Jody

Jeff Wright
Jody

The Red Pony, by John Steinbeck has many fascinating characters. If I had to pick just one character I would have to say that the main character, Jody is the most interesting. The following paragraphs will show how during the course of the story, Jody goes from being a selfish boy to a caring and responsible young man.
In the first story of the book entitled, The Gift, Jody is a boy that likes to sleep late and basically rushes through his chores. The character of Billy, a ranch hand, convinces Jody’s father that buying a pony for Jody would teach him responsibility. The father agrees and the pony is given to Jody the next morning. Jody is thrilled. He names the pony Gabilan, after the mountains that lie to the west. Throughout the chapter, Jody is very responsible for taking care of Gabilan. He wakes up on his own and does his other chores very well. Things turn sour when Jody leaves Gabila...