Polly Barker Character Analysis in Black Beauty

Polly is Jerry’s wife and Harry and Dolly’s mother. Polly is as sweet and kind as her husband. She helps him care for the horses and prep the cab every morning, and she makes sure the horses and Jerry are fed when they’re out working. She always worries for Jerry, though, as he nurses a nasty cough and never fully recovers. To help him, she remains firm in her belief that he should never again work a Sunday. Rest and quality of life, she insists, is far more important than money.

Polly Barker Character Timeline in Black Beauty

The timeline below shows where the character Polly Barker appears in Black Beauty. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Class, Transportation, and Victorian England Theme Icon

...out to meet the new horse. The girl, Dolly, pats Black Beauty’s shoulder—it feels wonderful. Polly, the woman, fetches a bran mash. (full context)

Black Beauty has never met such a lovely family. Jerry and Polly are tidy and kind, their son Harry is very sensible, and Dolly is just like... (full context)

Horse Care, Abuse, and Neglect Theme Icon

The next morning, Polly and Dolly come out to offer Black Beauty apples and bread. It makes Black Beauty... (full context)

...Manly, and he regularly makes up little songs. One he sings often is about him, Polly, Harry, and Dolly helping each other—which they do every morning as they all prepare the... (full context)

Jerry calls Polly out of the house and tells her about Mr. Briggs’s proposal. He says the Briggses... (full context)

Several weeks later, Polly comes running out as soon as Jerry and Black Beauty get home with news: Mrs.... (full context)

Once, though, Black Beauty and Jerry do work a Sunday. Polly approaches Jerry on Sunday morning and says that Dinah, a neighbor with an infant, needs... (full context)

...small book and picks flowers. They come home slowly and when they arrive, Jerry tells Polly he attended a service in the meadow—the birds were singing hymns. (full context)

When Jerry and Black Beauty get home one afternoon, Polly rushes up and says a man wants to hire Jerry’s cab ahead of the election... (full context)

...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... (full context)

...though never to excess. It took a few weeks to break the habit, but with Polly’s help and his book—and by telling himself that he'd break Polly’s heart if he drank... (full context)

...of the evening work during the week between the holidays. Jerry has a cough, and Polly always waits up for him to come home with a worried look. On New Year’s... (full context)

When Jerry and Black Beauty get home, Jerry can hardly speak and is coughing. Polly attends to Black Beauty that night—and the next morning, only Harry comes to the stables... (full context)

...two of rest, but Hotspur will quickly become dangerous without exercise. He suggests that if Polly is interested, he could take Hotspur out in the afternoons and give Polly half the... (full context)