The Red Pony Final Draft by Adora

The Red Pony, by John Steinbeck, is a story about growing up and learning lessons. Jody, the protagonist, is a ten-year-old boy growing up in the Salinas Valley, with an infinite number of chores to do. Obscure in school and sternly treated at home, Jody is delighted and proud when his stony father gives him a red pony named Gabilan.



A major reason Jody cares for the pony is pride. Although he makes sacrifices for the pony's health, the seemingly noble lad harbors ulterior motives. Jody boasts about the pony to earn himself prestige. He worries that, upon riding the pony, he'll injure himself. Jody does not consider Gabilan's safety and he forgets about the pony after its death.



Jody immediately makes plans to showcase the pony. Jody brings a gaggle of classmates to gape at the pony without considering that Gabilan might be nervous in the extroverted atmosphere. Jody brags about Gabilan to the other boys. He displays the beloved saddle of red Moroccan leather, his pride bolstered by its beauty and showiness, although the saddle is impractical for riding.


Jody is more worried about himself than the pony. When learning that he will have the chance to ride Gabilan, he is terrified “that in the flurry of bucking Gabilan might slip and fall on him and break his [Jody's] leg or his hip. He had seen that happen to men before, how they writhed on the ground like squashed bugs.” Jody is also worried about shaming himself while riding Gabilan—“He didn't like to think what would happen if he grabbed the horn. Maybe his father and Billy Buck would never speak to him again, they would be so ashamed. The news would get about and his mother would be ashamed too. And the schoolyard--it was awful to contemplate.” Heck, have you considered Gabilan?



After a spell of sadness following Gabilan's death, Jody appears to forget completely about the red pony and focuses his attention on caring for Nellie, his father's horse. Jody is proud just thinking about this—“his shoulders swayed a little with maturity and pride.” I conclude to say that Jody enjoys Gabilan's company because it gives him Herculean glory in the schoolyard; his boasts about Gabilan display his want for attention. He considers the pony the perfect tool to execute his plans for prestige. Jody remains, in my opinion, a pride-motivated protagonist and a key figure in one of the most acclaimed works of 20th Century literature.