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Chapter 11
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in War Horse, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Dignity and Humanity
Hope and Loss
Love and Loyalty
The Horrors of War
Summary
Analysis
Although the physical labor of pulling the guns demands little more strength than pulling ambulance carts, Joey finds it much more taxing. He and Topthorn—and the rest of the horses—are exposed to the elements 24 hours a day, and they no longer have Emilie’s devoted companionship. And as the war drags into yet another year, life becomes harder. The men driving the horse teams demonstrate a casual cruelty born of desperation. Neither man nor animal has sufficient rations, and the battles become ever fiercer.
The costs of the ongoing war become apparent as Joey and Topthorn suffer the effects of increased exposure to the elements. These were somewhat bearable when they had devoted riders (such as Nicholls, Stewart, and Warren) but the longer the war drags on, the scarcer resources of all kinds—food, shelter, attention—become. The men in the unit, desperate to survive, treat the animals like machines rather than with the affection and love they deeply need.
Themes
Only one horse in the gun team—the leader—has the size and strength for such punishing work. His name is Heinie. Because of his greater size, Topthorn gets teamed with Heinie in the front. Joey finds himself alongside Coco, a small, mean-tempered horse with white splotches on his face. Two identical ponies—which the soldiers call “the golden Halflingers”—bring up the rear. All six struggle mightily through the cold, sticky mud and insufficient rations of winter. When Heinie’s strength begins to fail, he and Joey swap places—to Joey’s delight, since this means he returns to his place by Topthorn’s side. Soon, neither Coco nor Heinie can do their share of the work any longer.
The artillery unit’s use of animals not strong or large enough to pully heavy loads is further proof that they see the horses as replaceable machines rather than dignified, unique creatures. And the lack of care and respect the horses receive from their masters has trickle-down effects among the animals, especially Coco, who struggle to treat one another with trust or respect. This ill treatment quickly ruins the horses’ strength.
Themes
As cavalry horses, Topthorn and Joey became used to receiving solicitous care from their riders. The artillery soldiers view them as expendable work animals and care more about keeping their gun in top shape. Additionally, everyone is starving and focused almost exclusively on their own survival. Only one German soldier, a portly, odd little man who’s always talking to himself (later identified as Friedrich), spends any time or attention on the horses. As the winter grinds on, all the animals begin to develop sores and cracked skin, and their muscles waste away as the result of malnourishment. There’s little that anyone—even the field veterinarians—can do. When Heinie becomes too weak to continue, they shoot him. Soon afterward, flying shrapnel from an artillery shell kills Coco.
Joey’s observations continue to reflect the desperation among the soldiers, the hardscrabble competition for the insufficient resources among men and animals, and Herr Major’s cruel lack of regard for the suffering of the horses. Importantly, Joey doesn’t express distaste for the work itself or for his German masters; the point isn’t that the Germans are bad or that Joey has been previously spoiled. Rather, it’s that anyone who fails to show respect for other living creatures lacks the full measure of his own humanity. And the horses’ suffering reiterates the horrific nature of war.
Themes
One day while crossing a stream, Joey looks over to see Topthorn struggling to go on through pain and weakness. That night, Joey stands over the coughing and restless Topthorn to protect him from the pouring rain. Topthorn gets back on his feet in the morning before the gunners bring the horses’ rations, but Joey can see how little strength he has left. So can the field veterinarian who warns Herr Major that the horse needs rest to recover. Topthorn is too fine a horse to waste on pulling a gun, but the German Army doesn’t have horses to waste.
The bonds of mutual affection between Joey and Topthorn have seen them through many traumatic experiences, from the loss of their British cavalry officers to the aftermath of several disastrous charges, to the hard work of hauling artillery shells. The horses, unfettered by human sensibilities, seem to have a natural wellspring of hope and strength that replenishes them. But this isn’t inexhaustible, and Herr Major’s inability—or refusal—to make any concessions doesn’t bode well for Topthorn’s recovery.
Themes
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