The Horse and His Boy
The Horse and His Boy starts out in its early chapters very differently than the first two books in this series. You find yourself, not in Narnia, not in the world we know, but in an obscure fishing village. Soon, the magic kicks up, but you are not quite sure what is really going on in the larger scheme of things. This continues when the action goes into Tashbaan, which is a weird, seemingly Indian (Asian, not Native American) city with some outrageous characters. But that becomes the beauty of the book in the powerfully effective scene that reintroduces Aslan into our characters' lives. This has been described elsewhere, so I will translate into this post.
[The setting is that a boy has found himself in a land that he doesn't know. He is travelling by horse to go relay an urgent message. He finds himself alone, it is night, and scarily he finds that some animal is walking right beside his horse. He can only get hints of it but knows that it is large and seemingly very fearsome. He finally gets up the courage to ask, "Who are you?" (This is the world of Narnia, where there are talking animals) The animal reassures him and says, "Tell me your sorrows." So the boy recounts his misadventures. Now it is important to insert here that the boy has throughout his journies kept finding himself chased by lions.
The boy finishes his story, and the animal says, "I do not call you unfortunate." But the boy says, "Don't you think it was bad luck to meet so many lions?" The animal says, "There was only one lion." "How do you know?" "I was the lion."
"And as Shasta gaped with open mouth and said nothing, the Voice continued: 'I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you could reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you.' 'Then it was you who wounded Aravis?' 'It was I.' 'But what for?' 'Child,' said the Voice. 'I am telling you your story, not hers.'"]
The meaning crystallizes in that one scene. The whole question up to then relates to identity. In Shasta, the main character, and in Bree, his horse (or backwards, as the title gives it), you have two characters that are needing to know or needing to live out of their true identity. Shasta does not know it, he has lived all his life with one not his father and has no inkling of where he is from or who he is. Bree, the horse, knows where he is from but has been gone so long and been in such a different place that he doesn't really know how he will fit in again. He's scared about being who he is.
Bree is not quite a changed character, which is part of his interest. At one point, he shows himself as a coward. He sulks and later has to face up to his cowardice again. As is described so beautifully in the book, all he has lost is his "self-conceits." He doesn't really need those, of course. But he has built his understanding of his identity upon those self regardings and hangs onto them even after they have been exposed.
With all the lingering question in the reader about identity issues for these characters, the Aslan scene is devastatingly piercing beyond into an even deeper reality. For there after, Shasta will not be one who is trying to find his identity but one who has been encountered by Aslan. That will forever afterward mark him.
One of Lewis' highest contributions is his depiction of Aslan across the span of the books. Because Aslan always appears somewhat different. He is completely unpredictable. Your imagination wouldn't have him coming via these unusual ways. He's never boring, you're never quite sure if you know him or not. You remember the images of his previous incarnations, but each new episode shows you more and more about him. A new revelation each time. Is that not perfectly fitting of our Lord? Who would have put him in the garden on hands and knees, praying with deep cries to His Father? Who would think of how He responded to this or that situation? Who would be like He was?
One of the lingering effects of this book was to just look at myself every now and then and say, "Am I acting like a fool? How am I doing" Not how do I want to be looking, but how I do actually appear in light of the light of day? How do my actions really match up? When I am not being brave, I try to encourage myself to remember what bravery consists of and try to return to that. I try to remember the consequences of acting like an ass and turn myself from that path before I get there. Because if you know someone's actions, you know their destiny. These books are wonderful in that manner. The one who has not done what is right has to answer for what they did. It's a morality play where a reckoning happens in the end. Aslan is that judge at the end of these books. It's a good reminder that maybe it's better to be thinking about fair play and doing what is good rather than chasing our desires. So easy to do the latter. So, that's A Horse and His Boy.
Synopsis: A boy, Shasta, lives in a fishing village with someone who is not his father. The father cowardly agrees to sell the boy into slavery to a passing Tashbaanite. The boy goes outside and ends up discovering the man's horse is a Talking one. The horse convinces the boy to escape. They ride off into the night, and the horse teaches the boy how to ride. While running away from lions, the two come across another rider with a Talking horse. It is a girl, Aravis, who also has run away. She has fled an ordained marriage to an evil noble of the kingdom of Tashbaan. She is a person of breeding.
The four journey on, and their road leads them to the city of Tashbaan, where Shasta is mistaken for someone else and is separated from the others. Shasta ends up in the company of Susan and Edmund, two of the four siblings from The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe. Shasta hears of the evil plans of the prince of Tashbaan and of Edmund and Susan's plans to get away. Meanwhile, the boy that Shasta has been mistaken for comes back, and Shasta leaves to reunite with his friends. Before he does, he has to spend a scary night in the Tombs of the Dead. A cat comforts him and keeps him safe. Meanwhile, back in Tashbaan, Aravis learns of the prince's plan to attack Archenland and Narnia to get back Susan, whom he is trying to court but who despises him. Aravis, Shasta, and the two horses make for Archenland to go warn its king of the impending attack. Their chase takes them to a hermit, who welcomes them in and gives them refreshment. Shasta, however, must run on by foot to take the urgent message. He meets up with the King of Archenland's company and warns them of danger. He takes up with them but cannot keep up with his horse. Left behind, he becomes aware of the Lion, and the two meet. Aslan has ushered him into Narnia, and he gets words to the Narnians so that they can aid their neighbors, the Archenlanders. Shasta falls in with Edmund and Lucy, and his lookalike convinces him to sneak into the army and go to the battle.
In the ensuing fight, Shasta is scraped and the Narnians rescue the Archenlanders' capital from siege by the Tashbaanites. The king of Archenland praises Shasta. He has learned that Shasta is actually his long-lost son who was taken away by enemies. Aravis and the horses are able to watch the battle. Bree the horse meets Aslan and is starts to become a more humble being. A procession arrives, and Aravis is introduced to the new prince of Archenland, which is Shasta, now called by his real name Cor. Aravis goes to live with Cor in the capital city of Archenland, and the two eventually marry. The prince of Tashbaan, taken captive in the battle, is urged to listen to conditions for his release. His pride brings Aslan, and Aslan turns him into a donkey (not permanently). The book ends with a description of life for Cor and his brother and for Aravis.
[The setting is that a boy has found himself in a land that he doesn't know. He is travelling by horse to go relay an urgent message. He finds himself alone, it is night, and scarily he finds that some animal is walking right beside his horse. He can only get hints of it but knows that it is large and seemingly very fearsome. He finally gets up the courage to ask, "Who are you?" (This is the world of Narnia, where there are talking animals) The animal reassures him and says, "Tell me your sorrows." So the boy recounts his misadventures. Now it is important to insert here that the boy has throughout his journies kept finding himself chased by lions.
The boy finishes his story, and the animal says, "I do not call you unfortunate." But the boy says, "Don't you think it was bad luck to meet so many lions?" The animal says, "There was only one lion." "How do you know?" "I was the lion."
"And as Shasta gaped with open mouth and said nothing, the Voice continued: 'I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you could reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you.' 'Then it was you who wounded Aravis?' 'It was I.' 'But what for?' 'Child,' said the Voice. 'I am telling you your story, not hers.'"]
The meaning crystallizes in that one scene. The whole question up to then relates to identity. In Shasta, the main character, and in Bree, his horse (or backwards, as the title gives it), you have two characters that are needing to know or needing to live out of their true identity. Shasta does not know it, he has lived all his life with one not his father and has no inkling of where he is from or who he is. Bree, the horse, knows where he is from but has been gone so long and been in such a different place that he doesn't really know how he will fit in again. He's scared about being who he is.
Bree is not quite a changed character, which is part of his interest. At one point, he shows himself as a coward. He sulks and later has to face up to his cowardice again. As is described so beautifully in the book, all he has lost is his "self-conceits." He doesn't really need those, of course. But he has built his understanding of his identity upon those self regardings and hangs onto them even after they have been exposed.
With all the lingering question in the reader about identity issues for these characters, the Aslan scene is devastatingly piercing beyond into an even deeper reality. For there after, Shasta will not be one who is trying to find his identity but one who has been encountered by Aslan. That will forever afterward mark him.
One of Lewis' highest contributions is his depiction of Aslan across the span of the books. Because Aslan always appears somewhat different. He is completely unpredictable. Your imagination wouldn't have him coming via these unusual ways. He's never boring, you're never quite sure if you know him or not. You remember the images of his previous incarnations, but each new episode shows you more and more about him. A new revelation each time. Is that not perfectly fitting of our Lord? Who would have put him in the garden on hands and knees, praying with deep cries to His Father? Who would think of how He responded to this or that situation? Who would be like He was?
One of the lingering effects of this book was to just look at myself every now and then and say, "Am I acting like a fool? How am I doing" Not how do I want to be looking, but how I do actually appear in light of the light of day? How do my actions really match up? When I am not being brave, I try to encourage myself to remember what bravery consists of and try to return to that. I try to remember the consequences of acting like an ass and turn myself from that path before I get there. Because if you know someone's actions, you know their destiny. These books are wonderful in that manner. The one who has not done what is right has to answer for what they did. It's a morality play where a reckoning happens in the end. Aslan is that judge at the end of these books. It's a good reminder that maybe it's better to be thinking about fair play and doing what is good rather than chasing our desires. So easy to do the latter. So, that's A Horse and His Boy.
Synopsis: A boy, Shasta, lives in a fishing village with someone who is not his father. The father cowardly agrees to sell the boy into slavery to a passing Tashbaanite. The boy goes outside and ends up discovering the man's horse is a Talking one. The horse convinces the boy to escape. They ride off into the night, and the horse teaches the boy how to ride. While running away from lions, the two come across another rider with a Talking horse. It is a girl, Aravis, who also has run away. She has fled an ordained marriage to an evil noble of the kingdom of Tashbaan. She is a person of breeding.
The four journey on, and their road leads them to the city of Tashbaan, where Shasta is mistaken for someone else and is separated from the others. Shasta ends up in the company of Susan and Edmund, two of the four siblings from The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe. Shasta hears of the evil plans of the prince of Tashbaan and of Edmund and Susan's plans to get away. Meanwhile, the boy that Shasta has been mistaken for comes back, and Shasta leaves to reunite with his friends. Before he does, he has to spend a scary night in the Tombs of the Dead. A cat comforts him and keeps him safe. Meanwhile, back in Tashbaan, Aravis learns of the prince's plan to attack Archenland and Narnia to get back Susan, whom he is trying to court but who despises him. Aravis, Shasta, and the two horses make for Archenland to go warn its king of the impending attack. Their chase takes them to a hermit, who welcomes them in and gives them refreshment. Shasta, however, must run on by foot to take the urgent message. He meets up with the King of Archenland's company and warns them of danger. He takes up with them but cannot keep up with his horse. Left behind, he becomes aware of the Lion, and the two meet. Aslan has ushered him into Narnia, and he gets words to the Narnians so that they can aid their neighbors, the Archenlanders. Shasta falls in with Edmund and Lucy, and his lookalike convinces him to sneak into the army and go to the battle.
In the ensuing fight, Shasta is scraped and the Narnians rescue the Archenlanders' capital from siege by the Tashbaanites. The king of Archenland praises Shasta. He has learned that Shasta is actually his long-lost son who was taken away by enemies. Aravis and the horses are able to watch the battle. Bree the horse meets Aslan and is starts to become a more humble being. A procession arrives, and Aravis is introduced to the new prince of Archenland, which is Shasta, now called by his real name Cor. Aravis goes to live with Cor in the capital city of Archenland, and the two eventually marry. The prince of Tashbaan, taken captive in the battle, is urged to listen to conditions for his release. His pride brings Aslan, and Aslan turns him into a donkey (not permanently). The book ends with a description of life for Cor and his brother and for Aravis.
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posted by David at 5:25 PM
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