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Chapter 42
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
Jerry and Black Beauty are kept very busy on election day. After a busy morning, Jerry gives Black Beauty a quick snack and eats a meat pie. They watch cabs rushing around—and see two women knocked down. Moments later, a young woman with a heavy child looks around like she’s lost and approaches Jerry to ask for directions to St. Thomas’s hospital. She’s from the country, she explains, and needs to get her son to the hospital since he still can’t walk. Jerry insists the woman can’t make it the three miles on her own; he’ll take her. The woman refuses since she doesn’t have the money, but Jerry insists and the woman bursts into tears.
From a cab driver’s perspective, election day is disorganized and disgraceful, with people getting hurt and others ignoring those who need help. Helping this woman and her child is a way for Jerry to do what he believes nobody else is doing (and should be doing): help a person in need. Note that Jerry is also inconveniencing himself to help her; he puts her wellbeing above his own. Again, though, this demonstrates Jerry’s privilege, as he can afford to make this run for free.
Themes
Just as Jerry moves to open the cab door for the woman, two voters run up and shout for the cab. Jerry says it’s engaged, but they push right past the woman and climb into the cab. Jerry argues with the men, but they refuse to move—so Jerry turns away and tells the woman the men will soon leave when they see he won’t serve them. The trip to the hospital is quick, and after seeing the young woman inside, Jerry pats Black Beauty’s neck. The porter at the hospital calls Jerry back just as Jerry is starting to leave, and a woman Jerry recognizes gets in the cab.
When he can, Jerry tries to teach other, less virtuous men to be polite and look out for other people. It’s unclear if he gets through to these two, but his dedication to helping the woman and turning down their money establishes him as a virtuous, principled character. These two men are also characterized as extremely selfish, since they express no concern at all for the woman and her child.
Themes
Jerry and Black Beauty get the woman to the station with time to spare, so Jerry and the woman stand and talk for a while. The woman was Polly’s mistress, and she asks how Jerry’s health is since he drives during the winter. Jerry insists he’s fine, but the woman says that if he ever wants to give up the cab and find work as a driver or groom, she’ll help. She gives him five shillings each for Dolly and Harry.
The woman seems to imply that Jerry might not be in perfect health—or at least, his current good health is in jeopardy since he works through the winter. She also shows that she’s kind and generous, for no other reason than to be so: like John Manly, she sees it as her duty to help others when she can.
Themes
