Genre
Children's Fiction
Setting and Context
New York State, early 1940s
Narrator and Point of View
Third person narrator telling the story from Alec's point of view
Tone and Mood
Hopeful, triumphant
Protagonist and Antagonist
Alec is the protagonist. The Black is occasionally the antagonist in that he is hard to train and is untamable
Major Conflict
There is conflict between Henry and the authorities who are preventing the Black from participating in the racing circuit
Climax
The Black runs faster than he ever has before, and catches up with the two other horses in the race to finally overtake them for victory
Foreshadowing
At the start of the novel, the wildness of the stallion that Alec sees a group of men struggle to bring under control foreshadows how wild he will remain and also foreshadows the complications in getting him off the ship in New York
Understatement
The Black was said to be an impressive physical specimen, but it wasn't until he stood next to the other two race horses that his size became apparent and his previously stated size had been understated
Allusions
Henry constantly alludes to his own championship career whist training Alec
Imagery
"White lather ran from the horse's body; his mouth was open, his teeth bared. He was a giant." Most of the imagery describes not only the appearance of the stallion but also how he sounds and also emphasizes his physical size and overpowering stature.
Paradox
The stallion saved Alec from the ocean, and paradoxically Alec leads him back to the ocean in order to save him from the island
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Henry as a child, who loves horses and became a jockey, and Alec, who is exactly the same.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The ship was in a state of panic using the ship to represent the passengers on it
Personification
The racetrack was on its feet - giving physical attributes to a venue
