I can only assume that John Steinbeck hated people who loved ponies and horses. Why else would he give this book of short stories a name that has absolutely nothing to do with three of the four stories (or two of the three, depending on things I won't go into here) and nothing thematically to do with the first story? And what sadist chose that cover showing a healthy, bright red pony for the reader to fall in love with before even opening the book?! And then, knowing people are all, "Oh! Look! A story about a handsome Red Pony! I bet my kids will love it!", Steinbeck brutally destroys at least two horses in graphic detail! And hints at the death of another in a ritual suicide-murder pact by an old paisano!
I would suggest this book has Pig (the movie) vibes about it except that in that movie, the main thrust of the pathos comes from Nicholas Cage's loving friendship with the pig. I don't think Jody, the ten year old protagonist of this book, gives a shit about the Red Pony except how it raises his stature among his friends and how he feels more mature in the ownership of it. If you want more evidence that Jody doesn't care about the pony, you just have to read any other scene that involves Jody and an animal.
Now that I think about it and have hinted at the way he kills and tortures nearly every animal he comes across, this book might be about a budding Satanist! Is that why the pony is red? And, of course, that's why he plans on naming the replacement pony "Black Demon." If I had to guess, Jody follows the old man who stole the old horse out into the mountains and drains him of his blood which he secretly uses to enrich the soil around his shrine, the vibrant area around the water pump. It feels like an analogy of a holy place and while I think it is, it might be more "unholy."
But that's just me, a boring old animal lover who lives in a city and never has to think about the savagery of nature and the violent deaths which cause the end of most creatures. Jody's attitude comes more from his father Carl and his other, more likeable father Billy Buck. Death is a fact of life and while the adults try to teach Jody not to be cruel about it, he's still just a ten year old with no actual power. Most of his cruelty towards the animals comes when he's feeling most powerless against the adults, or the death of his horses. Except when he wants to murder all of the mice in the haystacks. Man, his joy and anticipation at that event just screams "serial killer."
In the end, the one act of premeditated and extreme violence is the only one Jody can't bring himself to act upon. You might think it's because he's growing up. But it's actually just another act of rebellion against his father. His father gives the go-ahead for murdering the mice. Around the same time, Jody's father embarrasses and maltreats Jody's grandfather. So Jody loses his enthusiasm for killing mice and decides he'd rather treat his grandfather well. Does this show Jody maturing or does it just show another manipulative aspect of Jody acting out his tiny rebellions in an effort to garner any kind of power on the ranch he's able?
Or, you know, does he plan on sacrificing his grandfather to his lord Satan? Probably 50-50 on which is his actual motivation.
I would suggest this book has Pig (the movie) vibes about it except that in that movie, the main thrust of the pathos comes from Nicholas Cage's loving friendship with the pig. I don't think Jody, the ten year old protagonist of this book, gives a shit about the Red Pony except how it raises his stature among his friends and how he feels more mature in the ownership of it. If you want more evidence that Jody doesn't care about the pony, you just have to read any other scene that involves Jody and an animal.
Now that I think about it and have hinted at the way he kills and tortures nearly every animal he comes across, this book might be about a budding Satanist! Is that why the pony is red? And, of course, that's why he plans on naming the replacement pony "Black Demon." If I had to guess, Jody follows the old man who stole the old horse out into the mountains and drains him of his blood which he secretly uses to enrich the soil around his shrine, the vibrant area around the water pump. It feels like an analogy of a holy place and while I think it is, it might be more "unholy."
But that's just me, a boring old animal lover who lives in a city and never has to think about the savagery of nature and the violent deaths which cause the end of most creatures. Jody's attitude comes more from his father Carl and his other, more likeable father Billy Buck. Death is a fact of life and while the adults try to teach Jody not to be cruel about it, he's still just a ten year old with no actual power. Most of his cruelty towards the animals comes when he's feeling most powerless against the adults, or the death of his horses. Except when he wants to murder all of the mice in the haystacks. Man, his joy and anticipation at that event just screams "serial killer."
In the end, the one act of premeditated and extreme violence is the only one Jody can't bring himself to act upon. You might think it's because he's growing up. But it's actually just another act of rebellion against his father. His father gives the go-ahead for murdering the mice. Around the same time, Jody's father embarrasses and maltreats Jody's grandfather. So Jody loses his enthusiasm for killing mice and decides he'd rather treat his grandfather well. Does this show Jody maturing or does it just show another manipulative aspect of Jody acting out his tiny rebellions in an effort to garner any kind of power on the ranch he's able?
Or, you know, does he plan on sacrificing his grandfather to his lord Satan? Probably 50-50 on which is his actual motivation.
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