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Chapter 4
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
The coachman at the Hall is named John Manly. The morning after the narrator arrives, John grooms the narrator in the yard so Squire Gordon can inspect him. Squire Gordon asks John to take the narrator out to test his paces. Later, John carefully fits the narrator with a bridle and saddle. They walk, trot, canter, and then gallop. On their way back to the stable, they pass Squire Gordon and Mrs. Gordon walking. John says the narrator is a wonderful horse—sensitive, obedient, and not at all afraid of things if he can get a good look at them first. He clearly hasn’t been scared or abused.
Notice that the narrator dwells on the time and attention John gives to grooming him and making sure his saddle and bridle are fitted correctly. This, per the novel, constitutes good horsemanship—and having well-fitted tack means that the narrator can do his best on the ride. However, John also highlights that the narrator’s good behavior reflects the care the master took when teaching the narrator to ride—the narrator, unlike Ginger, hasn’t been taught that people are his enemies.
Themes
The next morning, Squire Gordon takes the narrator out. He’s an excellent rider and cares deeply for his mount. When they return to the Hall and ride up to the house, Mrs. Gordon asks how the ride was. Squire Gordon says the horse is wonderful and asks what they should name him. After some deliberation, they decide to name him Black Beauty. Later, John and James laugh; they’re pleased Black Beauty wasn’t given some ridiculous name. James says he’d happily call the horse Rob Roy, since Black Beauty is so much like Rob Roy. John says that makes sense, since Duchess is the mother of both horses. Black Beauty notes for readers that horses don’t usually know much about their families. He realizes that this is why his mother was so distraught after seeing Rob Roy die during the hunt.
Black Beauty seems to have come to the ideal place: his coachman and Squire Gordon are both excellent riders who care for their mounts’ wellbeing. This suggests that Black Beauty’s life here is going to be happy, and that he's going to be well cared for. Then, Black Beauty learns an interesting and unusual piece of his family history. But hearing more about Rob Roy also makes a sinister point: even good, brave, bold horses—horses like Black Beauty himself—are injured and die because of what men do to them. This reinforces the idea that Black Beauty can follow Duchess’s instructions to behave as well as possible, but that’s no guarantee he won’t die some senseless death like his brother did.
Themes
John likes Black Beauty a lot. He grooms the horse often and speaks kindly to him while he does. James Howard, the stable boy, is just as gentle. A few days after Black Beauty’s arrival at the Hall, he goes out with Ginger in the carriage. Aside from putting her ears back when Black Beauty is led up to her, she behaves well. She’s an honest worker and it turns out that both horses are courageous. They keep step together well, which pleases John. Before long, Ginger and Black Beauty are friends. Merrylegs soon becomes a close friend as well. Black Beauty also gets to know Justice, a roan cob; and Sir Oliver, Squire Gordon’s old hunter who’s retired unless he’s needed to carry one of the young ladies.
Things are looking up for Black Beauty, in part because he’s so well cared for at Birtwick and in part because he quickly makes friends with the other horses. Ginger’s demeanor already seems to be improving with the kind treatment, which speaks to the power of treating horses kindly and with dignity. Mentioning other horses like Justice and Sir Oliver also highlights that Squire Gordon needs multiple horses for a variety of purposes, as horses are his primary form of transportation.
Themes
