The Horse and His Boy: Chapter 3 “At the Gates of Tashbaan”
C.S. Lewis Read-Along, Vol. 5, Issue 4
Background: Both Aravis and Bree reveal deep pride that must be overcome for the journey to Narnia to be a success. It takes a type of dying for us to move beyond pride. But God is pleased even with our stumbles, provided we are stumbling in the right direction.
Quote:
“My dear Madam,” said Bree. “Have you pictured to yourself how disagreeable it would be to arrive in Narnia in that condition?”
“Well,” said Hwin humbly (she was a very sensible mare), “the main thing is to get there.”
Chapter 3 “At the Gates of Tashbaan”
This chapter marks the second time in The Chronicles of Narnia that we have an extended story within a story. In Prince Caspian, Trumpkin’s recap of Caspian’s early life and nascent rebellion against his uncle took four chapters, while Aravis’ escape story is less than a chapter. Also, the narrator in Prince Caspian states that he removed all the questions and interruptions, whereas those are included here.
As we begin Aravis’ story, we should note that what she says is dark. You may not expect C.S. Lewis to deal with attempted suicide and arranged child marriages in his children’s fairy tale, but that’s precisely the vehicle he thought best to deal with difficult and frightening subjects.
To those who asserted that children’s stories should never scare a child, Lewis pointed out that this was reflective of our fallen world. Children will be more comforted by hearing heroic stories of overcoming evil than by stories that assume evil is non-existent. In “On Three Ways of Writing for Children,” he says, “Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise, you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.”
