Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Black Beauty, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Horse Care, Abuse, and Neglect
Class, Transportation, and Victorian England
Good, Evil, and Power
Dignity and Religion
Summary
Analysis
At the sale, Black Beauty stands with the old, broken horses—some that should be shot instead of sold. The buyers and sellers look just as downtrodden as the horses; they’re poor people who would rather sell a horse for a few pounds than lose money killing it. But several men seem kind and Black Beauty would happily serve them, though none want to buy him. A gentleman farmer with a young boy finally approach, and the man tells his grandson, Willie, that Black Beauty has seen better days. The farmer says Black Beauty is clearly a well-bred horse. Black Beauty leans into the man’s gentle hand, and Willie asks if they could buy him and make him young again—he doesn’t seem so old.
When Black Beauty says some of the horses here should be shot instead of sold, it shows clearly that he (and the novel) believe this is the humane thing to do. But again, people’s class and desperation sometimes keeps them from doing the right thing, as with the men who would lose money if they shot their horse. The farmer and Willie, on the other hand, seem better off (if the farmer is a gentleman farmer). This offers hope that they might have the capital to be able to help a horse like Black Beauty, who needs the time to do nothing but recover for a while.
Themes
Black Beauty’s seller, a man from Skinner’s stable, interjects that Black Beauty has simply been overworked and will supposedly recover with six months of rest. The seller says Black Beauty is a pleasant animal, and he suggests the farmer could buy Black Beauty now for five pounds and sell him next spring for 20. The farmer inspects Black Beauty’s swollen legs, declares that he’s only 13 or 14 after a teeth inspection, and watches Black Beauty trot. He buys Black Beauty for five pounds and turns him out in a meadow when they get home.
To his credit, the seller seems to be way more interested in horses’ welfare than his boss is—but still, it’s impossible to ignore that he frames Black Beauty as an investment opportunity for the farmer. They all realize Black Beauty is useful only as far as he can work, and the farmer seems to decide that with rest, Black Beauty will be able to work again.
Themes
The farmer, Mr. Thoroughgood, feeds Black Beauty well and puts Willie in charge of his care. Willie is kind and often visits with treats. Mr. Thoroughgood regularly inspects Black Beauty’s legs, which gradually improve. Black Beauty’s entire condition improves; he wasn’t overworked as a young horse, so he has a better chance. In the spring, Mr. Thoroughgood tries Black Beauty in the phaeton (a light cart) and Black Beauty performs the work easily and happily. Willie is thrilled. Mr. Thoroughgood says they can start looking around for a buyer.
Black Beauty’s legs are in such bad shape because trotting in shoes on a hard surface like cobblestones causes a horse’s legs and hooves to endure immense force with each step—which, over time, can lead to swelling and lameness. Again, it’s Mr. Thoroughgood’s wealth that gives him the wherewithal to rehab Black Beauty like this and return Black Beauty to working condition.
Themes
