Guest Post by E. J., INTJ

The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis

Dominant Te: Polly has strong opinions and usually is very direct about expressing them. When she first meets Digory, she immediately tells him that he has a funny name and, when he insults her name in return, points out that he needs to clean his face. Polly is not a controlling person, but she does enjoy planning the activities that she and Digory share. Brave (though not foolhardy), Polly does not hesitate to bluntly contradict Jadis’s beliefs about morality, despite Jadis’s greater strength and magical power. She resents the way Jadis ignores her, and she detests Jadis’s unfair behavior toward other people. Polly sees nothing wrong with abandoning a sick Jadis in the Wood Between the Worlds when Jadis came there with an intent to conquer Polly’s and Digory’s world. The demands of justice—not to mention practicality—are far more important to her than any sympathy she might have otherwise felt.

Auxiliary Si: Polly is bright, but less curious than Digory. She is reluctant to visit other worlds before returning home, and her caution about other worlds prevents them from becoming hopelessly lost. Polly strongly opposes allowing Digory to strike the bell in Charn. In fact, Digory has to physically hurt her in order to reach it. Polly’s instincts may often be driven by traditionalism, but they are usually right. One the one occasion where she makes a bad decision—initially trusting Uncle Andrew—she behaves as she does because he seems to fit her expectations of adults. Polly’s natural inclination is to cooperate with adults, so she tries on the ring and falls into his trap. In this case her many experiences with normal older relatives overshadow Digory’s verbal warnings about Uncle Andrew’s real nature.

Tertiary Ne: After returning to London with Jadis in tow, Polly does not try to return to her cozy lifestyle while ignoring the danger. As soon as she is able, she leaves home to help Digory. Polly is a vital part of Digory’s rather spontaneous plan to get Jadis out of London, managing the rings while Digory grabs Jadis. Polly may be initially reluctant to try experiences that seem risky, but she does enjoy learning new things. She participates in Digory’s plan to investigate the empty house, joins him in visiting Charn, and is eager to travel with Digory on his quest to retrieve the golden apple. Polly’s memories of all the unusual things she saw and learned in Narnia inspire her until the end of her life.

Inferior Fi: Polly does not often display her emotions, and she does not understand the emotions of others very well. She misses the physical cues that should have alerted her to Uncle Andrew’s real intentions, and she cannot fully understand Digory’s feelings about his mother, despite her desire to do so. Her values are also internally-based. While she accepts many societal values because she considers them objectively right, Polly is unafraid to be independent. She never marries, despite the fact that nearly all women did so during her time, and shows no regret about her choice to remain single.