The Horse and His Boy has a very different feel than C. S. Lewis's other works. Though I have only ever read The Lion, The Witch, and his Wardrobe, this one stood out as having a somewhat more serious feel. The language, however, was familiar, and very engaging with the audience. I thought his style of writing was captivating, especially for children who may be reading his book. One theme The Horse and His Boy addressed constantly was freedom. We see this idea from early on, with Shasta and his "father" and with Bree. While the two of them are able to escape slavery momentarily, they are still someone enslaved in it. The slavery exists because of this tension between the Narnians and the Calormen. Narnians are seen to be the most free because they are a representation of Christians. On the other hand, the Calormen are thought to represent an antithesis to freedom. For example, Susan fears she may have to marry the prince, thus being his slave. I believe that their definitions of freedom are to be free from oppression. They see the Calormen as their oppressors, and therefore, wish to be free from it. Conversely, I believe their definition of slavery is to be oppressed. For example, when Bree was a slave, he was oppressed because he could not reveal he was from Narnia out of the fear of something happening to him.
It’s interesting that as we discuss, we sometimes on the surface, think of freedom as a you're either in or your out kind of ordeal. However, as you’ve said, the idea of freedom is a complicated one as we see Shasta and Bree’s “escape” while also remaining tense about their existence. The Narnians view the Calormens as threats to their lives but, most importantly, their freedoms. Isn’t the Narnians perspective of freedom oppressive to the Calormens, though, too?
I would think so! I would think we'd have a very different conversation about this if we were looking at things from a Calormen perspective...
Your post really brings to attention the incredible connection between fear and freedom in this book. We see over and over again, but especially from Bree, that those with freedom are desperately afraid of that freedom being taken or withheld. It really highlights, I think, the fragility of freedom in the novel,