Posted by Won Choi on June 03, 1999 at 21:44:41:
In Ghita Orth’s story “Handling Charges,” Jeff seems to choose the black horse on his own, and not have Tova choose for him. In regards to Jeff choosing a horse, Orth writes: “She (Tova) watched while he (Jeff) walked, solemn with the responsibility of choice….” Regardless of who chose, I think the black horse represents Jeff. Orth does not mention any other black horses (in fact Orth doesn’t mention any other colored horses other than the black one) so I’m assuming that the horse is special. I think Orth is trying to relate Jeff to his horse. Just as how the horse was different from the others, Jeff is unlike other kids in that he has cancer, scares on his face, and wears a helmet all the time. In a way, I think Orth is trying to say that Jeff is beautiful in his own way. She describes the horse in a majestic manor. She also call it “Arabian.” To my understanding, Arabian horses are more special and valuable than regular domestic horses. So perhaps Orth is trying to say that Jeff is more special and valuable.