Term Paper on "Symbolism in the Red Pony"

Term Paper 6 pages (2035 words) Sources: 6 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Red Pony by John Steinbeck

Analysis of the book

Symbolism

Theme Analysis:

Conflicts:

Strengths & Weaknesses:

Annotated Bibliography

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck's the Red Pony represents one of the author's best works as some critics believe. The book unlike standard chapters is divided into four different sections that are held together by general characters, setting, and themes followed by a similar time line (Jackson, 1990). However, the prolongation of story line is not as smooth as the transition between normal chapters of a novel. Here all the sections followed a common trial, which was of Jody Tiflin, as he makes progress through the rites of passage from young boy to young man.

Each of the four stories centers on Jody; all parts showing him together in a crucial time of his childhood. In the first story, the leading character, Jody is ten years old. Closed together in chronological time; the author at the start of every story, is cautious to remind his readers that Jody is a "little boy" (Jackson, 1990).

As the four stories center on Jody, therefore, in every part he learned an important moral lesson. For example, in the first, he learned that even the extremely experienced Billy Buck can turn out to be wrong, and that something as thrilling and gifted or talented as a new horse can end up in tragedy (Warren, 1994). In the second section of the book, he learned that he expresses his sympathy better with a stranger as compared to his mature and grown-up father, and he has a desire to discover around which his father doesn't understand.

He was again challenged with death in the third chapter, but here he learned that sometimes life comes from death. Lastly, the fourth one teaches him the that his father's strictness and temper could get him into trouble, and that stories of adventure does not complement a flourishing, happy life, which further cause difficulties his desire to leave the ranch (Warren, 1994).

Analysis of the book

Like in other works of Steinbeck, in this book too he used spare language throughout in order to describe both physical landscape and the actions of his characters. He did not look into his characters internal lives but instead aimed to depict life through their external words and actions (Jackson, 1990). This combination of simple prose style on representing only what could be seen or heard or felt is a quality of the realism movement, of which the author is one of the leading stylists among all (Jackson, 1990).

The central theme of the book is Jody's coming-of-age with his transforming relationship with his father. At the beginning of the book, a reader notices Carl Tiflin- father of Jody, as a man who keeps his emotions concealed and whenever he speaks something kind to Jody it brought excitement in the boy (Cherry, 1998).This showed that such praises given by this father is exceptional. Jody sees his father as a strong man, a kind of mammoth and authoritative distant, object. The story moves on with changing relationship between the two.

Through the threat and promise of adventure inborn in Gitano, Jody started to notice that his own thoughts are much stronger and powerful than his father's and that his dreams and his father's dreams do not in any manner matches with each other. Thus, as he grows up he is obligated to deal his differences with his father who in his opinion is a person with faults and limitations (Cherry, 1988). Moreover, the entrance of Jody's grandfather in the fourth story, additionally proved Carl's cold attitude, while the sympathy of the boy for the old man showed lack in his relationship with his father: sympathy, and a desire for adventure (Cherry,1998).

Symbolism:

It was literary qualities in "The Red Pony "symbolizing the style that gave author great popularity. Rising to reputation at the height of the Depression, Stein-beck appeared to reflect the feeling of the period with his easy lines of simple prose (Review, 1994).

Author Steinbeck gains his literary power by using symbolism for sarcastic effect. The symbolic images in the story permit the reader to recognize and distinguish the importance of an event on a much deeper level than do the characters. For instance, the pony in the Red Pony, serve as a symbol of the leading character - Jody's boyhood and simplicity in addition to the symbol of his future and when the pony is dead, the reader feel a sense of loss, because the pony's death symbolizes Jody's loss of innocence (Review,1994). But at the same time as the reader recognizes the fact that Jody's life has been altered radically by the death of the pony, Jody, on the other hand, mockingly, mourn for his pony without the aptitude to entirely see the death in a much larger framework (Review, 1994).

Furthermore, during last chapter of the book, Jody again goes through a symbolic death where he realized that the new generation has destroyed the original spirit. The author further enhanced the cycle of life and death in the book by placing emphasis on the seasons. For instance, Spring, illustrates the greenery and growth; while, summer symbolizes dry and still; autumn depicts the time of crop; and lastly winter is the time of cold and death (Review, 1994).

Additionally, Steinbeck has used a number of death images. For example, the black buzzards spinning above your head foretell Jody that Gabilan has died; when he sees the body of the pony, a buzzard is sitting on her head (Review, 1994). Here, Jody kills the buzzard and beats its head for a longer time as he was not able to understand or accept the death of his pony. In a same way, he kills a thrush with his slingshot and tears apart the bird to pieces. Afterward, when he saw the dead pigs' bodies, they gave him a sense of fear (Review, 1994).

Theme Analysis:

The novel and the stories within it took place on a ranch that is in the high mountains of Salinas, California in the early 1930's. Basically the central theme of the novel is the cycle of life and death (Review, 1994). Therefore, all four stories center on this natural phenomenon (Monkey Notes). Gabilan- the pony is born, and in spite of the many uphill struggles by Billy and Jody, he does not get any better. Consequently, he leaves his shelter to move forward into nature to die by herself (Review, 1994).

On the other hand, Black Demon is born, and in the process, Nellie, the pony, dies. Gitano returns to the ranch in order to die near his place of birth; and takes with him the old horse, Easter, who is also ready for death along with him (Monkey Notes). Thus, both go away into Nature so that they can die together naturally and peacefully. While, at the same time, Grandfather returned to the ranch to await death (Monkey Notes).

The cycle of life and death is basically the maturing process that Jody goes through. Each time he sees a birth or a death, he learns a new lesson about life. For example, the arrival of Gabilan has taught him responsibility, while his death has taught the pain of loss, the loneliness and mystery of life (Monkey Notes). Further to this, the birth of Black Demon has taught him the patience while, the death of Nellie made him learn the pain of egoism and guilty conscience. Lastly, the lessons learned in the last chapter made him turn into a responsible, kind, self-sacrificing, and sympathetic young man (Monkey Notes).

Conflicts:

The novel also gives details of the conflict between the old and the new. This theme has been crafted very well by the author in the second and the fourth part of the novel (Monkey Notes). For instance, in 'The Promise,' Carl Tiflin did not accept Gitano, the old paisano because to Carl, he was an old and useless addition to feed.

He even compared him to his horse Easter who according to him should be killed as he was very old. In the same way, he did not see any use for his Grandfather and his stories of the past and stated the past is not something that should be remembered (Monkey Notes). However, concurrently, in grandfather's opinion the new generation is worthless, soft and weak with no bravery and no enthusiasm for living (Monkey Notes).

Steinbeck had an exceptional purpose in introducing the red pony and black stallion. The red pony has not been exposed to nature so when it gets wet, it did not have any stamina to overcome it and thus dies eventually (SparkNotes). On the contrary, Black Demon at his very birth faced the death of its mother and learned determination and independence; therefore, grew up strong and spirited (SparkNotes).

With the help of horses, Steinbeck entailed that if man is overprotected, he will become weak and soft, as suggested by grandfather. While,… READ MORE

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