The Red Pony Study Guide

The Red Pony

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck

The Red Pony is a novella in four parts about the youth and entrance into manhood of Jody Tiflin, son of a horse trainer. Jody's life is a strenuous one full of hardships and tough lessons, including the accidental death of his beloved pony which stands as a symbol of his entry into the sometimes violent, unpredictable, and frightening world of manhood. The stories explore themes of regret, aging, the fallibility of adults, and responsibility.

The Red Pony Characters

Table of Contents
  • Jody Tiflin - the young protagonist of The Red Pony is innocent, dedicated, and polite.“He was a little boy, ten years old, with hair like dusty yellow grass and with shy polite grey eyes, and with a mouth that worked when he thought." He is the son of Carl Tiflin and learns to train horses from his role model Billy Buck.
  • Billy Buck - Billy Buck is a middle-aged man who is experienced with horses. He works for the Tiflins as the stable helper. "He was a broad, bandy-legged little man with a walrus mustache... The belt showed... the gradual increase of Billy’s middle over a period of years." Billy Buck teaches Jody all there is to know about caring for horses.
  • Carl Tiflin - Carl Tiflin is the father of Jody. He likes order and will accept nothing less than a respectable farm.“Jody’s tall stern father came in then." He is strict on Jody, but has a loving touch in him.
  • Gitano - Gitano is an elderly man who used to live near Jody’s family’s farm. He and Jody meet in front of the farm, and Jody “[runs] into the house for help.” and returns with his mother. His mother asks Gitano what he wants to do in the ranch. He replies, "'I will stay here... until I die.'" Gitano is not capable of working as well as young farmers, but is a “lean man, [and] very straight in the shoulders."
  • Grandfather - Mrs. Tiflin's father, an old man who lives by the seaside and loves to tell old stories and tall tales about his pioneer days, when he boldly led a wagon train of settlers across the continent.

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