Student Question
What does Shasta refuse to do in The Horse and His Boy?
Quick answer:
In The Horse and His Boy by, Shasta refuses to remain with his “father” and heads north with Bree. He also refuses to tell the Narnians who he really is and to stay with them even when Corin invites him. He refuses, too, to leave Aravis without help when she encounters the lion, and he refuses to remain out of the battle. Finally, Shasta tries to refuse the kingship of Archenland but is unsuccessful.
Shasta refuses to do several things in C. S. Lewis's The Horse and His Boy. First, he refuses to remain any longer with his “father” after he discovers that the man he has always known as such is not actually his father and, what's more, means to sell him into slavery. Shasta decides to set out north with the help of Bree, the Narnian horse.
When Shasta is mistaken for Prince Corin by the Narnians, he does not reveal who he is. He is too frightened, for he knows little about Narnians and does not realize their kindness. When the prince returns, he is amazed by how much he and Shasta look alike. Corin doesn't want Shasta to leave right away. They could have a lot of fun out of their identical appearance, he thinks. But Shasta refuses to stay any longer.
When Aravis is “attacked” by the lion, Shasta refuses to leave her without help and actually runs back to her. Later, when the Narnian company is riding to battle, Corin and Shasta both refuse to stay behind, even though they are told to do so, and they tag along at the end of the column.
At the end of the story, after Shasta has discovered that he is really Prince Cor of Archenland and really the twin brother of Corin, he wants to refuse to be the king's heir even though he is slightly older than his brother. He thinks that Corin will be angry and disappointed because Cor has taken the kinship from him. The opposite is actually true. Corin is relieved that he doesn't have to be a king but can remain a prince, because “princes have all the fun.”
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