Black Beauty

Black Beauty

by

Anna Sewell

Ginger is Black Beauty’s best equine friend. She’s a chestnut mare who’s sensitive and spirited, and when she was a filly and a young horse, this was interpreted as belligerence and punished. Because she was abused as a young horse and never learned that people can be kind friends, Ginger arrives at Birtwick a few months before Black Beauty as a dangerous, touchy horse who bites and kicks. With John, James, and Squire Gordon’s patience and kindness, though, Ginger gradually relaxes, learns to trust people, and becomes happy in her new home. She is, however, self-conscious about the damage her upbringing and training caused (such as making her mouth hard), and she fears what might happen if she’s ever sold. Ultimately, Ginger’s fears come true when she and Black Beauty are sold to the Earl of W when the Gordons leave the country. Ginger has experience with the bearing rein already, and she’s not willing to put up with what she sees as dangerous abuse. She tolerates the bearing rein for a while but eventually lashes out and damages harness by kicking and rearing. After this, Lord George begins training Ginger for foxhunting, but he’s too heavy and not a good rider. Due to the bearing rein and Lord George’s hard and poor riding, her back is strained and she suffers breathing problems. She and Black Beauty are separated for several years after she’s put out to rest and heal for a year, but she and Black Beauty reconnect in London when they’re both pulling cabs. At this point, Ginger has lost all her spirit; she believes that men are cruel and cannot be beaten. She’s thin and exhausted, her joints are swollen, and her owner plans to use her until she dies—and Ginger looks forward to dying, since that will stop her suffering. Soon after this meeting, Black Beauty sees a dead chestnut horse that he believes is Ginger, though he can’t confirm the dead horse’s identity.

Ginger Quotes in Black Beauty

The Black Beauty quotes below are all either spoken by Ginger or refer to Ginger. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Horse Care, Abuse, and Neglect Theme Icon
).
Chapter 7 Quotes

“But when it came to breaking in, that was a bad time for me; several men came to catch me, and when at last they closed me in at one corner of the field, one caught me by the fore-lock, another caught me by the nose, and held it so tight I could hardly draw my breath; then another took my under jaw in his hard hand and wrenched my mouth open, and so by force they got on the halter and the bar into my mouth; then one dragged me along by the halter, another flogging behind, and this was the first experience I had of men’s kindness, it was all force; they did not give me a chance to know what they wanted.”

Related Characters: Ginger (speaker), Black Beauty/The Narrator, Samson, Mr. Ryder
Page Number: 30
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

“They healed in time, and they forgot the pain, but the nice soft flap that of course was intended to protect the delicate part of their ears from dust and injury was gone for ever. Why don’t they cut their own children’s ears into points to make them look sharp? Why don’t they cut the end off of their noses to make them look plucky? One would be just as sensible as the other. What right have they to torment and disfigure God’s creatures?”

Related Characters: Sir Oliver (speaker), Black Beauty/The Narrator, Ginger, Justice
Related Symbols: Bearing Reins
Page Number: 49
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 22 Quotes

York came round to our heads and shortened the rein himself, one hole, I think; every little makes a difference, be it for better or worse, and that day we had a steep hill to go up. Then I began to understand what I had heard of. Of course I wanted to put my head forward and take the carriage up with a will, as we had been used to; but no, I had to pull with my head up now, and that took all the spirit out of me, and the strain came on my back and legs.

Related Characters: Black Beauty/The Narrator (speaker), Ginger, Mrs. W, Mr. York
Related Symbols: Bearing Reins
Page Number: 111
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 23 Quotes

“I was at a dealer’s once, who was training me and another horse to go as a pair; he was getting our heads up, as he said, a little higher and a little higher every day. A gentleman who was there asked him why he did so; ‘Because,’ said he, ‘people won’t buy them unless we do. The London people always want their horses to carry their heads high, and to step high; of course it is very bad for the horses, but then it is good for trade. The horses soon wear up, or get diseased, and they come for another pair.’”

Related Characters: Max (speaker), Black Beauty/The Narrator, Ginger, Mrs. W, Mr. York
Related Symbols: Bearing Reins
Page Number: 115-116
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 27 Quotes

“And so,” she said, “here we are—ruined in the prime of our youth and strength—you by a drunkard, and I by a fool; it is very hard.”

Related Characters: Ginger (speaker), Black Beauty/The Narrator, Reuben Smith, Lord George
Page Number: 136
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 40 Quotes

I said, “You used to stand up for yourself if you were ill-used.”

“Ah!” she said, “I did once, but it’s no use; men are strongest, and if they are cruel and have no feeling, there is nothing that we can do, but just bear it, bear it on and on to the end. I wish the end was come, I wish I was dead. I have seen dead horses, and I am sure they do not suffer pain. I wish I may drop down dead at my work, and not be sent off to the knacker’s.”

Related Characters: Black Beauty/The Narrator (speaker), Ginger (speaker)
Page Number: 211-12
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 47 Quotes

“He had a cruel whip with something so sharp at the end that it sometimes drew blood, and he would even whip me under the belly, and flip the lash out at my head. Indignities like these took the heart out of me terribly, but still I did my best and never hung back; for, as poor Ginger said, it was no use; men are the strongest.

Related Characters: Black Beauty/The Narrator (speaker), Ginger, Nicholas Skinner
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 249
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Black Beauty LitChart as a printable PDF.
Black Beauty PDF

Ginger Quotes in Black Beauty

The Black Beauty quotes below are all either spoken by Ginger or refer to Ginger. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Horse Care, Abuse, and Neglect Theme Icon
).
Chapter 7 Quotes

“But when it came to breaking in, that was a bad time for me; several men came to catch me, and when at last they closed me in at one corner of the field, one caught me by the fore-lock, another caught me by the nose, and held it so tight I could hardly draw my breath; then another took my under jaw in his hard hand and wrenched my mouth open, and so by force they got on the halter and the bar into my mouth; then one dragged me along by the halter, another flogging behind, and this was the first experience I had of men’s kindness, it was all force; they did not give me a chance to know what they wanted.”

Related Characters: Ginger (speaker), Black Beauty/The Narrator, Samson, Mr. Ryder
Page Number: 30
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

“They healed in time, and they forgot the pain, but the nice soft flap that of course was intended to protect the delicate part of their ears from dust and injury was gone for ever. Why don’t they cut their own children’s ears into points to make them look sharp? Why don’t they cut the end off of their noses to make them look plucky? One would be just as sensible as the other. What right have they to torment and disfigure God’s creatures?”

Related Characters: Sir Oliver (speaker), Black Beauty/The Narrator, Ginger, Justice
Related Symbols: Bearing Reins
Page Number: 49
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 22 Quotes

York came round to our heads and shortened the rein himself, one hole, I think; every little makes a difference, be it for better or worse, and that day we had a steep hill to go up. Then I began to understand what I had heard of. Of course I wanted to put my head forward and take the carriage up with a will, as we had been used to; but no, I had to pull with my head up now, and that took all the spirit out of me, and the strain came on my back and legs.

Related Characters: Black Beauty/The Narrator (speaker), Ginger, Mrs. W, Mr. York
Related Symbols: Bearing Reins
Page Number: 111
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 23 Quotes

“I was at a dealer’s once, who was training me and another horse to go as a pair; he was getting our heads up, as he said, a little higher and a little higher every day. A gentleman who was there asked him why he did so; ‘Because,’ said he, ‘people won’t buy them unless we do. The London people always want their horses to carry their heads high, and to step high; of course it is very bad for the horses, but then it is good for trade. The horses soon wear up, or get diseased, and they come for another pair.’”

Related Characters: Max (speaker), Black Beauty/The Narrator, Ginger, Mrs. W, Mr. York
Related Symbols: Bearing Reins
Page Number: 115-116
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 27 Quotes

“And so,” she said, “here we are—ruined in the prime of our youth and strength—you by a drunkard, and I by a fool; it is very hard.”

Related Characters: Ginger (speaker), Black Beauty/The Narrator, Reuben Smith, Lord George
Page Number: 136
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 40 Quotes

I said, “You used to stand up for yourself if you were ill-used.”

“Ah!” she said, “I did once, but it’s no use; men are strongest, and if they are cruel and have no feeling, there is nothing that we can do, but just bear it, bear it on and on to the end. I wish the end was come, I wish I was dead. I have seen dead horses, and I am sure they do not suffer pain. I wish I may drop down dead at my work, and not be sent off to the knacker’s.”

Related Characters: Black Beauty/The Narrator (speaker), Ginger (speaker)
Page Number: 211-12
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 47 Quotes

“He had a cruel whip with something so sharp at the end that it sometimes drew blood, and he would even whip me under the belly, and flip the lash out at my head. Indignities like these took the heart out of me terribly, but still I did my best and never hung back; for, as poor Ginger said, it was no use; men are the strongest.

Related Characters: Black Beauty/The Narrator (speaker), Ginger, Nicholas Skinner
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 249
Explanation and Analysis: