War Horse

“A yearling colt and a young boy have more in common than awkward gawkishness.”

The line between man and horse is frequently blurred throughout the novel, but never so much as it is when comparing Joey and Albert. As the two of them grow up, the similarities in their personalities become more evident. Both are spirited fighters, loyal, and brave. Their shared qualities make them the strongest of friends and enable them to understand one another in ways no one else can.

“I just hope I’m up to it when the time comes—that’s what worries me more than anything, Joey. Because I tell you, and I haven’t even told Jamie this—I’m frightened as hell, so you’d better have enough courage for the two of us.”

Joey becomes a confidante for each of the soldiers that ride him. They feel they can tell Joey their darkest worries and secrets, things they wouldn’t even admit to their best friends. Here, Joey proves to not only be a source of comfort as a listening ear but a source of strength. Just as Joey must lean on Topthorn for strength, Captain Nicholls leans on Joey. Friendship is essential to those fighting in a war, for these friends find strength and courage in each other.

“No sergeant major, no enemy barrage could have silenced a body of soldiers as effectively as that terrible sight, for here for the first time the men saw for themselves the kind of war they were going into, and there was not a single man in the squadron who seemed prepared for it.”

Captain Nicholls tells Joey that he fears the soldiers aren’t prepared for what the war holds, and upon arriving in France, his fears are confirmed. This is a turning point in the novel, too. Before this moment, little is mentioned about the amount of violence and death that await the troops in France. This is not only Joey’s first introduction to the brutal reality of war but also the reader’s.

“Still, I’m over it now, and you’ve done that for me, Joey. Given me back my confidence. Feel I can do anything now. Feel like one of those knights in armor when I’m up on you.”

Just as Joey gave Captain Nicholls courage, he gives Trooper Warren confidence. Trooper Warren’s last horse had been killed from underneath him, and he had not mounted a horse after his last one died. His talks with Joey and the trust they build together give him the courage to try again. This courage and trust ultimately saved their lives as they worked together to get through the gunfire and explosions safely.

“‘What a waste,’ the captain said. ‘What a ghastly waste. Maybe now when they see this they’ll understand you can’t send horses into wire and machine guns. Maybe now they’ll think again.’”

A recurring critique in War Horse is the army’s insistence on using the cavalry against the massive, new military weapons such as machine guns and tanks. The war came at a technological turning point, and the machinery imbalance means even more unnecessary deaths on both sides.

“These two horses came through hellfire to get here—they were the only two to make it. It was not their fault they were sent on a fool’s errand. They are not circus animals, they are heroes—do you understand, heroes—and they should be treated as such.”

Joey and Topthorn find themselves fighting on the other side of the war for the first time. The Germans are no different than the British in their admiration for the war horses. The author humanizes the Germans by making them show kindness and respect toward Joey, Topthorn, and even Grandfather and Emilie. This allows for a less polarized view of the war and demonstrates some commonalities each side had with the other.

“Any horse has an instinctive fondness for children, for they speak more softly, and their size precludes any threat, but Emilie was a special child for us, for she spent every minute she could with us and lavished us with her affection.”

The human-animal bond is strong for characters of every age, but there is a more immediate trust for children like Emilie. Much of Emilie’s character (her caring, loving nature) is established through the way she loves Joey and Topthorn.

“The effects of continual exposure, underfeeding, and hard work were now apparent in all of us. Few of us had any hair growing on our lower legs and the skin below was a mass of cracked sores.”

The author does not shy away from the grave realities many horses faced when fighting in World War I. While many readers may have studied the physical toll the war took on the soldiers, the war horses, too often overlooked in history, also suffered greatly.

“We soon discovered that Friedrich was not in the slightest bit crazy, but simply a kind and gentle man whose whole nature cried out against fighting a war.”

Friedrich is one of several soldiers who didn’t want to fight in the war, but he is perhaps the closest character to a pacifist. Friedrich feels the war is senseless and has no desire to fight, but these thoughts keep him ostracized from the other soldiers.

“How can one man kill another and not really know the reason why he does it except that the other man wears a different color uniform and speaks a different language?”

In this quote, Friedrich further explains his opposition to the war. Once again, the author uses this character to remind readers that there was senseless killing on both sides.

“Does he not personify all that men try to be and never can be? I tell you, my friend, there’s divinity in a horse, and especially in a horse like this. God got it right the day he created them.”

Rudi, one of the German soldiers, stands to admire Topthorn as he stops to rest. This comment is a reply to one of his fellow soldiers claiming that horses can’t understand humans when they speak to them. Rudi bristles at this and jumps to defend the horses.

“Under his short, cropped hair that was still damp from wearing his helmet, he looked barely the same age as Albert as I remembered him. And like so many of them now, he looked, without his helmet, like a child dressed up as a soldier.”

The author never lets the reader forget just how young the soldiers fighting in the war are. The comparison of this young German soldier, Rudi, to Albert makes Rudi a more endearing character. It is a reminder of all the young, bright-eyed soldiers who went to war as boys and came home as men.

“I bent down to nuzzle him, pushing at his neck in a frantic effort to make him move, to make him wake up, but I knew instinctively that he was already dead, that I had lost my best and dearest friend.”

Topthorn’s death is one of the most significant events in the novel. The brave horse has been by Joey’s side since they first went to war and has been a source of comfort during all those long, hard battles. Now that Topthorn has died, Joey is alone in the world for the first time since meeting him.

“We should not treat our horses like this—we treat our machines better.”

This statement is made by the vet who examines Topthorn’s corpse after he collapses of heart failure. At this point in the war, the horses were only kept alive on a few rations and very little sleep. They were literally worked to death, and their bodies couldn’t keep up with the workload.

“But any fear I might have had was overwhelmed by a powerful sense of sadness and love that compelled me to stay with Topthorn for as long as I could.”

Even in death, Joey refuses to leave Topthorn alone. Joey knows he will be on his own once he leaves his friend. The respect that Joey shows for the bodies of Topthorn and Friedrich (who lays beside Topthorn) is a sharp contrast to all the bodies of soldiers and horses that are never retrieved and buried properly. Though Joey eventually must abandon Topthorn’s body, his willingness to stand by it through much of the fighting proves his deep and steadfast loyalty to his friend.

“We have shown them, haven’t we? We have shown them that any problem can be solved between people if only they trust each other. That is all it needs, no?”

At this point in the novel, Joey has wandered into no-man’s-land. Two soldiers from opposing sides approach him in the middle and civilly debate with whom Joey should go. In the end, they flip a coin to decide and go their separate ways in peace.

“I’ll find him, David. That’s what I came all this way for, and I’m going to find him. Either I’ll find him, or he’ll find me. I told you, I made him a promise, and I’m going to keep it.”

After all this time, Albert never forgot his promise to Joey. He joined the cavalry on the off chance that he might find him one day, and because of his perseverance, he can keep that promise.

“If you weren’t so good with horses, and if you weren’t the best friend I had, I’d think you’d gone a bit screwy the way you go on about your Joey.”

David says this to Albert as the two are cleaning Joey off after he is rescued from no-man’s-land. The two are best friends, and Albert has talked about Joey at length, even though years have passed since the two last saw each other.

“In the darkest days of my illness, when I felt sure each day might be my last, only Albert’s constant presence kept alive in me the will to live. His devotion, his unwavering faith that I would indeed recover, gave me the heart to go on.”

Joey survives a great deal of loss, trauma, and illness, but his bout with tetanus nearly costs him his life. Joey, who has provided such strength for each of his owners along the way, now must turn to Albert for courage and comfort.

“That’s the only thing I’ve got against you Joey, you’re the best listener I’ve ever known, but I never know what the devil you’re thinking. You just blink your eyes and wiggle those ears of yours from east to west and south to north. I wish you could talk, Joey. I really do.”

Albert’s wish that Joey could speak is felt by many who love their animal friends. Joey’s innate ability to understand each of his humans, regardless of their language, is one way the author creates more equality between the characters and avoids assigning the readers a “right” or a “wrong” side. Joey listens to all of his owners with equal love and friendship.

“Since David’s death, Albert had not been himself. I had not once seen him smile or joke, and he often fell into prolonged brooding silences when he was with me.”

David’s death is the first true loss that Albert faces in the war. His grief changes him, and he loses some of the more boyish qualities he had maintained from his days on the farm. Now, both Albert and Joey have had to mourn the loss of their dearest friends.

“You do not understand at all. I will sell you this horse for one English penny, and for a solemn promise—that you will always love this horse as much as my Emilie did and that you will care for him until the end of his days.”

Grandfather knows that Albert does not have enough money to buy Joey back from him. However, the money is not what he is after when he offers to sell Joey to Albert. What is more valuable to Grandfather is the promise to care for Joey, which means he is fulfilling his promise to Emilie.

“So I want you to tell your friends at home about my Emilie. Otherwise it will be as if she had never even lived.”

This quote reinforces the theme of remembering those lost in the war. Though Emilie was not lost in battle, her death was still due to living in a war-torn country. She represents hundreds of children like her who also died during the war and have since been forgotten.