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War Horse Chapter 1 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • Our narrator begins the story by telling us of his early childhood: being raised in a barn, sleeping with rats, and being sold at six months old. Man, rough life. What is this, a Charles Dickens novel?
  • Plus, he describes his mother as "a fine, working farm horse." (2.1) She might not be very attractive, but that's a little harsh, dude.
  • Wait, what's that? Oh, the narrator of this book is a horse. He's not a person. Got it. Now it all makes sense. Moving on...
  • Some nasty drunk men purchase our little pony and take him away from his mother. He tries to fight them, but he's outnumbered.
  • They take him to their farm and toss him into a stable with a nice old mare named Zoey.
  • After the drunks leave, two people, a boy named Albert and his mother, come to the barn to check out the new horse.
  • When Albert sees the horse, it's love at first sight. He names him Joey and swears that he'll look after him. This looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.