Book Review: John Steinbeck: The Red Pony

The Red Pony is a novella broken down into four episodes outlining the maturing of a young adolescent boy. The stories all take place on the ranch belonging to the child's father. Each episode presents the child with a challenge, be it phyiscal or emotional. And with each challenge the child adjusts and responds in an independent manner and not just in reflection of his father. It's a delicately written story, with not much in the way of detail, rather it is a story with a moral. Within the space of a hundred pages we see the young child develop into a young man. An interesting read with some rarely examined growing pains. Beautifully written in Steinbeck's inimmitable prose and a stark outline of the hardships of growing up in a young California.

A Small Part

Six billion people inhabit earth. Or thereabouts. Solomon was only one person and average in all respects. He represented one six-billionth of the collective conscience of humanity. He was the guy who filled the inkpads with ink; all the inkpads in the world. The only guy. That was the part he played in it all.