C.S. Lewis’ novel The Horse and His Boy, part of The Chronicles of Narnia series, contains several important Christian themes that resonate with biblical teachings. At its core, the story is one of salvation, redemption, and relying on God even in the darkest of times.
Salvation and Redemption
One of the central themes is salvation and redemption. The main characters, Shasta and Aravis, are both running away – Shasta from a life of hardship and servitude, and Aravis from an arranged marriage. As they journey through trials and learn to have faith, they find freedom and a new life. This parallels the Christian belief that faith in God leads to salvation from sin and hardship. As it says in Romans 10:9, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Shasta in particular grows tremendously on his journey, learning courage, empathy and faith. His character arc shows how even someone lost and insignificant can be redeemed. This resonates with verses like Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”
God’s Sovereignty and Guidance
Another key theme is God’s sovereignty over all events and His guidance of His people. When Shasta gets separated from Aravis and ends up alone in the tombs, he discovers that what he thought was abandonment was actually God directing his path. As it says in Proverbs 16:9, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.”
Shasta goes on to have a profound encounter with the Lion Aslan, a Christ-figure, who watches over him and guides him. This illustrates God’s closeness to His children even in darkness, as in Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” Through his trials and reunion with Aslan, Shasta learns to surrender control and rely on God’s sovereignty.
Serving Others Before Self
Shasta also undergoes a transformation from selfishness to selflessness. At the start he is a neglectful servant concerned only with himself. But as he shows kindness to others like Aravis and learns to put them first, he matures tremendously.
This captures the biblical call to live in love, thinking of others before oneself. As Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Facing Trials with Faith
Shasta and Aravis face frightening trials, dangers and pain on their journey. But they preserve and learn to cling to faith in Aslan. This reflects how Christians are exhorted to meet sufferings and persecutions with steadfast faith, knowing God will deliver them. As James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
Their story illustrates how faith is strengthened through testing. As Aravis says at one point, “It was the lions and the night getting into my brain and making all these horrible things seem real.” This captures how fear can disturb faith, but with effort faith can overcome.
Humility and Servanthood
An important lesson Shasta must learn is humility and the value of servanthood. At first he is arrogant and entitled, believing his life should be lived as a prince. But through his trials he learns that true purpose is found through serving Aslan and caring for others. This reflects biblical verses like Mark 10:43-44, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.”
Shasta’s growth into a humble servant who finds fulfillment in obedience to Aslan parallels the Christian call to avoid pride and self-centeredness and instead live in humble service to God. As Peter 5:5-6 says, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand.”
Trusting God’s Plan
The four children in this story all thought they knew how their lives should go. But God/Aslan had very different plans for them. This emphasizes God’s wisdom versus human short-sightedness. “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 55:8)
They all had to trust God and surrender their wills to His greater plan. This allowed Him to orchestrate events they never could have foreseen. As it says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” The children had to trust Aslan’s plan, even when they couldn’t understand where He was leading them.
Conclusion
The Horse and His Boy powerfully conveys principles at the heart of Christianity, including salvation by faith, God’s sovereignty, serving others, persevering through trials, and trusting God’s plan. Shasta, Aravis and the others undergo profound growth in their faith and character as they learn to rely on Aslan/God. Their journey from lost and afraid to found and courageous parallels the Christian walk of redemption through belief in Christ. These timeless spiritual themes make this novel a treasured classic for Christians of all ages.
