The Red Pony Duty Quotes
How we cite our quotes: (Part.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Billy Buck sat down on the steps, because he was a cow-hand, and it wouldn't be fitting that he should go first into the dining room. (1.1)
For all the work he does with the Tiflins, it really seems like he's part of the family. But he also understands that it is his duty to respect the unwritten rules of the house. One of which, apparently, is that he is to wait until the family enters the dining room before he does. Kind of weird, right? But it is what it is.
Quote #2
"Jody, tonight see you fill the wood-box clear full. Last night you crossed the sticks and it wasn't only about half full. Lay the sticks flat tonight. And Jody, some of the hens are hiding eggs, or else the dogs are eating them. Look about in the grass and see if you can find any nests."
Jody, still eating, went out and did his chores. (1.19-1.20)
What a good boy. Even though he screwed up his chores the night before, he's going out now to fix his mistake. And he doesn't even wait to finish eating before he goes, the poor guy. Carl should be proud. Though I doubt he cares much as long as the job gets done.
Quote #3
"You'd better go to bed, Jody. I'm going to need you in the morning."
This wasn't so bad. Jody liked to do the things he had to do as long as they weren't routine things. He looked at the floor and his mouth worked out a question before he spoke it. "What are we going to do in the morning, kill a pig?" he asked softly.
"Never you mind. You better get to bed." (1.24-1.26)
Jody has no idea as of now, but his father is going to present him with an incredible blurse in the morning—the gift and responsibility of the red pony. But that's for tomorrow. For tonight, Jody is just excited that something is happening that shakes up his routine.
Quote #4
"He needs a good currying," his father said, "and if I ever hear of you not feeding him or leaving his stall dirty, I'll sell him off in a minute." (1.37)
Jody falls in love with his new pony the second he lays eyes on him. It is hard to imagine that the boy wouldn't give him the best care within his abilities. Plus, Billy is there to help him out. So why does Carl insist on giving this ultimatum? It hardly seems necessary. But then again, that's Carl.
Quote #5
The pony's eyes glittered, and he edged around into kicking position. But Jody touched him on the shoulder and rubbed his high arched neck as he had always seen Billy Buck do, and he crooned, "So-o-o, boy," in a deep voice. The pony gradually relaxed his tenseness. Jody curried and brushed until a pile of dead hair lay in the stall and until the pony's coat had taken on a deep red shine. Each time he finished he thought it might have been done better. He braided the mane into a dozen little pigtails, and he braided the forelock, and then he undid them and brushed the hair out straight again. (1.58)
As expected, when it comes to Gabilan, Jody doesn't consider his responsibilities as duties. Quite the contrary, he enjoys taking care of his pony. And he seems to be very good at it.
Quote #6
Jody looked reproachfully at Billy Buck and Billy felt guilty.
"You said it wouldn't rain," Jody accused him.
Billy looked away. "It's hard to tell, this time of year," he said, but his excuse was lame. He had no right to be fallible, and he knew it.
"The pony got wet, got soaked through."
"Did you dry him off?"
"I rubbed him with a sack and I gave him hot grain."
Billy nodded in agreement.
"Do you think he'll take cold, Billy?"
"A little rain never hurt anything," Billy assured him. (1.104-1.112)
Did everyone do their duty in this case? Not exactly. Though Billy can't be held at fault for mis-predicting the weather, he did promise Jody that he would be around, if it did rain. And he wasn't. In that regard, Billy did not do his duty. But he was at a nearby ranch with Carl when the weather turned bad and he couldn't leave until it cleared up. Should he have? Should he have risked his own health and his own horse's health to return and let Gabilan back inside? You make the judgment call.
Quote #7
Jody grabbed him fiercely by the forearm. "You're not going to shoot him?"
Billy patted his hand. "No. I'm going to open a little hole in his windpipe so he can breathe. His nose is filled up. When he gets well, we'll put a little brass button in the hole for him to breathe through."
Jody couldn't have gone away if he wanted to. It was awful to see the red hide cut, but infinitely more terrible to know it being cut and not see it. "I'll stay right here," he said bitterly. (1.164-1.166)
In this heart-wrenching scene, Billy is doing what he has to do to save the red pony. Sometimes, duty can be a terrible thing that you just have to do. It's really not a matter of choice, and Jody knows it, too. Why else would he stay with his horse through such a horrible ordeal?
Quote #8
"I tell you you won't stay," Carl said angrily. "I don't need an old man. This isn't a big ranch. I can't afford food and doctor bills for an old man. You must have relatives and friends. Go to them. It's like begging to come to strangers."
"I was born here," Gitano said patiently and inflexibly.
Carl Tiflin didn't like to be cruel, but he felt he must. "You can eat here tonight," he said. "You can sleep in the little room in the bunkhouse. We'll give you your breakfast in the morning, and then you'll have to go along. Go to your friends. Don't come to die with strangers." (2.67-2.69)
Is Carl fulfilling his duty as a good person in giving Gitano a couple meals, a place to sleep for one night, and then shoo him off in the morning? Or should he be doing more for the old Mexican? Is Carl (as he thinks) being cruel? Or is he just doing what is necessary to support his family? Sometimes doing your duty can make for some awkward, difficult choices.
Quote #9
Billy's face and arms and chest were dripping red. His body shivered and his teeth chattered. His voice was gone; he spoke in a throaty whisper. "There's your colt. I promised. And there it is. I had to do it—had to." (3.172)
What is the price of doing one's duty? Billy Buck thought it was his charge to deliver a colt to Jody, no matter what the cost. In this terrible scene, we see the lengths he will go to fulfill a promise he made to the boy. But was it the right call?
Quote #10
Jody felt very sad. "If you'd like a glass of lemonade I could make it for you."
Grandfather was about to refuse and then he saw Jody's face. "Yes, it would be nice to drink a lemonade."
Jody ran into the kitchen where his mother was wiping the last of the breakfast dishes. "Can I have a lemon to make a lemonade for Grandfather?" (4.164-4.166)
At the end of the book, Jody does his Grandfather a solid. In a way, he's fulfilling a grandkid's duty to his Grandpa—getting the poor old guy a nice lemonade, but it's also an important step into adulthood. So in a weird way, he's fulfilling his duty to himself, too.