The Red Pony Men and Masculinity Quotes Page 1
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| Quote #1 At daybreak Billy Buck emerged from the bunkhouse and stood for a moment on the porch looking up at the sky. He was a broad, bandy-legged little man with a walrus mustache, with square hands, puffed and muscled on the palms. (1.1) |
It's the first line and already we're meeting Billy Buck, manly man and general ranching aficionado. He seems like a classic cowboy of the old west. Except there's that one word that gets tossed in there: he's "little." That doesn't sound all that manly to Shmoop.
| Quote #2 "Got the cows ready to go, Billy?" he asked. "In the lower corral," Billy said. "I could just as well take them in alone." "Sure you could. But a man needs company." (1.8-1.10) |
These are strange words coming from Carl. He seems to like his alone time, and yet here he's saying men need company. What's that about?
| Quote #3 Nearly all his father's presents were given with reservations which hampered their value somewhat. It was good discipline. (1.21) |
It's a fine line to walk, gift giving. Carl wants to give his son something he'll like, but he also wants that gift to have value. And by value, he means a built-in life lesson. Unfortunately for Jody, this pretty much spoils all the fun.
