"Lewis understands that we are imitative creatures all the way down." Joe Rigney
(Paraphrased from my notes) He is a man under authority. He models great courtesy, shown when he bows deeply to Aravis. He is not afraid to work hard. He's thick-skinned; he does not get upset when Rabadash taunts him. Instead, it is he who is calming his irate friends and courtiers. He is affectionate. He disciplines. He has suffered much - remember, he lost his wife during or after his sons' birth, and then thought he had lost his son Shasta as well. But that did not cripple him. He is strong; he is wise; he is jovial.
"For this is what it means to be a king: to be first in every desperate attack and last in every desperate retreat, and when there's hunger in th eland (as must be now and then in bad years) to wear finer clothes and laugh louder over a scantier meal than any man in your land." - King Lune
"First in - last out - laughing hardest - HA HA HA!"
If you would, since I'm going to be on this topic for a few more days, start thinking about what character you would most like to "grow up" to be... no matter how old you are... and be comforted, as I was, that you're not the only adult in the world who dreams of "growing up" to be... say... the king of Archenland....