“The Sport of Kings” is more than just a title. The phrase exemplifies how horseracing is a sport for the wealthy. The title “The Sport of Kings” demonstrates the motif of class inequality because the rich can afford to own horses and enjoy the sport’s pleasures whereas the working class toil for success but seldom reap the rewards.
Horse racing’s prestige and class is shown through the characters, Henry and the Forge family. When first introduced to horse racing through Allmon’s eyes, the reader learns that it is an expensive sport. At training, Allmon is told that horse owners “breed Thoroughbreds to the tune of thirty thousand a year, so for every stakes winner there might be two hundred draggers who get shipped off to the horse meat house when they can’t earn their keep on the track” (316). Horse racing is a very expensive and risky business. Horses do not give meat or milk; they are just used for racing and gambling. Therefore, only the wealthy have the ability to invest and profit from the business. After John Henry dies, Henry uses the massive “Forge Fortune” to buy “his first horse at a claiming race in Florida, a mare called Hellbent. She was a spirited horse, fast, and almost perfectly formed. She would become his taproot mare” (32). Henry capitalizes on his wealth by purchasing Hellbent, something he could not achieve without his family wealth. Additionally, Henry is able to capitalize on the sport’s pleasures due to his wealth and status. Henry watches races in luxury and receives prestigious horsemanship awards without having to manually work with the horses. Henry’s family fortune allows him to be able to play the sport of kings.
Allmon’s position on Forge Run Farm demonstrates how horse racing, along with American society, relies upon the working class. In the novel, Allmon takes care of Henry’s expensive, fragile horses. He works everyday in rough conditions to ensure Hellsmouth and the other horses race fast to give Henry profits. Additionally, the hard work of African Americans and working class whites appears early in the novel, when Henrietta misanswers her teacher’s question of who built Kentucky’s limestone fences. Morgan mentions African Americans and Italians to demonstrate how the upper class relies on poor, working class people to build their society. Allmon does not want to remain in his low role; he wants to end up owning his own prize-winning horses. In training, he learns that “he could rub horses, pull himself up by his bootstraps, distinguish himself, play the sport of kings” (315). Throughout the novel, he remembers the trainers’ advice and strives to help Hellsmouth win important races. Allmon’s downfall at the end of the novel shows that he was never going to reach his goal as horse racing is ultimately a sport for the wealthy. Although Mack Snyder is partially able to attain Allmon’s dream, Morgan explains through his rough demeanor and lack of respect for others that he was not Allmon’s aspiration. Through Henry’s inherited ability to raise profitable horses and Allmon’s unattainable desire to own his own horse farm, the title “The Sport of Kings” demonstrates the motif of class inequality in the novel.
Inequality in America is an extremely important topic, and it is interesting to see how Morgan was able to use her background in Kentucky and take the sport of horse racing to criticize this major issue along with others. One of the most important things that seems to come out of this novel is the idea that race and class are so deeply related that it can be hard to just focuses on one. We see a wealthy African American in Reuben, but his character does not depict a man who has been a good, honest hardworking man to get himself to the top. Instead, he is a trickster that does whatever it takes to beat the system. Morgan is showing that the American system of class in race is so strong and powerful that the only way to really beat it is to play against the rules. Allmon is a great example of the working class being relied on by the upper class, as he works hard and is a good, honest man that just wants to make his way to the top eventually. Reuben shows him that it is impossible unless you play against the rules because people will always see the color of the skin. Reuben understands it is not just about the people with power but the system itself as eh says “It’s no longer the man but his very house” (pg. 432). Allmon sees how he was just used by the Forges and in the final seen it seems as though he will get his revenge and play against the rules. However, the novel ends on a very interesting note as we see that revenge does not pay off and Allmon ends up killing himself. Henry Forge lives on, as a changed man or not, and still maintains the power as Allmon puts an end to his possession of lower class by ending his life. The message that Morgan send is complex, but essentially shows that even when the lower class seeks revenge, there is hardly a humane way to do so, and it never really works out, as the upper class stays in power. Ultimately, the system itself needs to completely change.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of inequality is also demonstrated largely through Marie and Allmon’s storylines. When Marie first starts feeling pain in her joints, she visits a doctor to seek treatment and is referred to a rheumatologist. Marie responds, “All I have is seventy-five bucks. I need help” (225). However, all the doctor can offer her for that amount of money is prednisone, a painkiller. Marie cannot get the lifesaving diagnosis or treatment she needs and eventually dies because of it. The economic inequality Marie finds herself a victim of, which is likely compounded by racial inequality, results in her lacking access to medical care that she needs to survive.
ReplyDeleteThe inequality Marie suffers passes on to Allmon. Because Marie is in need of medical treatment for her chronic pain but cannot afford it, Allmon takes a job as a drug runner in his neighborhood. He spends much of his time working to make money for Marie, and eventually winds up in the wrong place at the wrong time and is arrested for arson (267). Allmon gets out of jail, but after Marie dies, he is arrested again for drug and weapon possession, car theft, and resisting arrest. Marie needing money for medicine leads to this series of events, causing Allmon to lose the ability to work and make money for himself. Eventually, he is taught how to work but in a lowly position that keeps him impoverished and a product of an unequal society.