Horse racing is expensive, whether you're engaged in racing or just prancing and preening around a field in the horse version of a toddlers-and-tiaras pageant. (We're kidding, dressage, but you're hardly an Olympic sport… oh wait, you are.)
Raising a horse isn't just like having another mouth to feed; it's like having a whole new family to feed. And the economic impact is hard. This is something Puck feels, as she has to feed herself, her brothers, and her horse. We also see the way the world is divided into haves and have-nots through the stable owner, Benjamin Malvern—a man who has everything and actively works to make sure his stable hands, like Sean, have nothing. Hmm, looks like the capaill aren't the only soulless bloodsuckers on the island…
Questions About Poverty
- Can Sean be considered poor? What about Puck?
- How would The Scorpio Races be different if either Puck or Sean came from a rich background?
- Is Benjamin Malvern upper class when it comes to the island of Thisby? How does his class permit him to treat people differently?