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Captain Jamie Stewart
Corporal Samuel Perkins is a cavalry officer in the British Army. He’s responsible for training new horses before they go to war, including Joey. A former jockey (professional racehorse rider), Perkins appreciates horses for their strength and stamina, but he dislikes Joey’s independent spirit. He’s less cruel than the farmer but less kind than Albert and Captain Nicholls. He prefers to enforce discipline and demands absolute obedience from Joey rather than respecting him as a fellow creature. Joey loses contact with Perkins after a failed charge in which the Germans capture Joey and Topthorn.
Corporal Samuel Perkins Quotes in War Horse
The War Horse quotes below are all either spoken by Corporal Samuel Perkins or refer to Corporal Samuel Perkins. 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:
).
Chapter 5
Quotes
But it was my rider that I disliked more than anything in my new life. Corporal Samuel Perkins was a hard, gritty little man, an ex-jockey whose only pleasure in life seemed to be the power he could exert over a horse. He was universally feared by all troopers and horses alike. Even the officers, I felt, went in trepidation of him, for it seemed he knew all there was to know about horses and had the experience of a lifetime behind him. And he rode hard and heavy-handedly. With him, the whip and the spurs were not just for show.
He would never beat me or lose his temper with me; indeed, sometimes when he was grooming me I think he quite liked me, and I certainly felt for him a degree of respect, but this was based on fear and not on love.
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
“Let’s say, I feel he has a mind of his own. Yes, let’s put it that way. He’s good enough out on maneuvers—a real stayer, one of the very best—but inside the school, sir, he’s a devil, and a strong devil, too. Never been properly schooled, sir, you can tell that. He’s a farm horse, he is, and farm-trained. If he’s to be cavalry horse, sir, he’ll have to learn to accept the disciplines. He has to learn to obey instantly and instinctively. You don’t want a prima donna under you when the bullets start flying.”
“[…] I asked you to train Joey because I think you’re the best man for the job. But perhaps you should ease up on him just a bit. […] He’s a willing soul—he just needs a bit of gentle persuasion, that’s all. But keep it gentle, Corporal, keep it gentle.”
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Corporal Samuel Perkins Quotes in War Horse
The War Horse quotes below are all either spoken by Corporal Samuel Perkins or refer to Corporal Samuel Perkins. 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:
).
Chapter 5
Quotes
But it was my rider that I disliked more than anything in my new life. Corporal Samuel Perkins was a hard, gritty little man, an ex-jockey whose only pleasure in life seemed to be the power he could exert over a horse. He was universally feared by all troopers and horses alike. Even the officers, I felt, went in trepidation of him, for it seemed he knew all there was to know about horses and had the experience of a lifetime behind him. And he rode hard and heavy-handedly. With him, the whip and the spurs were not just for show.
He would never beat me or lose his temper with me; indeed, sometimes when he was grooming me I think he quite liked me, and I certainly felt for him a degree of respect, but this was based on fear and not on love.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Let’s say, I feel he has a mind of his own. Yes, let’s put it that way. He’s good enough out on maneuvers—a real stayer, one of the very best—but inside the school, sir, he’s a devil, and a strong devil, too. Never been properly schooled, sir, you can tell that. He’s a farm horse, he is, and farm-trained. If he’s to be cavalry horse, sir, he’ll have to learn to accept the disciplines. He has to learn to obey instantly and instinctively. You don’t want a prima donna under you when the bullets start flying.”
“[…] I asked you to train Joey because I think you’re the best man for the job. But perhaps you should ease up on him just a bit. […] He’s a willing soul—he just needs a bit of gentle persuasion, that’s all. But keep it gentle, Corporal, keep it gentle.”
