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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
This book was the first one I ever read by Steinbeck. In fourth grade it was required reading. The resulting trauma has caused a life-long leeriness of all Steinbeck books.
Good short storytelling, a glimpse into his later, more cohesive novels.
I read the copy that includes the story "Junius Maltby" which I found enjoyable as well.
Here's my favorite quote from The Red Pony:
"A longing caressed him, and it was so sharp that he wanted to cry to get it out of his breast. He lay down in the green grass near the round tub at the brush line. He covered his eyes with his crossed arms and lay there a long time, and he was full of a nameless sorrow."
Here's my favorite quote from The Red Pony:
"A longing caressed him, and it was so sharp that he wanted to cry to get it out of his breast. He lay down in the green grass near the round tub at the brush line. He covered his eyes with his crossed arms and lay there a long time, and he was full of a nameless sorrow."
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Typical Steinbeck, depression era northern California fair. Still, typical Steinbeck is good Steinbeck.
I read this short novel of linked events when I was in the fifth grade. At the time, I didn't like it much. I can see why I disliked it more clearly in reading it now as an adult, even though I think the stories are a good introduction to literary writing for older elementary children. However, I can't imagine a child understanding the book's depths unless given age-appropriate guidance from an adult. Even with that guidance, the book could seem dated or too distant from their present lives without any value from a child's viewpoint. But I imagine for many teachers the novella is a good opportunity for excellent learning moments to bring up discussions of those points of nature which forever endure - human and animal, particularly relationships. I imagine it is also useful in prodding kids to tell about any real family histories about farming or ranch life.
A child, Jody Tiflin, is growing up on a 19th century ranch near Salinas, California. Not only is the little ten-year-old boy being raised in the severe manner common to the era and this class of people, but his structured responsibilities to farm animals and his parents precludes much disobedience. Money is dear, but respect for work and working hard is the true coin of this realm. Jody is permitted free time only once his chores and school hours are done, but even with this strict hierarchy of job duties life is mostly an interesting one of new adventures. As he has a huge area of half-tamed land to roam in, as well as the fact a lot of his work involves dealing with killing pests such as rats in hay stacks, or helping with the slaughtering of pigs or taking care of horses, lambs and cows, he is no stranger to the realities of life and death, childishly limited as his understanding may be. Everyone around him, including adults, live and work exactly the same way with the same responsibilities as he has been tasked, differing only in quantity of effort, time and knowledge, with the exception of his mother. She stays and works - hard - inside the farmhouse.
The opening chapters of Jody's life show us a kid who still has daydreams without much basis in reality or emotional awareness. Even though he is a curious child eager to learn, he must give his father absolute obedience and deference. This seems to be something Carl imposes perfectly only on his son. In one of the episodic events of Jody's life told in the book, when Jody's grandfather comes to visit his daughter, Jody's mother, Carl has very little patience for the old man, but he tolerates his visit. On other days, a hired man, Billy Buck, expresses his irritation openly with Carl in a number of incidents, and Mrs. Teflin feels free to reprimand Carl for his disrespect to her father. Despite Carl's lightweight tyranny, I saw enough similarities between Carl's stunted emotional life and his demands for the controlling vote in the family which resembled my much harsher childhood with my farm-born father. The mild dictatorship of Carl was enough for me to dislike him a lot.
Jody is given a pony by his father, which makes Jody incredibly happy. The horse becomes a major vehicle for life lessons that go much deeper than anything Jody has already learned. For the first time, he begins to see that not only are there life events beyond anyone's ability to control, but people, even people he childishly thought without blemishes, can make mistakes or fail to live up to the infallible image of them Jody had previously held. He discovers that he is developing feelings that put him in a position that contradicts his father's. His misbehaviors bring on a new awareness that he is acting shamefully. He suddenly realizes he has rarely thought much about what is beyond his home. Jody's worldview is expanding, and by the end of the final chapter, he is now aware that it's not all about him.
This is a very quiet book about the ordinary first steps in self-realization all kids take to grow up a bit, even if the details are 19th century features. I wonder if many parents can even be bothered to stop running enough through their own fascinating hours of urban adulthood to help a kid process a book this nuanced...
There is violence in the story common to farm and ranch life, with two particularly graphic scenes, which despite their brevity, upset adults, not to mention some children, although I suspect elementary-school boys generally think those two scenes are the best parts.
A child, Jody Tiflin, is growing up on a 19th century ranch near Salinas, California. Not only is the little ten-year-old boy being raised in the severe manner common to the era and this class of people, but his structured responsibilities to farm animals and his parents precludes much disobedience. Money is dear, but respect for work and working hard is the true coin of this realm. Jody is permitted free time only once his chores and school hours are done, but even with this strict hierarchy of job duties life is mostly an interesting one of new adventures. As he has a huge area of half-tamed land to roam in, as well as the fact a lot of his work involves dealing with killing pests such as rats in hay stacks, or helping with the slaughtering of pigs or taking care of horses, lambs and cows, he is no stranger to the realities of life and death, childishly limited as his understanding may be. Everyone around him, including adults, live and work exactly the same way with the same responsibilities as he has been tasked, differing only in quantity of effort, time and knowledge, with the exception of his mother. She stays and works - hard - inside the farmhouse.
The opening chapters of Jody's life show us a kid who still has daydreams without much basis in reality or emotional awareness. Even though he is a curious child eager to learn, he must give his father absolute obedience and deference. This seems to be something Carl imposes perfectly only on his son. In one of the episodic events of Jody's life told in the book, when Jody's grandfather comes to visit his daughter, Jody's mother, Carl has very little patience for the old man, but he tolerates his visit. On other days, a hired man, Billy Buck, expresses his irritation openly with Carl in a number of incidents, and Mrs. Teflin feels free to reprimand Carl for his disrespect to her father. Despite Carl's lightweight tyranny, I saw enough similarities between Carl's stunted emotional life and his demands for the controlling vote in the family which resembled my much harsher childhood with my farm-born father. The mild dictatorship of Carl was enough for me to dislike him a lot.
Jody is given a pony by his father, which makes Jody incredibly happy.
Spoiler
However, an unfortunate illness kills the horse early in the book.This is a very quiet book about the ordinary first steps in self-realization all kids take to grow up a bit, even if the details are 19th century features. I wonder if many parents can even be bothered to stop running enough through their own fascinating hours of urban adulthood to help a kid process a book this nuanced...
There is violence in the story common to farm and ranch life, with two particularly graphic scenes, which despite their brevity, upset adults, not to mention some children, although I suspect elementary-school boys generally think those two scenes are the best parts.
I've always wanted to read a story with a character with my name, and while this was a boy and not a girl like me, it was still kinda cool. Childrens stories certainly did not pull punches back then! There were a couple of scenes where I was suprised by the harshness of the Red Pony world. However, coming from a farming background my, I recognised this as a true representation of reality, it was just a touch blunter than I was expecting. The relationships also felt accurate to the time. Simple and plain, it still managed to hold my attention, although this was most likely due to the fact it had ponies it.
reflective
sad