The Idea of the Fear

By: Amy Stello

In On Stories, Lewis writes about the kind of fear which is different from mere life or death suspense. He writes, "Different types of danger strike different types of fears" (page 7). Differentiating these fears which spark the imagination and the human response to the fears which merely get someone excited, Lewis uses them continually with the story The Horse and His Boy.

I found the character of Aslan in The Horse and His Boy to be especially compelling, perhaps more so than any of the other books. I know that is a wide claim, but I suppose it is the fact that he is a constant figure, whereas in the others (with perhaps the exception of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) he seems to only appear at one grand moment and stay in that grand moment. It is also because in The Horse and His Boy, I believe that the statement that "Aslan is good, but not safe" comes to fruition.

Most of the time when Aslan appears is through different types of terror, as Lewis writes in his "On Stories." Each terror for Shasta (and sometimes the others) is completely different and leads the reader to feel different emotions. The first terror is a terror which bonds the children and the horses together. It is almost a humorous terror because both pairs are almost mimicking each other. The presence of the lion is terrifying, but the presence of the other pair (Hwin and Aravis) is almost more captivating.
The other times are interesting metaphors for Aslan and the children. Bree and Aravis get a rude awakening when the lion scratches Aravis and they see Shasta's courage. Aravis learns that the lion was a just ruler, since it was punishment for her cruelty to her servant. Shasta has to learn to trust the lion as he tries to sleep in the dark, unknown of the Tombs and as he has to trust the "Thing" which is near him on the dark, dangerous road leading him to Narnia.

Each of these times inspire different feelings among the reader. Since we are supposed to know and understand that it is Aslan, it makes us reflect upon our own lives and situations that may parallel all the characters' adventures. Lewis is a master at creating these fears to bring out the readers' own imaginations and personal experiences.