The Horse and His Boy

Today we look at the fifth book in the Chronicles of Narnia, the Horse and His Boy. But first, let’s say Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all our listeners, especially those from outside the USA.

We begin with a brief look at Narnia geography in order to help the listeners understand the story and then say a few words about how Lewis found God revealed in both Nature and Reason.

This story is not a quest tale like The Silver Chair or a “journey” tale, like The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Rather, it is the story of a race and a rescue. Briefly told, Narnia is in danger of being invaded and conquered by a surprise attack from one of the lands to the south. Aslan chooses an unlikely rescue party of two Narnian talking horses, Bree and Hwin, and a young boy (Shasta) and Calormene girl (Aravis). They must race the invaders across a desert to deliver their warning in time.

The main themes that drive the story are the search for identity by the 4 heroes and the idea of Providence, that is, the idea that God controls the events in the world to achieve God’s own purposes. Or, as it is said in the story, Aslan is at the back of all the stories that happen.