36 pages • 1 hour read
John SteinbeckThe Red Pony
Fiction | Novella | YA | Published in 1933A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Sage
Sage is a motif that develops the theme of The Connection Between People and Their Environment. Sage is a plant that is native to the Salinas Valley and is mentioned as a key feature of the landscape in all of the Tiflin ranch stories. Sage is described as “sweet” (152), and its bushes are described as “tall” (164). These characteristics align the sage with the positive and powerful imagery of the water-pipe in the brush line. In the springtime, “The sagebrushes shone with new silver leaves and the oaks wore hoods of green” (179). Here, sage is associated with the color silver, which echoes the use of color in John Steinbeck’s other descriptions.
Cypress Tree
The cypress tree on the Tiflin ranch is an important symbol in most of the installments of The Red Pony stories. It is where pigs are slaughtered, so it represents death and darkness to Jody. He considers it an unlucky place, but not as mysterious and terrifying as the mountains to the west of the valley. The cypress tree is contrasted with the water tub on the ranch. To Jody, “the black cypress tree by the bunkhouse was as repulsive as the water-tub was dear” (189). This description, like the description of the sage, highlights the color of the plant. Its darkness makes Jody uneasy.
Water Tub
The water tub by the sage brush line is a positive symbol. It is also referred to as a “spring-pipe” (166) and represents a place of peace and comfort to Jody. The water tub is compared to the Gabilan mountains, which are a much friendlier location than the mountains to the east that are associated with the cypress tree. Jody feels that the “water-tub and the black cypress were opposites and enemies” (189). The grass growing around the water tub adds to its symbolism of life and light.
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