Posted by Sue Lo on June 06, 1999 at 15:16:22:
The significance of Tova bearing Jeff towards the black horse is that she is accepting his death. Whether he should die today or sometime in the future, she is ready for his death. At the end when the lady asks her what happened to Jeff¹s face, Tova could have told her the truth and let some of the burden that she has felt to someone else. There is no one whom Tova can tell what she is feeling and how afraid she has been through out this ordeal. Instead, she lies to the lady that she burned his face with boiling water. Tova tries to make things seem happy but she is dealing with too much at a time and there is really no one who can help her deal with her grief. Jeff is too young to understand what is going on. Guiding Jeff towards the black horse is like leading him to his own death.