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Chapter 4
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
Joey finds cavalry horse training far harder than learning to plow; he hates the “endless, tedious” hours of training, the harsh bit in his mouth, and the mean spirit of his trainer, Corporal Samuel Perkins. Perkins, who used to be a jockey, seems to take pleasure in dominating and controlling horses, and he uses his whip and spurs liberally. Although he never treats Joey with kindness, he isn’t cruel. And Joey grows to respect him—but out of fear, not love.
Joey’s reaction to his training reminds readers that he is an individual with his own likes and dislikes. Just like humans, each horse has its own unique temperament, and Joey refuses Perkins’ attempts to enforce obedience and make him conform to the arbitrary standards of the cavalry unit. Still, there’s an important difference between strictness and unkindness; Joey grudgingly respects Perkins, who at least appreciates Joey’s capabilities (unlike the farmer).
Themes
Captain Nicholls visits Joey every evening. He sits and talks quietly to the horse about the foolhardy arrogance of the other cavalrymen, the difficult war ahead, and about his own concerns. And he sketches Joey. He’s planning to paint a portrait of Joey to send to Albert as proof that he will follow through on his promise to take care of the horse. He feels a sense of affinity with Joey; neither has been to war, and both would prefer to be somewhere else. Nicholls even admits his fear to Joey.
Nicholls treats Joey like the sentient being he is—and as a friend—rather than like an object or tool for humans’ use. In this book, the way a person treats animals shows how fully they embrace their own humanity; in Joey’s experience thus far, Albert and Captain Nicholls occupy a realm of full humanity while Perkins and the farmer still have much to learn about their treatment of animals.
Themes
One night, Corporal Samuel Perkins comes into the stables to find Captain Nicholls sketching Joey. Nicholls praises Joey to Perkins, who agrees that Joey looks nice. But he worries that the horse has a mind of his own, and he believes that cavalry horses need to obey without hesitation. Nicholls icily replies that he wanted Perkins to train Joey because he’s the best man for the job—and because Nicholls himself must focus on training his men to shoot. Nicholls wants Perkins to treat his special horse gently. He also asks Perkins to give Joey a bit more food so that he’ll be in perfect, shining condition for the upcoming final maneuvers.
Perkins rejects the very quality that makes Joey unique—and which will prove to be important in keeping him alive during the war. Part of Joey’s value lies in his individuality, and Nicholls rightly criticizes Perkins for failing to value or even acknowledge it. The book celebrates Nicholls and criticizes Perkins because these two men represent very different approaches to the dignity and value of all creatures’ lives, including those whom humans may not necessarily consider sentient.
Themes
In the last week of his military education, Joey settles into his new role. After his conversation with Captain Nicholls, Perkins becomes gentler and more attentive with Joey. On the day of final maneuvers, Joey proudly bears Captain Nicholls, heavy in his dress uniform, onto the field under the hot sun. Finally, near sunset, the regiment lines up for their final maneuver, a charge. Captain Nicholls and his friend Captain Jamie Stewart draw their swords, and when the bugle sounds, they urge their horses into a gallop. Joey refuses to let Stewart and his glossy black stallion (who’s called Topthorn), take the lead, but he can’t outpace Topthorn either. Nicholls and Stewart have a hard time reigning in the horses after the charge.
Perkins may not fully respect Joey’s value as a living being, but he respects Nicholls’s wishes. And Joey rewards Nicholls’ love and concern with his own loyalty and pride in the maneuvers. Importantly, Joey’s introduction to Topthorn offers a model of healthy competition: in their attempts to outdo each other, each horse performs better than he would have alone. And both horses find that the competition reaffirms their value and skill; neither loses their friendly competition, but it makes both look stronger and better.
Themes
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As Nicholls and Stewart brag about their mounts, Joey and Topthorn look at each other, warily at first. But although the majestic and dignified Topthorn has enough strength to challenge Joey, he also sees kindness in Topthorn’s eyes. That night Joey and Topthorn rest in adjacent stables, and they’re side by side again in the morning, when they’re loaded into the boat that will carry them to the war in France.
Joey proves himself to be an infallible judge of character, and so readers can rest assured that those whom he loves and respects (first Albert, then Nicholls, and now Topthorn) deserve his affection. Unlike the humans around him, Joey never fails to appreciate a fellow creature’s inherent dignity and worth. And from the moment they meet, Joey and Topthorn remain inseparably loyal to each other.
Themes
