the thread vanishes.
- The Old Lady
Referenced as Irene's grandmother; her advice and thread guide Irene, though she is not physically present.
- Lootie
Mentioned in the context of the path where Irene and Lootie had met Curdie.
- Curdie
Mentioned as the person Irene and Lootie had met on the path.
- The King
Mentioned as 'king-papa' whose troop Irene often watched from the road.
Key passages
“She immediately took off her ring and put it under her pillow. As she did so she fancied she felt a finger and thumb take it gently from under her palm. “It must be my grandmother!” she said to herself, and the thought gave her such courage that she stopped to put on her dainty little slippers before running from the room.”
Irene quickly removed her ring and placed it under her pillow, imagining she felt her grandmother's touch, which emboldened her to calmly put on her slippers before fleeing.
Irene's courage is restored by her belief in her grandmother's presence.
“She threw herself upon the heap, and began to cry. It was well she did not know what creatures, one of them with stone shoes on her feet, were lying in the next cave.”
Irene collapsed onto the pile of stones in tears, unaware that dangerous creatures, including one with stone shoes, were in the adjacent cave.
Irene's despair is heightened by her ignorance of the nearby goblins.