The Red Pony

Billy is the “middle-aged” (198) ranch hand employed by Carl Tiflin. He is known for his expertise with horses—he is a “fine hand with horses” (148) and “as good as any horse doctor in the country” (155). His father, Mule-tail Buck, was a “government packer” (192), which is someone who leads pack mules, and was friends with Ruth Tiflin’s father. Grandfather considers Billy a strong man who would have excelled during westward expansion. Billy says he is “half horse” (192), because his mother died during childbirth, and his father gave him horse milk. Because of his position at the ranch, Billy feels responsible for all the horses, including Jody’s new red pony, Gabilan. In “The Gift,” Billy tries to teach Jody how to raise his colt.

The relationship between Billy and Jody changes after Billy incorrectly predicts the weather. Because Billy says it is unlikely to rain, Jody leaves Gabilan outside while he goes to school. When Gabilan gets a cold, Billy feels like he “had failed again, and he felt badly about it. He had to cure the pony now” (156). His efforts are in vain, because Jody lets the pony get out of the barn and keeps it a secret. However, unlike Jody, Billy feels guilty for his actions.

In “The Promise,” Billy’s guilt leads him to promise to help Jody raise another colt. Billy feels overly confident after the horse Nellie gets pregnant with Jody’s new horse: “Billy was proud and sure of himself now. He boasted a little. ‘I’ll see you get a good colt’” (192). In order to keep his promise, Billy has to kill Nellie to extract the colt, and this haunts him. Generally, he would save the mare and sacrifice the colt. Over the course of the stories, Billy loses his status as a hero in Jody’s eyes and makes poor decisions in order to regain some measure of that status.

Jody’s father, Carl, is in charge of the Salinas Valley ranch. He believes giving Jody the responsibility of caring for a horse will improve his character. However, Carl doesn’t like the idea of Jody doting on a weak creature: “Carl Tiflin hated weakness and sickness, and he held a violent contempt for helplessness” (154). This hatred is also seen in Carl’s cruel treatment of elderly men, Gitano and Grandfather. Carl is a foil to Billy, who cares for weak animals and respects the elderly. Billy believes horses and people should be able to retire. Carl, on the other hand, thinks poorly of anyone who isn’t useful and productive.

When Carl praises Jody, it is in terms of productivity on the ranch. Carl says Jody did “a good job” (193), and “this was the greatest praise he knew how to give” (193). However, Carl doesn’t know the truth about Jody’s treatment of the red pony. If he knew that Jody allowed the pony to get out of the barn while sick, he likely wouldn’t have given Jody a new colt. Carl is often unkind to Jody and uses his weaknesses against him. Carl “knew every place in the boy where a word would fester” (174). Jody reflects on this when Carl is unkind to Gitano, seeing that Carl uses the same tactics on the old man. When Carl is unkind toward Ruth’s father, she is able to make him retract his statement. Her anger is the only thing more powerful than Carl on the ranch. Generally speaking, when Carl’s delicate ego is bruised, he lashes out and is mean to people who are less powerful than he is.

Jody’s mother, whose age is only implied by her “grey head” (137), is usually not referred to by her first name, Ruth. It is only mentioned once in one of the four stories about the Tiflin Ranch. She is frequently referred to as Mrs. Tiflin and seen primarily in the kitchen. However, Ruth has some power in her marriage. The narrator asserts that “when occasionally her temper rose, [Carl] could not combat it” (201). This comes up in “The Leader of the People” when Ruth stands up for her father after Carl criticizes him.

Ruth has a soft spot for Jody, and Jody is aware of this. When Gabilan becomes ill, Jody “knew from the way his mother looked at him that she would let him do almost anything” (160). She is particularly susceptible to Jody’s displays of kindness. When he asks for carrots for Gabilan, Ruth “felt the curious rush of pride” (146). She is also proud of Jody’s desire to make Grandfather lemonade after Carl insults Grandfather. However, she excuses Jody’s violent and irresponsible actions with the idea that he “hasn’t enough to keep him busy” (200). This is partially why Carl gives Jody the responsibility of caring for two horses.

The two old men, Gitano and Grandfather, appear in “The Great Mountains” and “The Leader of the People,” respectively. Gitano is a person of color who was born on the ranch, in “the ‘dobe house over the hill” (171). He returns to the ranch and wants to stay, despite the old adobe house having fallen apart. When questioned, Gitano justifies coming to the ranch by repeating, “I was born here” (170). Gitano eventually rides off into the mountains. He is a reflection of the mountains to the west of the ranch, as well as a reflection of Carl’s old horse Easter, which he steals at the end of the story.

Gitano can be compared with the other old man who visits the Tiflin ranch, Jody’s maternal grandfather. Grandfather is never named in “The Leader of the People,” but described as having “a granite dignity” (204). Ruth is happy to see her father, but Carl dislikes Grandfather because he is obsessed with “crossing the plains” (201), which occurred many years ago. Grandfather misses the days when he was a powerful leader. He is ashamed when Carl demands he stop retelling the stories about leading the people west. Grandfather says, “an old man doesn’t see things sometimes” (212) and that he will stop telling his stories.