Freedom and Sovereignty: The Horse and His Boy

In this episode of Faith Fables, we take a look at The Horse and His Boy and explore how C.S. Lewis contrasts courage with carelessness. We connect Narnia’s vision of freedom and justice to Scripture, then end by seeing what kind of societies freedom can lead to. 

Let me know in the comments what you think about The Horse and His Boy. Is this a book you'd like to read or ever re-read?

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Transcript

Intro

SPEAKER_00 0:21

Hello and welcome back to Faithful Fables, the podcast dedicated to exploring the Christian themes in fantasy stories. Now, I was thinking about the show and how I could possibly make it better and easier on this side of things, and then it hit me. You know, this show, it's supposed to be about the themes in the stories. And so I figured, let's focus on what the themes are. And lately it's been more, well, since we started really, it's been more story analysis, character analysis, and then the themes within there. And don't get me wrong, I enjoy doing those types of episodes. However, I was thinking, you know, it is quite a bit of extra work. And not that I don't enjoy it, but also just saying every episode like the podcast dedicated to exploring the themes. Let's actually focus on that. And so last time we talked about The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis, and today we're gonna take a deeper look into the themes within that story. But before we get into this episode, I want to run something by you guys, the listeners, the supporters. I still enjoy making those story and character analysis type of episodes, and so I'm contemplating making a member-only subscription where members can get access to these types of episodes, as well as another series that I'm thinking of producing. So there would be other benefits as well, but if this interests you, then let me know in the comments and comments and keep an eye out for it. This is something that I would want to keep affordable because I know what it's like when I want to support a podcast that I like, but I'm unable to afford it. And so I want to keep that in mind for all of you. In the meantime, please enjoy this episode of Faithful Fables. Now there are a couple themes in The Horse and His Boy that I would like to highlight in this episode. And those themes include courage versus carelessness, gender roles, and freedom and justice. And I'm sure that there will be some other themes throughout that we will go over, but let's start with courage versus carelessness.

Courage vs Carelessness

SPEAKER_00 3:01

Shasta is a character that has a rough upbringing. He grows up with a man named Arshish who took him in as a baby. Now, Arshish is not kind to Shasta. If Arshish didn't sell enough fish at the market, he would take it out on Shasta and even sometimes beat him. Shasta grows up not trusting adults for various and I think obvious reasons. Shasta's adventures in The Horse and His Boy show his growth from just humble beginnings to great acts of courage that he would not normally do. So his first act of courage is when he decides to trust Brie, a talking horse with whom he risks his life escaping his life with Arshish, to head to Narnia, where they both would be free instead of being sold into slavery. Now, more on that later. Throughout the story we see Shasta grow in courage, and another example of this is when Shasta is alone in the tombs and is afraid of ghouls, but his courage led to Aslan protecting him at night, keeping him warm and scaring off the jackals. Then, as the cries came nearer and nearer, he began to change his mind. He was just going to run for it when suddenly, between him and the desert, a huge animal bounded into view. The moon was behind it. It looked quite black, and Shasta did not know what it was, except that it had a very big, shaggy head and went on four legs. It did not seem to have noticed Shasta, for it suddenly stopped, turned its head toward the desert, and let out a roar which echoed through the tombs and seemed to shake the sand under Shasta's feet. The cries of the other creature suddenly stopped, and he thought he could hear feet scampering away. Then the great beast turned to examine Shasta. It's a lion! I know it's a lion, thought Shasta. I'm done. I wonder, will it hurt much? I wish it was over. I wonder, does anything happen to people after they're dead? Oh, here it comes. And he shut his eyes and his teeth tight. But instead of teeth and claws, he only felt something warm laying down at his feet. And when he opened his eyes, he said, Why, it's not nearly as big as I thought. It's only half the size. No, it's not even a quarter the size. I do declare, it's only a cat. I must have dreamed all that about it being as big as a horse. And whether he really had been dreaming or not, what was now laying at his feet and staring him out of countenance with its big, green, unwinkling eyes, was a cat, though certainly one of the biggest cats he had ever seen. This is an example of Shasta being afraid, but the fact that he was there and he was willing to try provided him with Aslan being there and protecting him. And another example of his courage is probably the most powerful example of his courage, is when a lion attacks Erevis and Wynne. So he tells Brie that they need to go back and help them. Brie is a war horse, was too afraid and kept going. So Shasta jumps off of Brie's back and he runs back. And he has no weapons, and he just yells at the lion to go away. And it does. And he took a leap of faith to help his friends, and it r resulted in a positive outcome. Now the other side of this is carelessness, and we see that in the carelessness of Prince Rabidash. He thought that his 200 men would be enough to defeat the Narnian and Arkinland armies, but he was severely wrong. His reasons for attacking these other nations was very selfish in nature. He wanted to not only because as the Tizrock, you know, and he would be Tizrock one day, like they're obsessed with expanding their their rule and their territory, and and they want to conquer these other nations. But he was also selfish in the sense that he wanted to marry Queen Susan, and he was even willing to wage war over her and marry her by force if needed. Whereas Shasta was selfless when he went back to save Erebus and Huen. And so we see that contrast between courage and carelessness, and obviously Rabadash being quite careless and really just motivated by his selfish desires. This ultimately leads to the downfall, which we talked about in the last episode. And so now the next theme that I want to talk about is gender

Gender Roles

SPEAKER_00 8:39

rules. The horse and his voice shows us that marriages throughout history and unfortunately some still today are very unbalanced. C.S. Lewis is using an extreme anecdote to illustrate this point. Erevis' age is not directly mentioned in the story, but we know that she is still quite young, and I think maybe like early teens, like tween tween to early teens, maybe. Um but regardless, she is in an arranged marriage to Ahoshta or Hoshta, the grand vizier of Calorman, who is a much, much older man than her. Arevis's friend who she she meets in the story, um she reconnects with, I should say, her friend Lazarin, encourages Erevis to go through with the arrangement because this was the cultural norm. Now, cultural norms do not make things right or wrong, by the way, just so you know. Even if that was the cultural norm to, you know, marry for old guys to marry young girls, doesn't make it right. Just gonna throw that out there. So Erevis knew that this was wrong, and she was actively trying to escape it. This marriage would not be moral and was definitely not equal to say the least. Eravus also doesn't like it when people treat her as any other girl, right? Because she grew up in this higher class in Calerman, but women in the higher social class still didn't have any power. So in contrast, Narnia was a nation where men and women were equal, and we see this illustrated in the Kings and Queens of Narnia. Peter and Edmund had just as much power and influence as Susan and Lucy. Of course, Peter was the high king, so he may have had bigger influence in that respect, but the point of equality in Narnia remains. Now it's actually Lucy who suggests that they show Rabidash mercy and they listen to her. Now in cultures today and in history, these sorts of things existed. And Lewis was using this story to show the evils that come from these injustices. While the Bible does state that there are specific gender roles, these different gender roles are designed to complement each other and do not create inequality if practiced in a healthy way. Now the next theme that I want to talk about is freedom and

Freedom and Justice

SPEAKER_00 11:38

justice. Now I think freedom and justice is probably the biggest theme, if not one of the biggest themes in this book. Shasta grew up in Calorman. And you know what, if you want more information on Calorman, I did a whole YouTube video about it. So check out the Faithful Fables YouTube, and I'll try to remember to uh to link that video in the episode description. So go check that out. I go into some detail about the country itself, but this was a country where slavery was normal to the culture, much like child marriage. But now, yes, so remember Voyage of the Don Treader, right? The last series we did, when Caspian and Crew put an end to the slave trade in Calerman. Now that was actually like generations, like that was much later than the horse and his boy. And so it continued for years and years in that country. And I I wanted to just mention that be to show like this was like almost pivotal to that country. And now in the horse and his boy, we see early on that a stranger comes to talk with Arshish Arshish, sorry, and Shasta is nearly sold into slavery. I'm going to now to read a little bit from the book to just kinda give you some more detail about that. And now, O my host, said the Tarkon, I have a mind to buy that boy of yours. Oh my master, replied the fisherman, and Shasta knew by the wheedling tone the greedy look that was probably coming into his face as he said it. What price could induce your servant, poor though he is, to sell into slavery his only child and his own flesh? Has not one of the poets said, Natural affection is stronger than soup and offspring more precious than carbuncles? It is even so, replied the guest dryly, but another poet has likewise said, He who attempts to deceive the judicious is already bearing his own back for the scourge. Do not load your aged mouth with falsehoods. This boy is manifestly no son of yours, for your cheek is as dark as mine, but the boy is fair and white, like the accursed but beautiful barbarians who inhabit the remote north. How well it was said, answered the fisherman, that swords can be kept off with shields, but the eye of wisdom pierces through every defence. Know then, O my formidable guest, that because of my extreme poverty I have never married and have no child, but in that same year in which the Tizroch, may he live forever, began his August and beneficent reign, on a night when the moon was at her full, it pleased the gods to deprive me of sleep. Therefore I arose from my bed in this hovel and went forth to the beach to refresh myself with looking upon the water and the moon and breathing in the cool air. And presently I heard a noise as of oars coming to me across the water, and then, as it were, a weak cry. And shortly after the tide brought to the land a little boat in which there was nothing but a man, lean with extreme hunger and thirst, who seemed to have died, but with a few moments before, for he was still warm, and an empty waterskin and a child, still living. Doubtless, said I, these unfortunate times have escaped from the wreck of a great ship. But by the admirable designs of the gods, the elder has starved himself to keep the child alive and has perished in sight of land. Accordingly, remembering how the gods never fail to reward those who befriend the destitute, and being moved by compassion, for your servant is a man of tender heart. Leave out all these idle words in your own praise, interrupted the Tarkon. It is enough to know that you took the child, and have had ten times the worth of his daily bread out of him in labor as any one can see. And now tell me at once what price you put on him, for I am weary with your loquacity. You yourself have wisely said, answered Arshish, that the boy's labor has been to me an inestimable amount. This must be taken into account in fixing the price, for if I sell the boy, I must undoubtedly either buy or hire another to do his work. I'll give you fifteen crescents for him, said the Tarkon. Fifteen cried Arshish in a voice that was something between a whine and a scream. fifteen for the prop of my old age and the delight of my eyes Do not mock my grey beard, Tarkon, though you be. My price is seventy. So Shasta overheard this whole conversation and this is what sparked his desire to escape. He always dreamt of what was north of Calerman because he never left home and no one knew what was to the north. And it was here, while overhearing this and that he met Bree, who was the Tarkon's horse. And to Shasta's surprise, Bree can talk. Shasta had been thinking that being a slave to someone so important as the Tarkon, that it might actually be a good life, that he'd be taken care of and all these things, but Brie corrects him and tells him that it wouldn't be. Now the two of them decide to run away together and find Narnia and freedom. Shasta grew up being taught that Narnia was a land filled with barbarians and savages. But as he discovered, it was actually a much freer place than he could have imagined. The reasons for this is because slavery does not exist in Narnia. Even the animals, talking and non-talking, are also free. Talking horses are only ridden in times of war, so there was huge amounts of freedom in Narnia, which is why Shasta, Bri, Ervis, and Wynne are all longing for Narnia and the freedom it brings. Narnia's monarchy is strong, but at the same time it offers freedom and cares about the subjects in their kingdom. On the other side of the equation, Calerman's oppression at the hand of the Tizrok and the Grand Vizier shows that they ultimately do not care for the subjects of the country, and we see that with Rabadash trying to make Susan his wife and just expanding their territory by violence. Yeah, so really, really important here, freedom and slavery, and and this makes me think I need to talk about slavery in the Bible. And this can be uh a touchy subject, controversial maybe, and I often hear critics claim that Christianity promotes or even encourages slavery, but I disagree. And as I studied this topic a little bit, I found that you know, in the Old Testament, one of the biggest miracles that we see is the Exodus, where God is literally bringing the Hebrew slaves out of slavery in Egypt. And while it is true that slavery is in the Bible, there's other things as well, like polygamy, murder, and many other sins that are also recorded, but yet the things that are recorded is not saying that these things are good. Much same with slavery. So while slavery is recorded like these other sins, it's not saying that it's good. The Bible gives instructions for slaves. Again, this is not an endorsement of slavery, just like how we are given instructions of what to do when we're persecuted, it's not an endorsement of persecution. Instead, what I see is the Bible helping people in those situations to navigate a culture that has these things already there. An example of this is Ephesians six, five to nine. It says, Bond servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart as to Christ. Not with eye service as men pleasers, but as bond servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing service as to the Lord, not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him. One interpretation is that proper translation of the word is bondservant, not slave. And that actually changes the whole meaning of the verse. And many times in the Bible it was actually a voluntary and it was voluntary in a way for people to. To pay off and work off their debts. And it's not necessarily the type of slavery we think of in our world today. This was not caused by poverty. Sorry, this was caused by poverty, not by racial status. And this indentured indentured indentured servitude, as they call it, was actually only for a certain period of time until the debt was worked off. It was voluntary and often a means of not starving, because as the servants you would be fed and you would have somewhere to live. So Paul is not outright saying that slavery is wrong, but he undercuts any reason for it to exist at all. Masters needed to do the same to their slaves, and if they do that, then there is no slavery. I think another example of the Bible helping to navigate this is found in Exodus 21, verse 26 to 27, that says, If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth. So if the master were to do some type of permanent harm to the servant, the servant would go free as a result. So this actually elevates the rights of those who were servants during that time. And it appears that the Bible is giving protection and elevating the rights for the servants. And that leads me to talk about Deuteronomy 23, verse 15 to 16, that says, You shall not give back to his master the slave who escaped from his master to you. He may dwell with you in your midst, in the place which he chooses within one of your gates, where it seems best to him. You shall not oppress him. And what this is saying is that if a master was not following the rules, or maybe he's being abusive or something, the servant could flee, he could run away. The other people in Israel were then required to help him and to hide him and provide him a place to stay. So yeah, it's regulating slavery, but just like Paul in Ephesians, it's in a way that brings godliness, protection, and help into the situation. What is talked about in the Bible is different than what we think of in our modern cart culture. Of course, we would often instantly think of the slave trade, the slave the slavery, I believe, is condemned in the pages of scripture, that type of slavery. And I think an example of that is 1 Timothy 110. For fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine. Now let's stop there. Kidnappers is on this list. Now this is a word that is implied like for the slave trade, because that that was part of it, right? You would kidnap, you'd and and stuff like that. And so whether it is in the Old Testament or the New Testament, this is evil, like kidnapping, and Christians should have no part in it. And so I think that right there kinda outlaws that type of slavery to begin with, because of that. The Bible throughout is condemning the things that make that kind of slavery exist. You know, the forced elements, the violence, the kidnapping, and it endorses that with God there is no partiality, like it says in Acts 1726, and he has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth. And you know what? We're all humans. Period. We all come from one blood, made in the image of God, and that gets rid of this idea of racism altogether. And I think this is what C. S. Lewis was likely trying to illustrate with Narnia, that there is no racism, no slavery, just none of that at all. That everyone, from the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve, to the talking beasts and even to the dumb beasts, are all free creatures because of Aslan. And it is in sharp contrast to what we see in Callerman. And I think part of why C.S. Lewis made Callerman so harsh and I don't know how to say it, I guess, but just that it was so evil, is to show that contrast. I think there was other reasons that he used those things. And if you go and watch that video I did on Calerman, you you'll kind of get more on that. I think it was I'll just say it like this, I think it was maybe kind of a polemic against Islam, but I won't get into that too much here. But we see the importance of freedom and just the kind of love and equality that the Bible teaches, and I think that's what we see from Narnia as well. So the next thing that I want to talk about is sovereignty. Now,

Sovereignty

SPEAKER_00 29:03

I'm not gonna get too much into this, there's a lot that we could talk about on this topic, and I think later episodes will have that as well. But Aslan, the king of all kings and king over all kingdoms, exemplifies this in the way that he deals with Rabadash. Now instead of just killing Rabadash, Aslan turns him into a donkey. Now if Rabadash would learn an important lesson, and we talked about that in the last episode, he would receive mercy. I think not killing him and turning him into a donkey is a sign of mercy in itself. It is also a form of punishment which is just. Aslan is sovereign by giving Rabadash many chances and letting Rabadash make his own choices. Aslan didn't cause or ordain Rabadash to behave the way he did, but he gave him chance after chance, but Rabadash hardened his heart for so long that he made the choice to continue to reject Aslan and his love. And I think we see that example in scripture with Pharaoh, where God was giving Pharaoh chance after chance to let the Israelites go, but Pharaoh kept rejecting and kept hardening his own heart to the point where God was like, okay, then you go. Then you have that, right? And I think it's the same here with Rabidash. And for me, this is a perfect example of God's sovereignty. Yes, he is ruler over all, and he does what he pleases, but this includes allowing us to make choices for ourselves, and in his sovereignty gives us free will. I think Lewis understood this and once again makes it clear in this illustration with Rabidash. Overall, this story shows us that freedom is required for a just society, and that a lack of freedom leads to injustice. Thank you everyone for tuning into this episode of Faithful Fables. You know, it's been one year. I

Close

SPEAKER_00 31:20

forgot to announce that at the beginning of the episode, but this last June 30th was one year since I launched Faithful Fables, and I want to just thank everybody for the support. It's been a great year, and let's keep going with another good year. Let's get even better. And just thank you for coming along this journey with me and exploring some of the Christian themes in the Chronicles of Narnia. I know it's a very niche topic, but I know that there are people out there that are interested in this sort of thing, and I hope that I find more of you as we go here. Maybe a book that is not as popular in the series, but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot, and as we just saw, there's a lot of lessons that we can learn from a book like this, and that gets me excited to see what's coming next. So let me know what you think about having an option for Faithful Fables membership and with bonus episodes and more. Let me know then in the comments what you think about that. Let me know what you think about The Horse and His Boy. Was it a book that you're interested in? Maybe now you want to read or reread. Uh I'm curious to know your thoughts. Just uh yeah, feel free to leave a comment. And you know what? Until next time, you already know. Stay faithful.