Black Beauty

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1877

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-10

Part 1, Chapters 11-21

Part 2, Chapters 22-31

Part 3, Chapters 32-41

Part 3, Chapters 42-45 & Part 4, Chapters 46-49

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Themes

Inherent Goodness of Animals

The inherent goodness of animals is a key theme in the novel, and Sewell uses it as compelling evidence to support her argument that animals should be treated with kindness and care. By showing that animals are inherently good, loyal, and inclined to try to please humans, Sewell makes it almost impossible for anyone to justify mistreating them. The portrayal of the goodness of animals also makes the cruelty they experience even more horrifying because the theme creates contrast and highlights the injustice of the way animals are often treated. Sewell develops the theme of the inherent goodness of animals by showing animals displaying intuitive intelligence. For example, Black Beauty refuses to cross a river where a bridge has flooded and washed away; Squire Gordon later reports that “if your Black Beauty had not been wiser than we were, we should all have been carried down the river” (44). This example is important because when he refuses to cross the bridge, Black Beauty might be perceived as being stubborn or rebellious, but he is actually acting in the best interest of the humans. Squire Gordon and John are wise enough to appreciate Beauty’s intuitive intelligence, and later talk about “many stories […] of dogs and horses, and the wonderful things they had done” (44), but other humans might have misunderstood, and even punished Beauty.

Sewell further develops the theme by showing animals performing heroic feats and also trying their best even under very challenging circumstances. When he goes to get a doctor for Lady Gordon, and then later for Lady Anne, Beauty pushes himself to the limits of his physical stamina because he knows that the circumstances are urgent. When he learns that “my young mistress was now out of danger, and would soon be able to ride again” (89), Beauty thinks that, “ […] this was good news to me” (89). While Beauty can perform heroically to save a life, he also shows a more quotidian heroism by never shirking work, and always trying to do his best. When Beauty is struggling to pull an overloaded cart up a steep hill, he describes how “I started the heavy load, and struggled on a few yards; again the whip came down, and again I struggled forward” (175). This quiet resilience and heroism reveals how unfair it is for humans to beat and abuse animals that are trying to do their best.

Importance of Intervening to Prevent Cruelty

Sewell wrote her novel in order to implore her readers to advocate for horses to be treated with more kindness; within the world of the novel, she consistently shows individuals intervening to prevent cruelty. Squire Gordon calls out any man who he sees using a bearing-rein, or beating a horse; Black Beauty also notes that the Squire “was just as free to speak to gentlemen of his own rank as to those below him” (40). This qualifier is important because as a wealthy and high-ranking man, Squire Gordon can easily intervene with lower-ranking individuals, but it is notable that he also calls out fellow gentlemen. John and Joe Green likewise intervene when they see animals being abused, and John praises Joe for standing up for an animal who was being hurt: “with cruelty and oppression it is everybody’s business to interfere when they see it; you did right, my boy” (71). This comment shows how it can be easy and convenient for individuals to claim that it was not their business to get involved, but also makes clear Sewell’s viewpoint that everyone is interconnected, and possesses a shared moral responsibility.

Sewell shows individuals from all different social classes intervening when they encounter cruelty, and she also shows women as well as men intervening. Black Beauty describes how Lady Gordon would always intervene in examples of cruelty, and reflects that, “I don’t think any man could withstand our mistress. I wish all ladies were like her” (39). Much later, when Black Beauty is himself being beaten while struggling to pull a heavy load, a lady stops to intercede for him. She is able to persuade Beauty’s driver to take off his bearing-rein because the driver concedes, “anything to please a lady” (176). Sewell shows confident, assertive female characters who are not afraid to speak their minds in a public space; while these character traits were not common for Victorian ladies, the notion of intervening to prevent cruelty reflected Victorian ideals of a caring and nurturing femininity. The episode where a woman intervenes to help Black Beauty while he is working as a carthorse shows how he has descended the social ladder; rather than watching other horses suffer, he is now the one who requires aid.

The theme of the importance of intervening to prevent cruelty allows Sewell to depict striking and often upsetting episodes within her novel, heightening its effectiveness. However, she could simply have chosen to represent scenes of horses being abused without showing humans intervening on their behalf; the development of this theme creates an optimistic note in the novel and encourages readers to imitate the characters whom they see intervening in the face of cruelty. This theme reminds readers that it is everyone’s responsibility to act in service of the greater good, and to do whatever they can to make the world a better place.

Destructiveness of Alcohol Abuse

While Sewell’s social message is primarily about treating horses in a more humane way, she inserts an important theme about the destructiveness of alcohol abuse into the novel. Sewell depicts several characters, including Reuben Smith, the cabman nicknamed the Governor, and Jerry Barker who have past or present experience struggling with alcohol abuse and addiction. Sewell develops the theme by showing the suffering and destructive consequences associated with alcohol abuse, but she also shows nuance and compassion in her portrayal of characters who drink heavily. By showing characters who die as a result of alcohol abuse, and characters who successfully achieve and maintain sobriety, Sewell demonstrates that it is never too late for an individual to change their actions. Since all of the characters who struggle with alcohol abuse are working-class men with a responsibility to provide an income for their families, Sewell establishes a connection between the difficulties of living as a working-class man in Victorian England, and the temptations of the escapism offered by alcohol.

Reuben Smith is the first character whom Sewell uses to explore the theme of alcohol abuse in her novel. Reuben Smith is a very talented and intelligent man, who is described as “gentle and very clever […] a handsome man, a good scholar, and had very pleasant manners” (90). However, Reuben’s problems with alcohol make it hard for him to stay sober: “he would break out […] and be a disgrace to himself, a terror to his wife, and a nuisance to all that had to do with him” (90).By showing that Reuben Smith is effectively a different man when he is drinking, and when he is not, Sewell shows that alcohol addiction is a complex problem that is not the fault of a specific individual. However, she also makes it very clear that drinking leads to reckless behavior, and serious consequences. Because he is drunk, Reuben causes a serious accident that costs him his life, and ruins the life of his wife and children. It also sets Black Beauty on the path to ruin: because his knees are scarred, Beauty is no longer valued, and has to live a much more difficult life as a common working horse. Reuben’s wife clearly sees the link between alcohol and these tragedies when she laments, “why will they sell that cursed drink?” (96).

The theme of the destructiveness of alcohol crops up again amongst the cabmen working in London; Governor admits that he struggles with drinking, and asks Jerry how he was able to get sober: “I tried once for two days, and I thought I should have died: how did you do?” (165). Jerry admits that, “till I tried to break the habit, I did not know how strong it was” (165), and explains that he was motivated by his deep religious faith and his loving relationship with his wife. This conversation, and the revelation that Jerry used to be a heavy drinker helps to develop the theme by providing further evidence that good men, like Jerry, can fall prey to heavy drinking. Jerry’s experience is juxtaposed against Reuben’s tragic fate to show that is possible for individuals to overcome alcohol abuse. Sewell advocates for individual reform as well as social reform, and believes that people can lead better lives if they make better choices.