This scene is reminiscent of the scene in The Princess and the Goblin when Irene is bathed by her grandmother in the bottomless water of the mysterious silver basin. Like Irene in that scene, Lucy feels remarkably refreshed and spiritually regenerated. MacDonald uses the baptismal symbolism of water and light to mark an important change in Irene’s character, whereas Lewis returns to the eucharistic motifs of food and refreshment to signify an important change in Lucy.
