Previous
Chapter 39
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Black Beauty, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Horse Care, Abuse, and Neglect
Class, Transportation, and Victorian England
Good, Evil, and Power
Dignity and Religion
Summary
Analysis
One afternoon, a shabby cab drawn by a chestnut horse pulls up beside Black Beauty. The mare is in terrible shape. She seems familiar—and then Ginger and Black Beauty recognize each other. Ginger was once beautiful, but now her neck is thin, her legs are swollen, and she’s clearly suffering and ill. Ginger explains that after a year in a meadow at Earlshall, a gentleman bought her. Her back strain returned after a long gallop, and she was then sold multiple times—and her situation got worse every time. Now, she says, a man who rents out cabs and horses owns her. That man believes Ginger is worth nothing, so the only thing to do with her is put her in a cheap cab and use her up. Her driver owes her owner lots of money every day, and there’s no rest on Sundays.
Ginger never confirms, but it’s implied that she’s owned either by Skinner, Seedy Sam’s former boss; or by another man who’s just like Skinner. Now, readers get a look at exactly what a life working for Skinner is like for a horse: Ginger is in poor health, but nobody cares about helping her because they can work her until she dies. And while Ginger is now subject to purposeful cruelty and neglect, she insists that she landed here because long ago, Lord George, who didn’t know what he was doing, permanently strained her back.
Themes
Black Beauty notes that once, Ginger defended herself when people were cruel to her. Ginger says that now, it’s no use trying. Men are strong and cruel; all she can do is bear it until she dies, hopefully soon. Black Beauty is disturbed. Ginger and her driver head out moments later, but not long after, a cart carrying a dead chestnut horse passes the cab stand. The horse’s tongue is dripping blood, its eyes are lifeless, and it has a white stripe on its forehead. Black Beauty can’t confirm that it’s Ginger, but he hopes it’s her so her suffering is over.
It's disturbing for Black Beauty to realize that Ginger’s spark is totally gone. Being abused and treated like she’s nothing has made it clear to her that the only thing worth hoping for is death—because all she wants is to stop suffering. Again, Ginger ends up in this position because she experienced years of ignorance and neglect, and this damaged her ability to be a fully functional horse and provide transportation.
Themes
