The Horse and His Boy | Chapter 3: At the Gates of Tashbaan

Chapter Summary:

This chapter opens with Aravis telling her story. Aravis says that she is from a line that extends back to the Calormene god Tash. One day, her father (Kidrash Tarkaan) determined to marry her off to a much older man. Aravis took her horse, Hwin, and went into the woods where she tried to kill herself. Hwin stopped Aravis at the last moment by speaking to her and telling her about Narnia.

Aravis devised a plan to escape to Narnia with Hwin. Aravis asked her father permission to go into the woods for a three-day pre-marriage ritual to a god, and was granted this request. So, Aravis fled on Hwin. The day that Aravis and Shasta met was the fourth day since her escape.

The journey of Bree, Shasta, Hwin, and Aravis continued, until they were nearly at the city Tashbaan. Hwin suggested that they all--horses and humans--disguise themselves as poor, peasant horses and humans to try to safely make their way through the center of Tashbaan. They also agreed to meet at the Tombs of the Ancient Kings on the other side of Tashbaan if they happened to get separated.

Over the next few days, Aravis and Shasta compiled the items they would need for their disguise. 

Reflection:

Aravis's story--with all of its lofty language and interruptions by Shasta--is very easy to pass over as insubstantial. What it takes reflection and observation to realize, however, is that the story we are reading is one of a ruined life followed by a very narrowly thwarted suicide attempt. And on top of that, we're talking about a fairly young girl here. Yeesh, you say, the text probably doesn't quite say it that harshly, right? No, but that's the point. It is a bit muted for the sake of young readers, but it is what it is. Here's the primary part of this passage I'm referring to (this is Aravis speaking):

"'When this news was brought to me ...[I] caused my mare Hwin to be saddled and took with me a sharp dagger... And when my father's house was out of sight and I was come to a green open place in a certain wood where there were no dwellings of men, I dismounted from Hwin my mare and took out the dagger. Then I parted my clothes where I thought the readiest way lay to my heart and I prayed to all the gods that as soon as I was dead I might find myself with my brother. After that I shut my eyes and prepared to drive the dagger into my heart" (p. 151).

At this point, Hwin spoke aloud and saved Aravis from an almost-certain suicide. This is almost undoubtedly the most adult-ish content we have encountered in TCON thus far. While Narnia was presented in an almost utopia-like manner (yes, even when under the spell of the White Witch), Calormene is a good deal more rough around the edges. You could never imagine a child being married off to a man significantly older than her in Narnia--much less could you imagine a suicide attempt occurring in Narnia--it's too much of a place of joy and peace and community for something like that to occur.

What is more interesting is that both during and after the story, Shasta interrupts with questions. Not once does he ever address her suicide attempt (nor is it ever spoken of elsewhere in this chapter after Aravis has completed her story). This chapter comes as a sad reminder that there are people--even children--out there in the world who are in critically difficult situations. It is a reminder to be thankful for the childhood that you had, or perhaps it is a reminder of your childhood, and that you do not suffer alone. Regardless of the emotional strings it pulls, this is a chapter that is much more related to the common sufferings of our real world than much of the other Narnian stories we have encountered thus far. It is, I believe, part of the process of making this fantasy feel more real.