Posted by Heidy Chong on June 06, 1999 at 14:06:45:
Writing Prompt #19
The black horse represents the life span of Jeff. Jeff wants to live and his mother is helping him survive. Just like the carousel, Tova is giving the means so Jeff can still keep on riding the black horse. When the ride is over, Tova's son will "die." His disease is not curable, but Tova is trying to make the most out of the time. For me, the story was an emotional carousel the way Orth wrote it, I could feel the sadness that the mother is going through. She defends her son although he is quite different than the others. The black horse is something the son wants to ride and the mother rapidly allows him to enjoy