Characters
Describe how Jody's relationship with Billy Buck evolves over the course of the story.
Initially trusting/friendly, Gabilan's sickness shatters Jody's view of Billy's infallibility, and the infallibility of adults/authority in general.
This is the folk name for the sickness that Gabilan catches.
What is "the strangles"?
The November rains symbolize this.
Approaching fate/death/doom.
Why is the story called "The Gift" -- beyond the obvious?
The pony is a gift in a literal and a metaphorical sense -- it is a gift from the adults in Jody's life (father and Billy Buck) in the broader sense of offering him a chance to assume responsibility and learn about the nature of things.
Describe the relationship between Billy Buck and Carl Tiflin, and how it evolves - give a specific example.
Carl trusts Billy implicitly -- Billy respects Carl, but also believes that he is overly strict; he understands Jody's emotions better and tries to protect Jody from Carl. Twice, Billy yells at Carl out of sympathy for Jody's feelings.
Billy Buck performs this operation on Gabilan in an attempt to save his life.
What is a tracheotomy?
What is the name of Jody's dog, and what does he symbolize?
Doubletree Mutt -- symbolizes Jody's original innocence/joy, replaced by grief/anger/guilt represented by him throwing the clod, then feeling bad about it.
Describe how nature is depicted in the story. What is man's relationship with nature? How does this compare to, say, Emerson's view of nature?
Nature is beautiful, but harsh and unforgiving -- man is at nature's mercy, and is powerless to alter nature or protect what he loves from it. Can be a source of inspiration, but also of terror/death. Very different from Emerson -- where nature is presented as an absolute good and spur to self-discovery.
Describe Jody's relationship with Carl and how it evolves over the course of the story.
Initially distant -- stays that way/doesn't change.
Billy Buck urges Jody not to be present for the operation on the horse -- does Jody obey? Why or why not?
He stays, although he is terrified and it makes him miserable -- displaying courage, and his sense of responsibility for Gabilan.
Describe what the barn symbolizes, and give a specific example illustrating this.
**DAILY DOUBLE** The barn is life; home; warmth; protection from the elements; it is where Jody initially cares for Gabilan, feeding him, combing him, braiding his hair, spending time with him; later, it is where Gabilan attempts to recuperate, and what Gabilan twice attempts to leave in order to die.
How does this story belong in the modernist era? Make the case that it is modern -- or isn't.
Is: focus on disillusionment; harshness of life and arbitrariness of universe; strong use of imagery; some experimentation/stream of consciousness style
Isn't: more akin to realism -- Twain -- straightforward narrative, use of dialect, focus on nature, the western frontier, the everyday lives of working/poor people
Describe which character -- Billy or Carl -- Jody feels more estranged from at the end of the story, and defend your response.
Billy -- they were closer to begin with, yet Billy's error/mistake with Gabilan has left him farther from Jody by the end. Billy's actions to care for the horse and outbursts at Carl represent the guilt he feels for letting Jody down.
How does Jody fail - twice - in caring for Gabilan, and what do these failures signify?
Twice he falls asleep and lets Gabilan escape from the barn at night -- the second time resulting in his death; illustrating Jody's powerlessness to protect Gabilan from forces of nature/inevitable death.
Before he gets sick, what does Billy Buck spend time making for Gabilan, and what does this symbolize?
A hair rope -- taking a large amount of time/effort to make; representing the investment in the things we love/care for, as well as their fragility/temporariness.
Describe John Steinbeck's writing style in the final half of the story, and what it symbolizes/conveys.
It is very matter of fact -- describing gruesome scenes (sickness, blood, tracheotomy, death, killing the buzzard) in a very factual, unemotional manner. Yet the sparseness and lack of emotion in the description helps convey the underlying emotions more deeply.
Describe how Jody changes over the course of the story.
Loss of innocence; Jody grows/matures, by coming to understand the inevitability of loss for the things we care for most, our complete lack of power to prevent it, and the cold indifference of the universe about it -- but that we must care for things nonetheless.
Describe how Jody reacts to the Pony's death -- vs. how his father reacts -- and what it means.
**DAILY DOUBLE** Instead of grief, he becomes enraged and, in a meaningless act, kills a buzzard which was not to blame for the pony's death. It is a futile act of rage against an uncaring universe -- pointless, yet satisfying an urge to express his anger/grief. Carl's reaction is reasoned -- the buzzard was not to blame -- while Jody's is irrational/emotional.
What does the Red Pony symbolize?
Jody's loss of innocence - his passage from childhood to adulthood.
Has Jody in fact matured by the end of the story? Make your case.
Yes -- he has shown responsibility by taking ownership of Gabilan and courage by attending to his sickness; he reveals his understanding of death/loss by saying "I know it" in the end;
No -- his violent outburst and irrational killing of the vulture show that he has failed to understand the most important lesson, to accept his powerlessness and control his emotions in the face of life's unfairness/loss.