C.S. Lewis created a world of wonder, legend and heavily represented Christian ideology that has inspired the fertile and yet malleable minds of children for generations. But is the fantasy series really that harmless, or is does it, apart from the obvious Christian message, contain its share of subliminal or perhaps less subtle racist or politically incorrect themes and messages that are not comparable to today’s standards, and might not be as suited for children as previously perceived? The horse and his boy in particular might be one of the most glaring examples of this trait of racial profiling in media directed at children that may be the cause of some racist disposition and racial antagonizing in western society. The Narnia series …show more content…
However Lewis takes it a step further by morally antagonizing just about all representatives of the Calormene people that play a role in the plot. The main character Who is depicted as being innocent and White with blue eyes, grows up with his Calormene adopted father. Even though he has raised the boy as his own son this man inexplicably, and without hesitation, jumps at the opportunity to betray his only son and literally sell him. “Also, they are all assholes. The first Calormene we meet is trying to sell his own adopted son into slavery, and it doesn't get any better from there. They are all self-centered, traitorous, greedy, cruel and cowardly.”(John Curtis) This is only the first of a slew of Calormene characters which are shown to be malevolent. Everyone the two main characters encounters during the part of their Travels that takes place in Calormen territory seems to have malicious intent, from the small fisherman to the King himself; “What with the selling and exchange of slaves, the arranged marriage of unwilling princesses, the nasty princes and the general willingness to invade other countries with only the flimsiest of causes the Calormenes certainly do not look good”(“Medieval Girl”) In contrast the Caucasian Narnian people representing Christians are shown to be …show more content…
In the Narnia franchise, the side of good is quite obviously Christian. Any creature that does not support Aslan is considered Vile and must be purged. Since the Calormens are supposed to be Arabic, their religion is also in many ways a representation of Islam. “One specific example troubled me deeply. Whenever Muslims mention the Prophet Muhammad, they are supposed to proclaim "Peace be upon him!" as a sign of respect. Whenever the Calormenes mentioned their leader, they always exclaimed "May he live forever!" in exactly the same tone. It seemed to be a deliberate imitation of the Muslim custom.”(Imram Amhad) In the real world, Muslims and Christians have clashed and are considered opposing religions. However essentially both religions worship the same god. The biggest point of diversion is that Christians see Jesus as the son of god and the only true way to salvation. In The Horse and his Boy, Aslan who represents Christ is also seen as the true salvation, whereas the Caloren religion is implied to be satanic. Sure enough the deity in question Tash, later turns out to be a demon; “Lewis does seem to demonize Islam, making his Calormenes appear so obviously like Muslims, yet their theology of worshipping and practicing human sacrifice to a hideous idol-god called Tash could not have been more un-Islamic. (Islam is endemically opposed to