Men on the Moon , that includes “The End of Old Horse,” is Simon J. Ortiz’s first collection of short stories: Ortiz has published children’s literature, non-fiction, and memoirs, but he is best known as one of the preeminent voices in Native American poetry. When this book was published, Matt Pifer, reviewing the book in …
Tag: Simon J. Ortiz
The End of Old Horse – Setting
Ortiz was born and raised in the Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico, about 65 miles west of Albuquerque. For centuries, the Acoma Pueblo existed at the top of a mesa, 7000 feet above sea level, in what is now referred to as “Sky City.” The Acoma people first came to the attention of Europeans in…
The End of Old Horse – Literary Devices
Conflict One aspect that is particularly notable about “The End of Old Horse” is the story’s lack of a general conflict. There are times when tension is raised, as when the narrator accuses Tony of being negligent and Tony shoves him or when Gilly curses at the family supper table and readers expect trouble to…
The End of Old Horse – Themes
Language and Meaning Ortiz uses language, and in particular obscene language, to represent the confused emotions that his characters are feeling. The narrator of this story shows his awareness of the special power of obscene language in the beginning of the story, when he notes that his younger brother Gilly liked to swear and that…
The End of Old Horse – Characters
The Father The father is a quiet, practical man who works for the railroad. The fact that his sons look up to him is clear from the way that the narrator refers to funny stories his father sometimes told as an example of something interesting that would happen in his otherwise boring day. At times,…
The End of Old Horse – Summary
“The End of Old Horse” begins with the narrator, an unnamed Native American boy, leaving home with his younger brother to go to the nearby creek to cool off on a hot summer day. They pass by Old Horse, a dog who is tied up with a rope, in front of the home of a…