The Red Pony

The Tiflin ranch stories in The Red Pony are set in California’s Salinas Valley. Carl Tiflin and Billy Buck travel to the town of Salinas to do business, but their ranch is on the outskirts of town, in Salinas Valley. Salinas is known for its rodeo, which Jody dreams of in “The Promise.” Salinas Valley is known for its cattle ranches, including the Gabilan Cattle Company, which is named after the mountains to the east of the valley. Jody also names his red pony after these mountains in “The Gift.” To the west of the valley are the Santa Lucias mountains, which are more severe. In “The Great Mountains,” Jody is fascinated with the Santa Lucias and associates them with the old man, Gitano.

Throughout the Tiflin ranch stories, John Steinbeck mentions plants native to the region, such as sage brush, cypress trees, and oak trees. The ranch’s vegetable garden includes local produce, such as muskmelon. The climate and agriculture of the Salinas Valley is described as having “[a] temperate climate and some of the most fertile soil in the state [earning] the region its nickname: ‘salad bowl of world,’ where some 70% of the nation’s lettuce is grown” (“Salinas Valley.” Steinbeck in the Schools).

John Steinbeck drew on his own experiences growing up in the Salinas Valley while writing The Red Pony: He was born in Salinas in 1902 and spent much of his childhood learning about the local flora and fauna. In 1933, he wrote to his publisher:

My country is different from the rest of the world. It seems to be one of those pregnant places from which come wonders […] I was born to it and my father was. Our bodies came from this soil—our bones came […] from the limestone of our own mountains and our blood is distilled from the juices of this earth. I tell you now that my country—a hundred miles long and about fifty wide—is unique in the world (“Salinas Valley.” Steinbeck in the Schools).

Steinbeck offers a strong sense of place in his works, including The Red Pony. Dr. Susan Shillinglaw notes that Steinbeck wrote The Red Pony while his mother was ill. Shillinglaw also notes that, “The Tiflin Ranch was modeled after the ranch of the Hamiltons,” who were related to Steinbeck. Steinbeck himself received a pony when he was a child (Shillinglaw, Susan. “Exploring The Red Pony.” The Steinbeck Institute). Steinbeck briefly attended Stanford University. After dropping out, Steinbeck worked at various California ranches, among other jobs. His experience with migrant workers is explored through the character of Gitano in “The Great Mountains.” This character is called a “paisano” (169) by Jody, highlighting the racial tensions between Mexican and white Americans that Steinbeck was personally familiar with. Steinbeck’s works highlight the hard work of Mexican American characters.