Rabadash: The Stubbornness of Man and Justice

By: Amy Stello

By far one of my most favorite moments in the Narnia series comes at the end of The Horse and His Boy. This time in the book, the reader knows all about Rabadash's evil plan to take over Archenland and then eventually capture Narnia and take Susan as his wife. Essentially he starts a war for his own selfish pride.

After the Narnians defeat Rabadash, the reader can see how many people Rabadash symbolizes. Man will go so far to protect his pride, even at the expense of his life. Rabadash could have accepted the mercy from his enemies and came at the Narnians with a humble perspective, asking forgiveness and setting things right, but instead he chooses to try and justify himself. Lewis knows exactly the kind of person he is characterizing. The people who get angry at others for their own failures and problems and refuse to see the logic or gain and self-perspective.

The other Narnian kings are willing to execute him and the readers can easily see why. Rabadash is clearly worthy of death, but Aslan is a wise leader. I think from a leadership perspective, Aslan is the perfect leader. He knows how to deal justice and mercy simultaneously. By turning Rabadash into, essentially, what he was on the inside is the perfect reconciliation between justice and mercy. It is especially humorous when Lewis goes into the history of Rabadash's life. Rabadash was trying to preserve his pride by not being rejected by Susan, but instead he gets defeated, rejected AND turned into a donkey. The people mock him behind his back and being stupid is equal to the phrase "being a second Rabadash" in his own country.

These little witticisms and clever ways of dealing justice are part of the reason that Lewis is one of my favorite authors. Not many writers have such a strong sense of common sense combined with idealistic fantasies. I also think this is why Lewis remains a classic writer even in modernity.