The Red Pony
Sierra Sandison
English 11
The Red Pony-Compare and Contrast
8-31-10
The Red Pony
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck is an unusual novel that lacks a typical storyline and doesn’t flow from chapter to chapter like someone would expect. The protagonist of the story, Jody, learns about death, birth, illness, old age, and other important facts of life, which are most of the time not the most enjoyable lessons to learn. The two men who are role models in Jody’s life are his father, Carl Tiflin, and the stable hand, Billy Buck; however, Carl Tiflin is a very harsh father who struggles to show emotions such as love, praise, or even disappointment. Billy Buck is more capable of showing emotion, as well as being able to spend time with Jody and help him get the most out of the things he goes through and learn from them. Throughout the novel, Jody struggles to earn the praise and approval of each, but unlike Billy Buck, his father continuously fails to fulfill the need of acceptance.
Billy Buck is a very important figure to Jody, and almost fits the father role better than Carl Tiflin does. Billy Buck and Jody seem to have a deeper relationship than the biological father and son because of the way Billy Buck treats Jody like an adult instead of a child. In the first chapter, The Gift, Billy shows he’s sorry for his failures and respects and acknowledges Jody’s feelings. In this chapter, Billy must humble himself in the eyes of Jody because he is no longer the unstoppable “superhero” Jody once believed him to be. In the final chapter, Jody must learn how to forgive and trust Billy Buck again. Billy tries as hard as he can to keep his promise this time, no matter what the cost, because he doesn’t want to let Jody down again. This desire of Billy Buck’s to prove to Jody he can keep is promises shows that Billy Buck values Jody and his friendship means something to him. By the end of the novel, Billy Buck helps Jody to learn forgiveness, compassion, love, and trust.
English 11
The Red Pony-Compare and Contrast
8-31-10
The Red Pony
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck is an unusual novel that lacks a typical storyline and doesn’t flow from chapter to chapter like someone would expect. The protagonist of the story, Jody, learns about death, birth, illness, old age, and other important facts of life, which are most of the time not the most enjoyable lessons to learn. The two men who are role models in Jody’s life are his father, Carl Tiflin, and the stable hand, Billy Buck; however, Carl Tiflin is a very harsh father who struggles to show emotions such as love, praise, or even disappointment. Billy Buck is more capable of showing emotion, as well as being able to spend time with Jody and help him get the most out of the things he goes through and learn from them. Throughout the novel, Jody struggles to earn the praise and approval of each, but unlike Billy Buck, his father continuously fails to fulfill the need of acceptance.
Billy Buck is a very important figure to Jody, and almost fits the father role better than Carl Tiflin does. Billy Buck and Jody seem to have a deeper relationship than the biological father and son because of the way Billy Buck treats Jody like an adult instead of a child. In the first chapter, The Gift, Billy shows he’s sorry for his failures and respects and acknowledges Jody’s feelings. In this chapter, Billy must humble himself in the eyes of Jody because he is no longer the unstoppable “superhero” Jody once believed him to be. In the final chapter, Jody must learn how to forgive and trust Billy Buck again. Billy tries as hard as he can to keep his promise this time, no matter what the cost, because he doesn’t want to let Jody down again. This desire of Billy Buck’s to prove to Jody he can keep is promises shows that Billy Buck values Jody and his friendship means something to him. By the end of the novel, Billy Buck helps Jody to learn forgiveness, compassion, love, and trust.