IRA#5 The Red Pony Junius Maltby

Junius Maltby: Comparing and Contrasting Historical Facts with Actual Story. (Final Chapter)


Summary Junius Maltby


I figured out the mystery behind Junius Maltby. He is the guy in which this story is based on. Let's talk a little about him. He was born and raised on a small farm outside of San Francisco and also had a nice education. After his father had become bankrupt, Junius had got involved in clerkship. However, like his old man, he did not do as well. He started reading many books such as Travels with a Donkey to relax after those hard days at work.

At the age of thirty-five, Maltby fainted for no reason and found out that his breathing is not doing as well as it should. The doctor prescribes that he get out of San Francisco and go someplace with an even warmer climate. Junius traveled to a valley known as Pastures of Heaven where he decided to live as a tenant on a widow's farm in 1910. A year later,  the widow Quaker started to worry about what everyone else would think about a single women with a man living with her, so he married her and helped her take care of her two sons. Junius began to get better and started to get even more lazier and at that time his wife had let the hired help go, making her husband actually do something.

Through the years, the family became very poor, and at that time his wife was expecting a child. In 1917, the flu epidemic spread to their sons and they passed away a few days later. Eventually, Mrs. Maltby had her baby, but because of the epidemic, she didn't live to see the kid. There was much talk about how Junius read his books while his children and wife perished. This was most likely an escape. Ever since, Junius Maltby had been very well know throughout the town. He lived with the hired hand Jakob and he  finally named his son Robbie. Many concerned mothers were worried about Robbie because he had such a poor life. By the time Robbie turned six, Junius was forced to take him to school. Kid started to make fun of Robbie for his ragged clothing, but some liked listening to his stories about his dad reading all day under a tree and doing nothing else.

 Soon Robbie had lots of friends and began a group that hates the Japanese and predict that we will have a war with them someday. (THEY WERE RIGHT!) Soon the teacher, Miss Morgan found found out that Robbie is very smart, and has a great vocabulary, but he can't write. Later, she checks out the farm that Robbie lives on and first thinks it is a horrible place for any person to live, but then she enjoys the stories that Maltby tells. Soon the school board decides to visit the classroom and the class acts horrible. Later, a school board  member wonders about Robbie and if he could give him some clothes. Clothes are given to Robbie and he is put back into reality figuring out that he is indeed poor. During Christmas Break Miss Morgan decides to got to San Francisco and finds out that the Maltby's are also going there, but  to find work.


Journal Friday December 30, 2011


This is the historical background that brings this story to life. I have read two other books written by Steinbeck and I don't think I even have seen another chapter that didn't go with the previous story because I'm still kind of confused why this was put in the book. I barely see anything about the horse except the time that Junius visited one. I would like to point out the contrasting places where this and historical information and the story takes place because Junius Maltby was concentrated in San Francisco and the valley of Pastures of Heaven, while The Red Pony takes place in Salinas. Let's talk more about Maltby! When I read about his feeling sick, and not being able to breathe I figured it out that he has tuberculosis and that's why he needs to move to a warmer and dryer climate. As for his extreme amount of reading,  I could tell that his reading was really more of an escape because he lost his job, but then it became a hobby. The way he just read while his sons and wife were dying was very sad and unusual.

"You know, when the children died, I though I reached a strange peak of horror. Then I thought about it, about it and the horror turned into sadness and the n it turned into more sadness because I figured out I didn't know my children or my wife very well. Perhaps they were too near to me. It is a strange thing knowing. It is nothing but many details. There are long visioned minds and short visioned minds, and I can never see things that are close to me. I am more aware of the Parthenon, than my own home" (Steinbeck 100).

I feel terrible that this husband and father did not get a chance to interact and learn more about his family. It is like the old saying. "you never know how good you have it until you lose it". I can relate this to Carl Tiflin, the father in The Red Pony because he was never really portrayed in the book as the father who would hang out with his family. What if something happened to Jody and his wife? Would he ever forgive himself for not being there or will he live with that burden for the rest of his life?

"You better come with me. I'm going to drive over the hill. You better come and get away from this" (Steinbeck 32).

Despite Junius being a slight comparison to Carl Tiflin, he also a complete opposite. Junius Maltby is lazy and we all know that because it is mentioned throughout the book. Carl Tiflin is not lazy and I can label him as more of a work-a-holic. The time Junius is left with just his hired help and his newborn son as companionship, while Mr. Tiflin uses Billy Buck just as someone not only to help him with the farm, but also someone to talk to and listen. When Jody was getting ready to go to school it made me sad that he didn't really have any nice things and that the kids made fun of him. I was also surprised that when he was offered clothes, he didn't take them. Robbie must have had such a great imagination that he didn't feel poor at all so I can thank his father for helping him become attune with his imagination.  I would like to compare Robbie to Jody now. When I read about Robbie and that the only way he made friends was to have his father tell stories, reminds me about the time Jody got a horse and had a group of boys to pet him. I'm glad they made friends, but are they really your friends? Do they like you for you or your things? Now for the last thing. When I read in the story on the last page that Junius and Robbie were going to San Francisco, it made me think that Robbie is going to be living without a father because Junius is going to get sicker and sicker slowly deteriorating until he's gone. That's a sad feeling knowing that this kid could end up in foster care, waiting for a family to take him in.

 

IRA #4 The Red Pony

The Red Pony


New Characters:


Grandfather-  (Mrs. Tiflin's father)


Summary: The Leader of the People


The story starts out on a Saturday with Jody wondering around around the barn talking to Billy Buck about the amount of hay in the barn, and that there will be lots of mice. For months, they have seen that the amount of mice has increased and that they should have the dogs hunt them. Jody wants to set traps for the mice, but he must ask his father who must be in charge of the entire family's decisions. Later Jody notices a man carrying an envelope who we all know as mailmen. (there weren't any women in this profession back then). Carl Tiflin picks up the letter and brings it inside. The letter is addressed to Mrs. Tiflin and is from her father saying that he will be coming for a visit. Mr. Tiflin is upset at this unexpected surprise because he doesn't like her father. The next day Jody finds his his grandfather and welcomes him. The entire family gathers for dinner and grandpa tells one of his stories about traveling across the plains that everyone has heard. The main character and his grandfather decide to trap mice the next morning, but Jody was the only one who caught any. Grandfather just sat down and talked about how he should be telling folks about other things that he remembered from his past, and not just the same stories.


Journal Friday December 23, 2011


This is the last chapter of The Red Pony. First of all I would like to point out that it stopped at a very interesting place. Now there is a new chapter at the end about Junius Maltby, but it isn't mentioned in the table of contents. It is very weird, but I will discover the mystery behind this person in my next blog.  The major themes I would like to point in this novel are Carl Tiflin being a complete piece of crap,  and Jody's luck changing . Throughout this story Carl Tiflin has been viewed as a terrible father figure to Jody and a terrible husband to Mrs. Tiflin. I just don't like the father in this story. I know Carl is trying to be a good father, but he is not doing anything to try and have a good relationship with his wife or his son. In one of the chapters, it talks about Carl being jealous of the bonding between Billy Buck and Jody. Instead of feeling bad about it, maybe he could talk to his son and find ways that they could have a good father-son relationship.  I have a great relationship with my dad. I know some girls my age may despise their dads because they may be a little overprotective. There are some days where I can be mad at my dad, but then I forget about it because it's over with. Another thing about the father that I don't like is that he is completely rude and has no consideration of other people's feelings. I can go back to the chapter where they met Gitano, an old man who said he lived there some time ago. Mr. Tiflin was so terrible to this man. The night they took this poor man in, he asked Gitano if he had family somewhere else and why he wasn't living with them. In this chapter, I would also like to point out the terrible form of sarcasm in Carl's voice when he talks about the good times with his horse when he was young and how his horse should be put out of it's misery. (WHAT A PIECE OF CRAP!). Another chapter that I would like to point out is when the grandfather came to visit. Carl is so mean toward the grandfather because he tells the same stories about his golden days. The worst part is that he talks behind this old man's back and makes fun of him for trying to relive his glory days by telling the stories. Now I'm sure everyone understands what it is like when an elderly person tells you a story. I know some stories that you have heard before will be repeated, but sometimes if you listen closely the events change or it gets more interesting. I'm sure all of you have at least one person in your family that does this. In my opinion, you should just listen to them. Don't be disrespectful like Carl Tiflin. The stories may be extremely boring and you have probably heard them a million times, but all they want to do is have someone to talk to and pass these stories on from one person to the next. The second and last theme I would like to point out in this story is Jody's luck changing from the beginning to the end. in the beginning, we all know the poor little boy's horse died. I thought the boy would be scarred for life after finding his horse dead on the ground thinking that it was his fault. He came along way since the first chapter. His father decided to let him have a colt and then Jody was happy again. I didn't really comprehend too much information about the colt in the last chapters. It just talked about Jody's extreme worry for the care and health of the baby horse. Anyway, the story showed how a sad little boy's luck could change and he finally gets a new horse and his life is complete. This boy talked a lot about the Gabilan Mountains, but I always wondered if he was ever going to visit them and meet up with their old acquaintance Gitano. Jody always talked about the mountains. but he didn't get to visit them.

IRA#3 The Red Pony

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck


Themes:


Carl Tiflin's decision to let his son have another horse-  when you read this book you find out that it is very sad because the boy's horse dies. Carl Tiflin finally decides that Jody should be responsible for taking care of a colt (baby stallion). This leads to a motif that Jody is doing everything he can to make sure that he earns that horse.


Motif: 


Jody's willingness to get his horse- Jody is doing his chores and some extra chores including cutting  hay and milking cows to prove that he can do this.

Jody's apprehension about the horse-  After thinking of Gabilan, he is so worried about the colt. He is asking Billy Buck if the birth of the horse will go well and that he hopes it does.


Summary: The Promise


It is a new season and Jody is walking home from school. When he gets home, he looks through a catalog, but is interrupted by his mother saying that his father wishes to speak to him. Jody's first instinct is that he may have done something wrong, but then he hears his father talk about how well he took care of his last horse Gabilan. Billy Buck talks to Carl Tiflin about having the main character raise a baby colt. The next day, Jody takes one of his horses Nellie over to the neighbors for breeding. Then he and the horse hear a scream and the sound of chopped wood. A stallion runs out of the barn and Nellie joins her. Jody cries hoping that their neighbor Jess would separate them. The protagonist stays waiting for the Nellie hoping to take him back home because he is the person who is supposed to take care of her.

The next day Jody really concentrates on his chores showing his father that he is responsible enough to take care of the colt. Billy Buck explains to Jody that it will take a long time until the colt gets here, but Jody grow more impatient. Three months after the breeding of the mare and the stallion, Jody wonders about the colt. Billy Buck hopes that the mare will give birth to a stallion and  explains to Jody that colts are hard to control and that his father might not want to deal with it. After hearing about what happens when a horse gives birth, Jody thinks about Gabilan and start asking Billy Buck if the colt will be all right.


Friday December 16, 2011


 The theme is that Carl Tiflin is letting his son take care of a newborn horse. It seems like so far in this book that Jody is always given a second chance. I think this is a good. I mean everyone deserves a second chance. I believe that this will be the perfect responsibility along with his chores and school to learn how to manage time and work hard. Now just something to add here. I think that maybe this will somehow fix the father-son relationship between Carl and Jody because I don't really see a paternal figure, but more of a authority person. I don't know if this was common back then, but I just hope that maybe their relationship will get better.  Lets go to our motif which is Jody's willingness to get his horse.   I know that Jody was very traumatized, but now I think he will be way more responsible. Of course, he is also going to be completely paranoid with this little colt. I'm sure its perfectly natural. This will be kind of like taking care of a regular baby and when you think of new parents they are usually paranoid about certain things.As a horse lover and a girl who has been to Girl Scout Horse Camp for eight years or so,  I'm really hoping that everything goes okay with this colt because this poor little boy has suffered enough already. I just hope he finally gets what he wants a horse that he can enjoy. I remember my first time I rode a horse. I always needed help getting on the horse, but then I got the hang of it and I learned how to control the horse, gallop, and ride the horse on trails (which is really fun).  Another motif is Jody's apprehension about the horse.  Jody continually asks about how the birth of the colt will go. Billy Buck explains that the baby must come out a certain way or it miscarriages. This really scares Jody and he wants Billy Buck to tell him if the horse will be all right. He is counting on Billy Buck. Like I said in the first motif, could you blame Jody? His horse died and now he just wants to make sure everything is all right. I am always like that with my pets. Now both of my cats are dying, but right now I'm just trying to enjoy them and make sure they are comfortable.
 My Reflection on the Author. 

IRA #2 The Red Pony

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck


Character List:


Jody-Where we left off, Jody was very sad about finding his horse dead on the ground.


Carl Tiflin- He is still seen as the father that barely talks to his son and starts getting meaner when talking to the Hispanic.


Mrs. Tiflin- She is finally starting to get a little backbone and tells her husband off.


Billy Buck- He is the same, but he really doesn't do anything in this chapter.


Gitano- (new character) he is the elderly Hispanic man that drops by unexpectedly at the Tiflin's home.


Theme:  


Carl Tiflin's rudeness and negativism After reading a couple chapters, I still see that Jody's father is just the meanest person to walk the Earth. I don't know what his problems is. He's has such a negative attitude especially when he is talking about how he wants to shoot his horse because he thinks that it is going to die anyway. He is so mean to Gitano even when he says that he would like to live here and work until he dies.


Motif:


Jody's obsession with the Gabilan Mountains- Jody showing by the name that he gave to his horse in the last chapter is really interested in these mountains. He has asked his father about the mountains and he says that he thinks that there is an ocean and that there are more mountain ranges. The protagonist talks to Billy Buck about life on the other side like villages, but he doesn't think so. Jody asks Gitano about the mountains and he doesn't remember. Then he finds out that Gitano left for the mountains which makes Jody extra mad.


Summary: II The Great Mountains


The story leaves off when Jody found out his horse was dead. The next day, he watches the birds. Then as an impulse he grabs the bird, and kills it by cutting off it's head and disemboweling the poor creature. The protagonist wonders about the Gabilan mountains and what is the other side. He has heard many opinions about what was on the other side of the mountains from his father and Billy Buck.  Later, he encounters an old Hispanic man who says that his name is Gitano and that he has come back. Jody runs inside the house to tell his mom and she tells the man that he may stay here for the night, but Carl is not okay with that. Gitano explains that he was born here and that he wants to work and spend his last days at his place of birth. Jody shows Gitano where the barn is and they look at Carl's old horse Easter. Carl makes comments on how Easter was so young back then and that now he should be shot and put out his misery. The main character finds out that Gitano has been to the mountains, but Gitano doesn't remember anything. The next day, Jody goes into the barn and finds Gitano and Easter gone. A neighbor tells them that a man and a horse were heading toward the mountains. Jody feels upset because the anticipation is killing him about what is really on the other side of the mountain.


Journal Friday Dec 9, 2011


My theme is that  Carl Tiflin's continued meanness in the chapter. Carl Tiflin has been a huge pain in the butt . He is rude and he has such a negative attitude. I'm surprised Billy Buck can put up with his boss. I would also like to add that he has a bit of  stupidity also because he is a business man that will not let another man work even though he wants to and even for a small amount. I can see that he and his son still don't have that relationship that fathers and sons usually have. This is very common for families who have workaholic dads. Of course back then, they referred to the man as the one "bringing home the bacon'" and the woman staying home taking care of the children and the chores. I noticed in the story that Mrs. Tiflin finally got her backbone told her husband off when he was being mean and selfish. She showed him who truly wears the pants in the family and they go back their duties. I'm starting to get that this is definitely before the Equal Rights Movement. However, I still can't figure out which era this is.

The motif is that Jody's anticipation of knowing more about the Gabilan Mountains. The Gabilan Mountains are located in San Benito County, California. It is 3,455 feet above sea level. Evidence shows that the mountains are real and that it is located by the ocean. So Mr. Tiflin's suspicion was correct. Now we still don't know if there is life on the other side. Billy Buck of course said that there isn't enough resources, but couldn't there have been ancient villages and people living there if there was a body of water?


Recommendation


I am starting to really get into this book. Jody really believes that there is something special on the other side of that mountain and I hope to figure that out. After thinking about it, I figured out that my guess about the time era was wrong. I think that it is before World War II if you think of the date it was written. I will figure it out by continuing to read and looking at context clues.

The Red Pony IRA#1

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck


Character list:


Jody Foster- This is the protagonist. He is the little boy who receives something that makes him truly happy.


Billy Buck- He is the equine doctor and also helps his father Carl Tiflin with the farm as a hired hand.


Carl Tiflin- He is Jody's father who is very strict and doesn't really have a relationship with his son. 


Mrs. Tiflin- She is Jody's mother, is the stay-at-home mom, and tends  scold Jody when he doesn't do his chores.



Gabilan- (Jody's horse).



Doubletree Mutt- (farm dog)



Genre: Fiction


Settings: This  novel takes place in Salinas, California on a small family farm.


Time Period: This story doesn't really give the exact historical era, but I'm going to guess that it is set in the Post Word War II time. It even be later than that. I will find out more as I keep reading. 


Themes: 


The protagonists unconditional love for his pony- When a child is given a pet, they promise to do anything to take care of that animal. Like a young child given a special pet , Jody does everything to take care and pamper his horse. While reading, I can tell the love that Jody has for his pony Gabilan.  Jody is willing to do anything for his horse. Even when the horse gets sick, he is standing by trying to help Billy Buck treat him.

The father's perseverance toward a better relationship with his son- 
In the story, you can tell the father doesn't have a really good relationship with his son. He is barely home and he doesn't really talk to his son. When he gives the horse to his son, this could be a way of buying his affection. The problem is that Jody spends more time with Billy Buck and the horse than his own father.


Vocabulary:


scaled- to burn with hot liquid or steam(page 6).
vicinity- nearby surrounding or state of space; proximity (page 6).
carrion-dead and decaying flesh (page 6).
airedales- a large terrier breed having long legs and a wiry tan coated with black (page 10).
disparagingly- to speak in a slightly disrespectful way (page 11).
hackamore- a rope or rawhide covering that goes over the horse's eyes (page 11).
cayuse- a member of his people (page 15).
riata- long- noosed rope to catch animals (page 16).
lax- lacking rigor or firmness (page 16)
ague- chill or fit of shivering (page 27).
quartz- very hard mineral composed of silica (page 34).




Chapter One: The Gift Summary (p 3-36).


This is a story about a boy and his family living on a farm. The boy's life is pretty normal. Like any farm boy, he gets up early to tend the animals, goes to school, and then after school he does his chores. Then one day, his dad tells him that he needs to get some rest and be up early the next morning. The next day, Jody gets up and heads down to the barn finding a red colt standing in the stall. His father explains to him that he must take good care of the horse, otherwise he will sell it to someone else. The next few days, he spends all his time with the horse he calls Gabilan after the Gabilan Mountains. The protagonist brings his six classmates over and they wonder why he can't ride the horse yet. The next couple of days, Jody asks Billy Buck if it was going to be sunny so he can let Gabilan outside before he goes to school.

The entire day he notices the dreary sky and pouring rain, and when schools out, he runs home to put his horse inside. Jody is upset that Billy Buck's prediction about the weather was not accurate. The main character tries to keep the horse warm hoping that he will be better in the morning. The next day, he checks on Gabilan and he looks very sick with of his eyes shut and a stuffy  nose. Billy Buck assures him that it is just a cold, but then it gets worse. The horse handler does everything from giving the horse steam back to operating on the horse's windpipe, and lancing a huge socket full of puss, hoping to get the horse to breathe easier.

Jody is so worried about the horse that he can't sleep. One night, he wakes up, runs to the barn, and finds the doors open and horse gone. Luckily, the horse didn't get too far. A couple days later, after Billy Buck told Jody that he has done everything he could, the horse gets loose again. The boy runs after his horse, but soon finds his horse lying on the ground surrounded by many buzzards. In total hatred, he lunges toward the birds and beats them until they could not fight back anymore. Billy Buck finds Jody and brings him back home. The main character is sad and told by his father that the birds didn't kill the horse. They don't know what happened.

Journal Friday December 2, 2011


Tiflin is jealous of the time that Jody spends with Billy Buck and Gabilan. I feel really sorry that he seems to not have a good relationship with his son. I'm hoping that things will work out between the father and son. The best way in my opinion to think of this relationship of father and son is to think of "Bye Bye Birdie". I know this is a musical, but if you look at the son and the father instead of worrying about Kim, Conrad, and Hugo, you could see that the son tries to do anything to make his father happy and yet his father just won't give. You can't impress him at all. Now in The Red Pony, the Jody doesn't really try to make his father happy unless you consider doing your chores at home, but it explains the father's inability to relate with his son or understand him.


Recommendation


I like this book so far. Even though I'm sad that the horse has died, I hope that the boy will get past this and continue living his life. He is a young boy and he should be enjoying himself.