King of the Wind

In the opening chapters, Henry transforms historical records into a dramatic narrative that interweaves legend and invention, using Agba’s perspective to anchor the Godolphin Arabian’s story in loyalty, hardship, and destiny rather than in courtly chronicle. For example, the horse came to Europe from Africa, but historical evidence suggests that the Arabian was born in Yemen and gifted to King Louis XV by the bey of Tunisia rather than the sultan of Morocco. Agba, the Moroccan stableboy who selflessly devotes himself to Sham, is a fictional character invented by Henry. The boy’s point of view and the constancy of his friendship with the horse contribute to the narrative’s cohesion and emotional impact. By focusing on a child rather than on monarchs or aristocrats, Henry reframes history around overlooked figures, making the story as much about endurance and devotion as racing bloodlines. This decision also aligns the novel with children’s literature traditions that privilege the vulnerable and marginalized as narrators, heightening the emotional resonance of Sham’s journey.

Agba’s bond with Sham and Samuel Riddle’s relationship with Man o’ War establish The Beauty of Loyalty Between Humans and Animals. In the prologue, Riddle will not risk the horse’s well-being to pursue greater fame even though the decision to retire Man o’ War from athletic competition causes the man “sorrow” (16): “[M]ore weight might weaken Man o’ War’s legs, might break his great fighting heart as well. It would be better to retire him in perfect condition, without a mark on him” (16). The phrase “without a mark on him” conveys Riddle’s care and echoes the language of physical scarring, suggesting that loyalty is measured in what injuries are prevented rather than trophies won. Likewise, Agba is committed to Sham’s well-being. Henry emphasizes the strength of the boy’s loyalty to the horse by comparing it to the selfless love of a parent for their child, as shown in the excerpt in which Agba watches the young Sham run: “Such a wonderment and pride filled him that it was almost as if he had foaled the little colt himself” (44). Here, parenthood functions as metaphor, reorienting the narrative away from bloodlines and dynasties to chosen bonds of care. Agba and Sham’s connection remains the most important relationship throughout the novel, allowing Henry to center the loyalty that can exist between humans and animals. This narrative choice also counters the traditional emphasis on power and wealth in historical accounts, presenting loyalty itself as the force that preserves legacy.

Agba and Sham’s responses to the difficulties they experience at the sultan’s palace demonstrate the theme of Perseverance Through Displacement and Adversity. Two of the primary difficulties that the protagonist faces are Agba’s enslavement and others’ ableist reactions to his speech disability. His inability to answer the sultan’s questions incurs the ruler’s anger, and the boy narrowly escapes death. In the face of his life’s hardships, Agba models persistence. When the bay mare “to whom Agba had lost his heart” dies (21), he refuses to abandon hope and finds a way to help her newborn colt not only survive but thrive. The echo of his own survival through caretaking suggests that perseverance is both individual and relational, as Agba endures by giving Sham the chance to endure. 

Despite the Godolphin Arabian’s eventual fame, Henry presents the young Sham as an underdog through his mother’s death and his peers “refus[ing] to accept him” (41). Sham shows perseverance by approaching the world with joy and curiosity despite his difficult start in life. Agba and Sham’s struggles make the boy and the horse sympathetic figures and add to the narrative’s suspense because, although the prologue reveals that Sham eventually achieves renown, his life is marked by hardship. This juxtaposition between the promise of greatness and the reality of hardship encourages readers to recognize perseverance as the bridge between obscurity and eventual recognition.

Another layer of adversity arises from cultural misunderstanding. The sultan sees the horses as tokens of diplomacy and power rather than living beings, while European figures later dismiss Arabian horses as inferior. These attitudes highlight how Agba and Sham’s worth is repeatedly obscured by prejudice and utilitarian thinking. By embedding cultural bias into the plot, Henry shows how displacement can be interpretive, as different societies project competing values onto the same horse. The early chapters establish this pattern, reminding readers that recognition often depends on persistence across cultural divides.

In the first years of Sham’s life, the humans around him see signs of The Role of Divine Will in Personal Destiny. In Chapter 7, the sultan says that bay horses are “the color favored by the Prophet” Muhammad (53). Agba sees this link between bays and the founder of Islam as a sign that his horse is destined for greatness and blessed with divine favor, bolstering his hopes that Sham will be selected to go to France. However, divine will is also used to explain unfortunate events, such as when Signor Achmet says that Sham’s mother will die because it is “the will of Allah” (35). Throughout the story, the wind serves as a motif of the role of divine will in personal destiny. This motif originates in Chapter 2 when a “wizened old story-teller” recounts an ancient Bedouin legend about the origins of Arabian horses (29): “When Allah created the horse, he said to the wind, ‘I will that a creature proceed from thee. Condense thyself’” (29). This creation myth names speed as Sham’s birthright as an Arabian horse. The fact that this promise of speed is paired with the wheat ear’s omen of misfortune dramatizes how destiny is never unambiguous, forcing Agba to interpret contradictory signs. The motif also appears in the protagonist’s promise that Sham “will be King of the Wind” (41). Giving Sham this title is Agba’s way of assuring himself that God has destined his horse for greatness. The interplay between hopeful and ominous interpretations of divine will shapes the uncertainty of Sham’s early life, showing how faith can sustain characters even when external signs appear contradictory.

The markings on Sham serve as symbols of foreshadowing about the course of the horse’s life. The workers in the sultan’s stables believe that the white spot on the foal’s leg is “the emblem of swiftness” (33). This symbol fills Agba with joy and convinces him that the horse will achieve greatness. The Godolphin Arabian’s descendants are cherished for their speed and many, including the 20th-century Man o’ War, become legendary racehorses. However, the hairs on Sham’s chest form the wheat ear, a symbol of misfortune: “Signor Achmet’s voice broke. ‘It foretells evil. [….] Ill luck will attend the colt’s days. Ill luck will hang low over the royal stables’” (35). The wheat ear hints at the death of Sham’s mother and foreshadows that Sham and Agba will face more hardships as the story continues. Placed side by side, the spot and the wheat ear capture the novel’s central paradox that greatness cannot be separated from suffering, and the very marks that set Sham apart also bind him to trial. Henry uses these contrasting symbols to show how greatness and suffering are intertwined, suggesting that Sham’s destiny cannot be separated from the trials that shape it.