This is an interesting book, because it actually takes place during the time when the Pevensies are still in Narnia during The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe.

The theme could be seen as a longing for something greater. Shasta was a journey to Narnia, making him realize he was made for something greater, to save Archenland and Narnia from destruction. For Aravis, it was a journey of a better life than an arranged marriage.

These characters do change throughout. Shasta could be view as "a diamond in the rough"... you think he's a common slave at first, then it turns out he's a Prince of Archenland. Aravis is an upper class Tarkheena, but stands out from most Calormenes (that's what makes her and Emeth from The Last Battle stand out from the other Calormenes, because they both demonstrate humility). Bree learns how to be a wiser horse, and Hwin is sensible.

I have been listening to the book. I was struck by the different backgrounds of the characters and their morals.

I remember that my elementary school teacher read The Horse and His Boy to us when I was in the fifth grade.  That was my first exposure to the book decades ago. Has anyone else had the book read to them before they read it themselves?  I don’t know if today’s school teachers still read books to the their students. The same teacher read The Lion,The Witch, and the Wardrobe and The Silver Chair. She dramatized the story like an actor would. I don’t know if all of today’s teachers would have the gift of storytelling, but if they do they can make the story come alive.  🙂

This thread will be closing soon. Please get in any last posts by May 2nd.

Posted by: @narnian78

I remember that my elementary school teacher read The Horse and His Boy to us when I was in the fifth grade.  That was my first exposure to the book decades ago. Has anyone else had the book read to them before they read it themselves?  I don’t know if today’s school teachers still read books to the their students. The same teacher read The Lion,The Witch, and the Wardrobe and The Silver Chair. She dramatized the story like an actor would. I don’t know if all of today’s teachers would have the gift of storytelling, but if they do they can make the story come alive.  🙂

Yes, teachers reading to you can make books more interesting. Another way we learned was listening to radio performances, of favourite children's books. When the ordinary state schools of 1957-1959 had episodes of famous people, like Leif Eriksson, Robert the Bruce, Leonidas etc, re-enacted on radio, for whole classes to listen to, it made my day. 

I didn't always have my own copies of these books but later, bought them to read to my own children. When the Hermit was retelling to Aravis, Hwin & Bree what was happening at Anvard in his magical backyard pool, I thought to read it like the commentators do at the cricket or football, with a slow description at first until the action heats up, when I should get more excitement into my voice. 

Actually, sports commentating is a fine art and half the fun of sport. 

@twigs

Shasta was reared by a fisherman and thus has learned not to tell grown-ups anything. On the other hand he believes what Bree calls raiding is stealing, so he learned at least some about right and wrong. Corin has learned to tell the truth and is offended when Shasta hints Corin might not tell the truth but doesn't mind sneaking out and settling any dispute with his fist.

That shows the difference between trust and fear. Shasta is likely to get a good deal more than a telling-off if he behaved as freely as Corin does. Shasta with the poor fisherman, is little better than a slave already, expected to get chores done and to work for his keep, as the Tarkaan, Anradin points out. And as events turn out, Shasta was right not to tell adults anything, certainly not Arsheesh, who doesn't seem all that imaginative, anyway. And when Bree & Shasta steal away, they want to get away for dear life. 

Whilst Corin is free to do as he sees fit, & goes where he likes. That is not to say that Susan & Edmund wouldn't worry about him. Tashbaan, like Istanbul, is supposed to be a big city. No, even Prince Corin was behaving a bit selfishly and no, he would not have been at liberty to wander off when Susan, Edmund & their entourage felt so much responsibility for his welfare. 

Spoilers:

I love how the characters are portrayed in this book!

Aravis changes a lot.  When we first meet her, she introduces herself by her family lineage and when Shasta asks what happened to the servant girl that she drugged, Aravis just shrugs it off and says something like 'doubtless she was beaten for sleeping late, but she was a tool of my stepmothers and I'm glad that she would be beaten'.  She thinks of herself as better than a slave on account of being a Taakheena.  She also has pride entering into Tashbaan, thinking that the men would all jump to attention if they knew who she was.  She also seems to think that she's better than Shasta.

Her time with Lasaralene changes her a bit - where she reflects that she would enjoy being with Shasta more than with her friend in Tashbaan and she admits that she won't be anyone special in Narnia either.

Though she does not want to be a man's property - being sold into marriage against her will, she nevertheless looks at Shasta (and others including her Step Mother's servant) in terms of the same world view that is oppressing her.

When she meets Aslan, he teaches her to feel compassion for the servant that she harmed and she is of course humbled by Shasta's bravery just before they meet the hermit.

Bree's journey is almost a caricatured version of Aravis's journey.  He boasts about being a great war horse and jokes about a horse like him carrying a potato sack like Shasta in his' saddle.  (Neither Bree nor Aravis suspect that this boy they are putting down is actually a prince).  Bree is vein - worrying about what Narnian's will think of his rolling on his back and whether his tail will be fit for Narnian company.  He puts Hwin down when she make sensible suggestions about how to escape their situations.

Bree is humbled by Shasta's bravery, by the wise words of the Hermit ('you've only lost your pride, it doesn't stand that you will be anyone special in Narnia, but as long as you know you're no one special, you will be quite a decent chap') and of course by his encounter with Aslan, "Aslan, I think I've been rather a fool").

Shasta has the opposite journey.  He begins dreaming of something better than his current life.  Once he and Bree escape together, he seems quite resentful of how Calormenes treat him and of how he perceives Aravis to be standoffish around him.

He has an untrusting attitude to those around him.  When he's at the tombs, he worries that Aravis, Bree and Hwin will leave without him - and justifies it as 'it's just the sort of thing that Aravis would do!' because he has this fear that he isn't really valued and has grown up under Ashish.

I like that Shasta acts bravely not to prove himself but simply because he cares about Hwin and Aravis. He ultimately overcomes his little man / victim complex when he encounters Aslan and discovers how valued he is to the king over all kings.

Sorry, a bit of a ramble, but I got excited.

Posted by: @davidd

  (Neither Bree nor Aravis suspect that this boy they are putting down is actually a prince).

I think it's interesting that Aravis has the better attitude after being humbled. She wants to apologize to Shasta whereas Bree just throws a big pity party for himself. You'd expect him, the Narnian, to be nobler than Aravis the Calormene character.

Posted by: @col-klink

Posted by: @davidd

  (Neither Bree nor Aravis suspect that this boy they are putting down is actually a prince).

I think it's interesting that Aravis has the better attitude after being humbled. She wants to apologize to Shasta whereas Bree just throws a big pity party for himself. You'd expect him, the Narnian, to be nobler than Aravis the Calormene character.

Aw, but give poor Bree a break.   He has been made a fuss of by even the slave-owner Tarkhaan Anradin,  since he was intelligent, responsive and when he absolutely was better than the other horses he was stabled with. He'd persuaded Shasta to run away with him, and until they met up with Aravis & Hwin, the idea of a talking horse never occurred to any of them. Even in slavery, a war horse like Bree would be more respected than a girl's pony like Hwin, who also had to deal with the fact that Aravis was still her owner. It is Hwin's intervention that gives Aravis the inspiration to escape her fate as the Grand Vizier's wife.

You see, Bree just sees Aravis as a young girl, about the same age as Shasta, himself, who by rights shouldn't be getting married at all, let alone to that disgusting old creep, Ahoshta. I don't think Bree really understood that Aravis had something genuine to flee from. When one hears from Lazaraleen that Aravis' father was looking all over for her, it is easy to put her in the same boat as Prince Corin's going missing in Tashbaan & the Narnian search to find him. 

 @davidd

She thinks of herself as better than a slave on account of being a Taakheena.  She also has pride entering into Tashbaan, thinking that the men would all jump to attention if they knew who she was.  She also seems to think that she's better than Shasta.

And, of course, Bree encourages this snobbery, when he can boast of his many warlike adventures plus throw in a rather careless mention of Aravis' admired older brother. But had she remained at home, to marry Ahoshta, make no mistake, she would have been a slave, herself, as his wife. Yes, Aravis looks down on Ahoshta because of his lowly birth, not only because he is miles too old for her to marry and physically repulsive for her to look at as well. How old is Aravis, anyway? Still hardly much older than Susan would have been when she entered Narnia, however much older she was supposed to be, in Horse and His Boy. Old enough, maybe, to dream about what sort of boyfriend she would like, like Susan perhaps, at the end of LWW?

But surely not to be stuck in an arranged marriage, like Aravis was close to have ended up in. Where she is being married for her position in life, and for what her bridegroom was likely to get out of the arrangement. What do we learn about Rabadash, when he is considered handsome, according to Lazaraleen? By the way, where is her own husband, I wonder?

Ahoshta's lack of male good looks, makes no difference in Calormene society, when what he has managed to achieve in becoming Grand Vizier seems to make everyone else seem to see him as respectable, even Lazaraleen, for his palaces & ropes of pearls. It is only when Aravis gets a good view of Ahoshta from behind the sofa, that she starts realising what sort of a slimy go-getting, sycophantic person he was.