The Horse and His Boy | Chapter 7: Aravis in Tashbaan

Chapter Summary:

This chapter begins immediately after Shasta is first grabbed on the street and mistaken for the Archenland Prince. Aravis sees what occurs, and remains calm. Moments later however, she sees a childhood friend, Lasaraleen, being carried down the street as well. They lock eyes, and Lasaraleen begins shouting Aravis's name. 

Aravis jumps onto Lasaraleen's litter (the flat surface she is being carried on), draws the curtains shut, and tells her to be quiet. Aravis gets Lasaraleen to tell her slaves to grab the horses. Aravis quickly learns that her father is in the city searching for her, and she tells Lasaraleen her plan to escape. Lasaraleen, meanwhile, is only interested in discussing clothing, politics, material items, and herself.

When Aravis finally gets Lasaraleen to listen to her, they devise a plan to enter the Tisroc's house (where Lasaraleen is welcome) during the following night and help Aravis find a secret path through the Tisroc's garden to the river/desert. This involves a great deal of secrecy on the part of the slaves and of Lasaraleen and Aravis.

The following night, they go into the Tisroc's house, with Aravis disguised as a slave. They are nearing the garden where Aravis can escape. Suddenly, the Tisroc himself is seen walking toward them. They escape into a side room and hide behind a couch, only to find that the Tisroc enters the room after them, along with Prince Rabadash and Aravis's husband-to-be (that she is fleeing) Ashoshta Tarkaan (the Grand Vizier).

Reflection:

Despite the number of villians we have encountered in TCON thus far, I find that Lasaraleen is one of the most unlikable characters we have encountered thus far. What makes her so awful, I think, is how most of us can relate to her--nearly everyone has a friend like Lasaraleen. Here's what the narrator has to say about her:

"Although Lasaraleen had said she was dying to hear Aravis's story, she showed no sign of really wanting to hear it at all. She was, in fact, much better at talking than at listening... The fuss she made about choosing the dresses nearly drove Aravis mad. She remembered now that Lasaraleen had always been like that, interested in clothes and parties and gossip" (p. 170).

Lasaraleen is our quintessential literary narcissist (ok, Dorian Gray probably has her beat, but let's not argue the fine details), who cares primarily for herself, secondly for the material--wealth, clothes, jewelry--and others come last. 

We have certainly all had a friend like Lasaraleen, and if not a friend, we have had a conversation with someone like her. This is the type of person that is just sitting on the edge of their chair to get a word in during the conversation, primarily to talk about themselves. I have most certainly known individuals like this, though I can't (and wouldn't) name them by name here. (After all, how different would that be from Lasaraleen's gossip?) Indeed, friends like Lasaraleen are a struggle on the best days. They generally have rather low self-awareness despite the self-love they exhibit. And in general, their company feels like running from the room as fast as possible. Aravis feels similarly:

"Aravis ... was so tired of Lasaraleen's silliness by now that, for the first time, she began to think that traveling with Shasta was really rather more fun than fashionable life in Tashbaan" (p. 171-72).

You know you're around a narcissist when spending time with someone else you don't find enjoyable suddenly sounds appealing. Unfortunately for Aravis, with Lasaraleen's silliness comes a complete disregard for the difficulty of Aravis's situation. What's worse is that Lasaraleen, I believe, does understand the perilous nature of Aravis's situation--she just doesn't care enough to feel any empathy toward Aravis. Here's the conversation that occurs when Lasaraleen and Aravis are discussing the plan to enter the Tisroc's house/garden to create an escape route for Aravis:

"'I might run in and see any of the palace ladies at any hour of day or night. Why shouldn't I slip in with you, after dark, and let you out by the water-door? There are always a few punts and things tied up outside it. And even if we were caught--' 

'All would be lost,' said Aravis. 

'Oh darling, don't get so excited,' said Lasaraleen. 'I was going to say, even if we were caught everyone would only say it was one of my mad jokes... Only the other day--do listen, dear, this is frightfully funny--' 

'I meant, all would be lost for me,' said Aravis a little sharply.

Empathy is not a quality that Lasaraleen possesses, and she cannot--she is too worried about herself. In the words of the narrator, Aravis's choice to make eye contact with Lasaraleen was "her first mistake" (p. 169) and "it was fatal" (p. 169). This is not a good situation for Aravis, and it is easy to understand why--she has the most nonchalant of companions to accompany her during one of the most important and stressful moments of her life. Bummer. Let us hope that Aravis finds better company.