Analysis Of 'The Georges And The Jewels' By Jane Smiley

As cliché as it is, “get back on the horse that bucked you” is a crucial piece of advice to remember when struggling to surmount obstacles. These obstacles are personal barricades that we set up unconsciously based upon our fears. It may be easy to identify what we are afraid of and how to overcome it, but challenging our fears proves to be more difficult. Sometimes, we don’t even address these problems because we are subconsciously trying to avoid them such as in the beginning of The Georges and the Jewels by Jane Smiley. The main character unknowingly tricks herself into thinking that just because she continues to get thrown from her horse, it will always hurt. Although this may be true physically, confiding in a close friend (one of her prized horses) helps boost her confidence.

By saying that, “Sometimes when you fall off your horse, you just don’t want to get right back on.” (Smiley 1), the author sets up a scenario where because the girl is scared of getting hurled off of her horse again, she finds comfort in a special horse that she holds near to her heart. Smiley uses the relationship between the girl and her horse to give a reason for why the girl has hope. In present day, the horse had been sold in exchange for money (Smiley 2). The second part of the sentence refers back to her love of the horse which, ultimately, explains her mentality of wanting to try again. This, being the last sentence of the story, returns to the idea that the horse is what keeps her from giving up. Because of the story’s first person point of view, the reader gets attached to this horse as the girl does. Regardless of the specific details within the story, the horse is a symbol of optimism. This optimism is what helps the girl cope with her fear of