Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Ignorant and cruel humans

There isn't just one antagonist in this story. Beauty encounters ignorance and cruelty in a number of different ways, starting from the very first chapter, in which a boy throws rocks at young colts. We see mistreatment of animals in a large variety of forms, from clueless troublemakers who harass their horses to carriage drivers who whip overworked animals. This story sheds light on all the ways horses were forced to endure abuse in Victorian England.

That said, a few specific humans definitely stand out. There's Mr. York, who is unwilling to stand up for his horses, and his boss, Lady W, who insists on using bearing reins in the name of fashion. There's Reuben Smith, whose alcoholism causes his own death as well as Beauty's downfall, and there are cruel masters like Nicholas Skinner, who works his horses until they drop. But it's clear that rather than any single antagonist, animal cruelty is the true villain in this novel.