Jill was the inspiration for The Red Pony.
This picture of young John and his li'l sis Mary on Jill, their li'l red Shetland pony, just about says it all. From their home near the then edge of town this trio did in fact for several years roam the meadows and farmlands of turn of the century Salinas. And the marshes. The ubiquitous wetlands. He said there were so many frogs so everlastingly croaking by night that the general populace would probably spring bolt upright in bed wondering, "What is all that racket?" were they to stop.
Jill was usually kept in a stable at a flour mill behind the Steinbeck place on Central Avenue, but she was at times stalled right there at the house. And there it was, I believe, she one wintry day succumbed to what was then called "the strangles", just as did the pony, Gabilan, in his classic short story, The Red Pony. And he was very emotionally abused by this, as was his eventual alter-ego, Jody Tiflin.
Part One: Preparing your Salinas News edition for Sunday publication.
1. Read the article to the left, digest the important facts, and then write a Salinas News article about the the couple in the photo. Include a few thoughts from the mayor of Salinas (see the link). Your article must be ready for the Sunday edition so hurry. Make it interesting for the local readers (100-300 words).
2. Sketch the entrance to the old ranch as seen in the photo. Place this in the Salinas News.
3. Write a real estate ad to sell the ranch based on the photo and the photo below and anything else you know about the ranch. This will be in the Sunday edition of the Salinas News also.
4. Click the bust of John Steinbeck in the top corner and write a brief biography of the famous author. Include this in your newspaper submission as a separate article.
5. Click the link at the right for the "novels of John Steinbeck." List his first novel, a middle novel and one of his last novels. Write a brief article about these novels in an article for your paper about his writings.
6. Lay out your newspaper front and back on a sheet of paper and turn in for a grade. Make it look like a front page with a paper heading and your real estate ad somewhere on the pages.
7. What was the name of the pony?______________________
8. How much did he cost?_____________________
9. What happened to the pony?______________________________________________________________________________________
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10. Who was to blame for the tragedy? Explain.____________________________________________________
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1. What burning question did Jody keep asking everyone?
2. What was the answer everyone gave him?
3. List every descriptive trait mentioned on pages 42-43 about the old man. Sketch the man labeling these traits.
4. What was the man's name and why had he come to the Tifflin ranch?
5. Describe Mr. Tifflin's reaction to the old man's demands.
6. What would you have said to the old man?
7. Who was Easter and how old was he?
8. What does this sentence mean? "Jody stood overwhelmed by the thing in Gitano's hand, a lean and lovely rapier with a golden basket hilt."
9. What happened to Gitano and Easter?
10. What would you have done when you found out where they went?