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The church bells in the village near the farmer’s farm represent home for Joey and Albert. They also mark the beginning and end of Joey’s role as a war horse. The bells are ringing in the village—in fact, Albert is helping to ring them—when the farmer first raises the idea of training Joey to pull the plow. Although Albert teaches him on the farm, this skill becomes crucial to his service on the German side of the war, first as an ambulance horse and then on a team hauling large artillery. And the bells ring out once more when Albert and Joey ride triumphantly home after the war’s end.
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Church Bells Symbol Timeline in War Horse
The timeline below shows where the symbol Church Bells appears in War Horse. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...is 15, Albert goes to the village in the evening to help ring the church bells. He puts Joey and Zoey in the stable first, reasoning that the farmer won’t bother...
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Chapter 21
...returns home with Albert. They ride into the village to the sound of the church bells and the excited cheers of their neighbors. Everyone considers them heroes, but they both know...
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