Character Clues

Character Analysis

Actions

So we all know that actions speak louder than words, and in a story where many of the characters can't actually speak to each other, actions turn out to be a key tool for characterization. When you have a horse for a main character, you start to understand that actions are a way to express thoughtfulness, attention, and knowledge, especially when it comes to animals.

How well does a particular groom take care of Beauty? Does a rider speak softly or does he whip his horse? Which master takes the time to give his horses a little love and affection? These are all big clues to a character's nature in this book. To be clear, though, this just as easily applies to horses—Ginger's tendency to kick and bite tells us a lot about her, too.

Direct Characterization

One of the advantages of having a first-person narrative? Our narrator can just tell us what he thinks of everyone, point blank. And it turns out Beauty's actually a fantastic judge of character. This horse doesn't miss a trick—and he's not afraid to say what he thinks. Beauty tells you everything, from how skilled a particular rider is to how much he likes one of his masters. His opinions form a big part of what we think about each character in the book.

Names

Some of the names in this book are not exactly lacking in subtlety. In fact, if you look closely—well, not even very closely—you might find some clues about certain characters just from their names. The horses have very telling names, from Black Beauty, who's as lovely inside as he is handsome, to spicy Ginger, merry Merrylegs, and noble Duchess.

But check out the humans, too. John Manly is, in fact, pretty manly. Joe Green is very green—inexperienced, that is—when he starts work. Seedy Sam is definitely seedy. Alfred Smirk is dishonest, and you can imagine his facial expressions. Nicholas Skinner? Well, you can imagine a skinner wouldn't treat an animal too nicely. And Farmer Thoroughgood? Well, take a guess.

Want a little more on this topic? Canter on over to the "Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory" section.