'The Red Pony' a good ride

By Andrea D.

            The author of The Red Pony, John Steinbeck, is one of America’s most influential authors. He has received Pulitzer Prizes and a Nobel Piece Prize for his works.  The Red Pony was originally published in 1937. It comprises of four stories, “The Gift”, “The Great Mountains”, “The Promise”, and “The Leader of the People”, encompassing a young boy named Jody Tiflin.

            In “The Gift”, Jody’s father Carl, a very strict man, and the family stableman Billy Buck give Jody a red pony. Jody names it Gabilan; loves this pony and wants to tend to it constantly. In “The Great Mountains”, an old Mexican man named Gitano shows up to the family farm and says that he was born on those lands and is going to die there. However, Carl is rude to the man and only lets him stay the night. In “The Promise”, Billy Buck and Carl tell Jody he can raise a colt, since he did such a good job with Gabilan. They have to tend to the pregnant mare, Nellie, for a few months. Some complications arise during the birth, but the colt survives. In “The Leader of the People”, Jody’s maternal grandfather comes to visit. Carl isn’t too fond of Jody’s his grandfather. He always tells the same long stories of when he crossed the Great Plains. He tells Jody that he wanted to be a leader of the people when he was young.

            Although this book is fairly short, Steinbeck is able to convey powerful emotion. The setup is unlike most books, unique in that it is arranged into four chronological stories. This isn’t necessarily good or bad; it’s different and depends on the reader’s preferences. Steinbeck may use somewhat simple vocabulary, but he is able to make the reader really connect with Jody. I’ll admit that I shed a tear or two, which means the author did his job. Jody’s innocence, youthful naivety, and evolving in maturation and as a character are well conveyed.  It may be about a young boy, but it has some parts that may take maturity to fully connect with. So, it can be suitable for an older audience, as well as a younger one.

            The Red Pony was the first Steinbeck novel I have read. He definitely lived up to my expectations and I can see why he has the reputation of being one of America’s greatest authors. This book is a somewhat quick read, but it gets you very attached, almost wishing that it were a bit longer. I would absolutely recommend this book to most anyone.

The Red Pony, By John Steinbeck, Penguin Books, 1993, 112 pages.