After spending many years, from his childhood throughout his
adult life, focusing on his dream of owning a horse farm and breeding
champions, Henry suddenly pivots and makes the decision to pull one of his
prized horses from the race last minute, bluntly stating “As of today I am
pulling Hellsmouth from racing,” (Morgan 502). Mack, the moderator, and
spectators are all, rightfully, shocked because this is a stark pivot – Henry
used to do anything to win as successful horseracing was his passion. There
were assumptions that this “abrupt change of direction,” is linked to his
recent personal losses (losing Henrietta), and I think that her death is the
primary cause of his change of heart when it comes to allowing Hellsmouth to
race (Morgan 503).
I agree with the spectators that Henry changed his point of
view when Henrietta died and he was left with her child. Throughout the novel, horses
are described similarly to women, and this includes Henrietta. While Henry
consistently mentions that Henrietta was not like the typical American woman,
and tries to raise her as he would a son, Henry also puts a large amount of
pressure and control on his daughter, which is similar to the way that he
treats race horses such as Hellsmouth. I think that, following her death during
childbirth, Henry likely feels regret about the way he treated his daughter.
Considering that Henrietta’s last words to Henry were that he never loved her,
one can assume that he began understanding how she had felt throughout her
lifetime.
I think that Henry’s pulling of Hellsmouth is his way of
expressing (primarily to himself) his regret for his treatment of Henrietta –
he put too much pressure and was overbearing on both his daughter and the
horse, and while it is too late to change his treatment of Henrietta, it is not
too late to “fix” things when it comes to Hellsmouth. After making his
decision, Henry feels a sensation that he thinks may “finally [be] joy,”
(Morgan 504). While Henry made decisions throughout his life that are likely interpreted
as unforgiveable (such as causing a man’s death when he is a teenager, his
cruel treatment of the people around him, and his incest with his daughter in
an attempt of perfecting the genetic line) I think that his release of
Hellsmouth is representative of a much needed, and long awaited, motion towards
character development as Henry attempts to become more moral and less over-controlling.
No comments:
Post a Comment