The Red Pony

How do Carl and Billy present contrasting styles of responsibility and power? How do these approaches affect Jody?

How are mothers and motherhood described by the actions of the male characters in The Red Pony? How are they embodied by Ruth?

How do human characters reflect animal characters and/or geographical features, such as mountains? Choose three characters and explain why a specific animal or geographical feature represents them.

Carl believes that everything has to find some use. What is the use of the elderly on the ranch, in his opinion, and how does it contrast with other people’s opinions about the elderly? What might Carl’s attitude toward the elderly say about his own fears and projections?

Billy is described as being raised on mare’s milk after the death of his mother. How does Billy reflect the myths of humans raised by animals? Choose two specific myths and draw as many parallels as you can.

Carl’s story describes the wagon train as a single huge organism. In what ways does the ranch resemble or not resemble this organization of people?

Billy kills the mare, Jody kills the buzzard, and the colt goes out of the barn into the storm. Who, in your opinion, bears ultimate responsibility for the deaths of the horses? Why?

A variety of blades appear in the novella, including a sword and a knife. How does the possession and use of these blades reflect on their users? What do they come to symbolize?