South of Paradise: Calormen

The other day in class, my group brought up the subject of racism within The Horse and His Boy. When I read this book, Calormen was painted in my mind as a land not only desolate of greenery and wetlands, but also of freedom. Shasta lives little better than if he were Arsheesh's slave than "son" and Bree's descriptions of the Tarkaan sound oddly similar to a plantation owner in the American South: "you'd be better lying dead tonight than go to be a human slave in his house tomorrow". Besides these insights, when Shasta and company are traveling through Calormen and venture within Tashbaan, we're presented with a harsh culture of social standing and dominion by the Tisroc (the whole conversation between the Tisroc, Prince Rabadash, and the Vizier is quite unsettling). Meanwhile amidst all this downplay of Calormen, there's the constant reminder of "Narnia and the North!" Narnia: a happy land of freedom absent the oppression that's continually attributed to Calormen.

Now I wonder greatly about this contrast Lewis has created, one that isn't just evident in The Horse and His Boy but seemingly all Narnia novels. First of all, why is it that the Narnians, so "fair-skinned and fair-haired" are so pure and redemptive? It's always the Calormenes who are the conquerors or invaders, the blood-thirsty and ungodly. Is Lewis creating a North vs. South complex in his books? I'm recalling the fact that Lewis was born in Ireland, a land that's had significant problems with civil strife. The conflicts between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland might've been an influence to Lewis as he was growing up and something that could've come out in his writing. Besides a reflection of worldly issues, is this contrast between Calormen and Narnia have anything to do with religion: Narnia, land of true believers; and Calormen, land of unfaithful followers of Tash. Really, the only Calormenes with redeeming qualities are Aravis, who's trying to escape Calormen; Prince Caspian, redeemed to the Narnian way; and Emeth, the only one with a faith willing to see "Tashlan" alone. These three characters could almost be seen as converts to the true faith in a way, especially Aravis and Caspian. Though they belong to Calormen at first, they experience Narnia and it changes them, much like a Saul/Paul complex.

These interpretations of the contrasts between Narnia and Calormen could simply be me over-thinking the whole concept, but I can't help questioning Lewis' reasoning. Is it as simple as a "good side, bad side" story detail, or is Lewis trying to bring out the attractiveness of a life with Christ ("Narnia and the North!") while showing how desolate and fickle our lives are without Him (Calormen and Tash)? I'd rather picture Lewis as attempting to contrast religious perspectives than having any racist motives. Then again, would I be any better if I categorized Lewis as a Narnia "pure and free"?