Study Guide

Today we reviewed our study guides and asked any final questions we had before the test tomorrow. Here are our notes from the study guide:

Characters:
JODY: Jody is the main character in this story. Jody Tiflin is a young boy living on a ranch in the Salinas Valley. Jody is often very shy and quiet. Jody learns how to be responsible for animals and experiences the pain of losing animals to death. He begins to show signs of maturing and becoming a man. Jody is also very sensitive to his grandfather’s feelings. Jody knows his father has broken his grandfather’s spirit and Jody tries to repair it. He is a very curious boy and knows about Gitano’s impending death. Jody is very curious to know about life. Jody is a dynamic character and changes through out the story.

BILLY: Billy Buck is the ranch hand that lives on the ranch in the Salinas Valley. He knows very much about horses. He made a promise to Jody that his new red pony will not become sick. But the sickness the pony has Billy Buck can not fix. The pony dies of strangles and Billy Buck feels horrible about his mistake. When the mare, Nellie becomes pregnant Billy knows not to promise anything about the colt to Jody. Billy Buck is more sensitive, compassionate and understanding than Carl Tiflin.

CARL TIFLIN: Carl Tiflin is not likeable at all. He is a very hard worker and he recognizes his son needs to be rewarded for being good. After Carl brings home the red pony he has nothing to do with taking care of it. Billy Buck is the one taking care of the red pony with Jody. After the pony dies Carl tries to replace it by buying Jody another horse. But once again Billy Buck is the one taking care of the horse with Jody. Carl Tiflin is not very sympathetic when Gitano comes to the Tiflin’s house. Carl does not even notice that Gitano has taken Easter to the mountains so they can die together. He even breaks the spirit of his father in law. He is incapable of showing him any respect. Carl is very strict about most things.



MRS. TIFLIN: Mrs. Tiflin is always seen outside of the kitchen. She comes to life in the last story when her father in law comes to town. She finally talks back to her husband and lets him know her feelings about his impatience with her father. Other than that one moment Mrs. Tiflin is ether cooking or cleaning.



GABILAN: Gabilan was Jody’s red pony. Jody was very proud of having Gabilan. One day when Jody went to school Gabilan got left outside. Then it rained. Gabilan got sick with a disease Billy Bick could not cure. Then Gabilan died out near the mountains. Gabilan was one of the lemons that God gave to Jody.



NELLIE: Nellie was a horse who was going to have the colt Jody wanted. When she was ready to have the colt the colt turned the wrong way in her stomach. Then, Billy Buck killed Nellie and cut her open to get the colt out.


EASTER: Easter was the old horse that lived at the ranch. Easter was very old nearing death. When Gitano came he took Easter and they both went to the mountains to die.



GITANO: Gitano is an old man called a Pisano that comes back to the Tiflin’s house to die. In this same property that he and his father were born and living. Gitano insists he lives their until he dies. Gitano is not welcome on their property. He is told he does not have any other place to go so early in the morning he disappears with the old horse Easter and they both go away to die in the mountains.



GRANDFATHER: Mrs. Tiflin’s father comes to visit the family. He is a proud man whose time has passed. He has nothing to look forward to so he lives in the past. The highlight of his life occurred when he crossed the plains into California. Once he reached the ocean, he had nowhere else to go. Since that time he has been mad at the ocean for stopping him. To give himself a sense of worth, he constantly repeats his stories. He does not understand that other people do not get the same feelings that he gets in retelling them. His spirit is broken when Carl tells him he is tired of hearing his stories.


1. What is the setting of the novel? Why is it important to the story?
The setting of the story is a ranch in the Salinas Valley in northern California. The book takes place in the 1933. On the ranch the Tiflin’s have all kinds of farm animals. The ranch is near the Gabilan Mountains. The setting is important to the story because Jody sees basic elements of life, sex, sickness, birth, and death by watching the animals around him. He gains his knowledge from nature. The Gabilan Mountains are important because the old man Gitano and Easter go there to die. Jody always wonders about the mountains. The setting is also very important because back when the story took place the Tiflin’s might have not been able to save Gabilan. But now we are more advanced so we might be able to save the pony, Gabilan.

2. Describe the death of the red pony, Gabilan. What was the real underlying cause of the pony's death? What is Steinbeck's message behind the death?
Gabilan was dying of strangles which is like being choked, then one night Gabilan tried to go to the mountains many times to die. Then he did. The death of Gabilan was caused because the pony was left outside while it was raining. The pony came down with the strangles. At night a few times the pony tried to get outside to the mountains to die. Just like Easter and Gitano. The cause of the pony’s death was a disease called the strangles.

3. Did Jody have any right/reason to blame Billy Buck for the death of Gabilan? Explain your answer.
I think Jody had a reason to blame Billy Buck for the death of Gabilan because Billy Buck is the one that promises Jody everything will be ok and then it is not. He told Jody it would not rain while Gabilan was outside and it did. He promised Jody he would be ok and Gabilan died. I think Jody had reasons to blame Billy Buck for the death of Gabilan.

4. Compare and contrast Carl Tiflin and Billy Buck. What is Jody's relationship to each of them?
Carl Tiflin and Billy Buck are similar because they are both adults and they also play big parts in Jody’s life. They also live on the ranch together. The differences between them is Billy Buck is more sensitive, compassionate, more understanding, and less harsh. Carl Tiflin is all of these. Carl Tiflin is harsh not understanding, and is not sensitive. Jody’s relationship with Carl Tiflin seems very awkward because Carl never hugs Jody or barely even is nice to him. But Jody’s relationship with Billy seems better because Billy understands him and is more like a father.

5. How do the sudden appearance and the mysterious departure of Gitano affect Jody?
The sudden appearance and the mysterious departure of Gitano makes Jody realize about getting old, death and dying. Gitano has gone to the mountains and Jody was very interested in the mountains.

6. In what ways does Jody change after the death of Nellie, the mare?
After the death of Nellie, Jody becomes more like a man he also becomes less selfish than he used to be. He learns to see death as it happens. He sees Billy Buck has to kill Nellie to save his colt.

7. Why is lemonade important to the novel?
Lemonade is important in the novel because in Jody’s life many things have given him lemons, like bad things in his life. There is a saying when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. Jody’s life gave him many lemons or bad things. Jody has not let the lemons ruin his life. The literal reason is it shows him being unselfish and more caring.

8. What does grandfather teach Jody?
Jody’s grandfather teaches him many things about the plains and about his grandfather’s life. His Grandfather always tells Jody about where he used to travel out in the plains until he reached the Pacific Ocean. Jody also learns about Indians crossing the plains from his grandfather because that’s all he talks about.

9. What does Jody learn in the course of the novel? Be specific.
In the course of the novel Jody learned about life, death and old age. First, with the death of Gabilan, his red pony. Then with Gitano, the old man who comes back to die. He learns about getting old and Gitano’s need, like an old animal to find some place to die. Gitano and Easter go to the mountains to die. Jody sees his old grandfather and understands the loss of purpose that comes over some old people when they are no longer appreciated. Jody learns about life when he watches the mating of his mare with his neighbor’s stallion. He watches Billy deliver the colt at the expense of the mare’s life.

You can find additional notes on pink monkey's website or on sparknotes or my delicious page. Email if you have questions. You'll do great!