The conversion of Eustace comes on Dragon Island. It is there that Eusatce is transformed into a dragon and then de-dragonned by Aslan himself. However, we have a glimpse of an improved Eustace even before this fateful encounter.
The Dawn Treader lands on Dragon Island on the heels of almost two weeks of violent storms. The storms have left the Dawn Treader a “crippled discolored hulk” and already immediately upon landing a huge amount of work needed to be done. Eustace, of course, is not interested in participating and decides to sneak off to a place in the mountains to rest. The climb was not an easy one but he plugged away.
It is here that Lewis makes the following remark:
This showed, by the way, that his new life, little as he suspected it, had already done him some good; the old Eustace, Harold and Alberta's Eustace, would have given up the climb after about ten minutes.
In other words, Eustace’s process towards conversion had already begun. How? What was it that made him no longer the “old Eustace”?
Maimonides (Teshuva 2:4) (based on the Talmud) outlines the paths towards repentance. The last is that the repentant is exiled from his place. Maimonides explains that exile causes someone to be humble and low of spirit. Eustace was certainly exiled from his home to a land he could have even imagined. However, it does not appear he has been very humbled. In fact, his pride shows through even after the end of the storm when attempts to steal water.
Still, Eustace does undergo some humiliating experiences. He is publicly chastised by Caspian for stealing water, and is demonstrably not trusted by Caspian and the crew of the Dawn Treader. His hand is skewered by Reepicheep. He is offered as a slave and no one wants him (a scenario described as the final curse in the rebuke section of Deutoronomy 28:68). Perhaps these experiences left him with more humility and hence more resilience in the face of the obstacles.
Furthermore, Eustace has, if even by osmosis, been experiencing “the right kind of books.” He has heard stories of adventure and courage, of bravery and honor. Perhaps some of this has seeped into his unconscious. Or, perhaps it is simply the hardships he has suffered (and he has certainly suffered) that just gave him greater strength to overcome adversity.
In Screwtape Proposes a Toast, Screwtape (a senior demon) asserts, “The great (and tooth-some) sinners are made out of the very same material as those horrible phenomena, the great Saints.” In Eustace, the first step towards repentance is not, cannot be to make him a saint. The first step is to grow the material. True, the material can be used for sin (would the old Eustace have been brave enough to steal water in the first place?). But that material can be transformed for good. And the suffering, embarrassment, and environment experienced on the Dawn Treader moves begins this growth.
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