Beth Character Analysis in Horses of the Night

Beth is Vanessa’s mother and Grandmother and Grandfather Connor’s daughter. She feels sorry for Chris and wishes she could do more for him. She feels especially sorry that he can’t fulfill his dream of going to college, but is too afraid to ask her father, who would be Chris’s only hope for affording tuition. After Chris ends up in the psychiatric hospital, she worries about having exposed Vanessa to his troubles, especially on her trip to Shallow Creek. She remembers Chris as an extremely optimistic person and can’t believe he ends up lost to his madness.

Beth Character Timeline in Horses of the Night

The timeline below shows where the character Beth appears in Horses of the Night. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...August and six-year-old Vanessa learns that her cousin, Chris, is coming to live with her Grandmother and Grandfather Connor in their “Brick House” in Manawaka. He is coming from Shallow Creek,... (full context)

Vanessa is angry that Chris has to come, and her mother, Beth, explains that he is coming to attend high school, as there is none in... (full context)

...and an angular face. He is wearing a white shirt, tie, and grey pants that Beth pityingly comments must have belonged to his father who died a few years back. Vanessa... (full context)

While Beth shows Chris to his room, Grandfather Connor, who had been standing stone-faced and silent at... (full context)

Beth and Chris return to the living room adjoining the kitchen, and they overhear Grandfather Connor... (full context)

Vanessa sits in the living room with her mother and father, Ewen. Beth says that Chris has done well despite everything, but Ewen says... (full context)

...of Chris leaving is overpowering and she speaks up to ask if he’s going away. Beth whisks Vanessa up to bed while assuring her that it’s not certain yet whether he’ll... (full context)

...him fold his socks while suppressing the urge to bring up the subject of college—her mother has warned her not to, since Chris appears to be taking the disappointment well. Instead... (full context)

Chris doesn’t write after he leaves, and Vanessa doesn’t hear anything about him until his mother, Aunt Tess, writes explaining that Chris never returned to Shallow Creek. Instead, he sold his... (full context)

...find another job. Vanessa is thrilled by her aunt’s return and can’t understand why her mother isn’t, even though she is equally fond of Edna. Next, Vanessa’s brother Roderick is born... (full context)

...cleaners to show the family, so he gives his sales pitch and demos the vacuum. Beth laughs and says they can’t afford it, and Chris insists he’s not trying to sell... (full context)

...magazines. When he comes back next, it’s winter. Aunt Edna calls Vanessa’s house and implores Beth to come down to the Brick House quick because Grandfather Connor is upset about Chris’s... (full context)

...Grandfather Connor has retreated to the basement. He’s loudly criticizing Chris, which upsets Vanessa and Beth, but Chris seems oblivious to his grandfather’s criticisms as always. He’s preoccupied with demonstrating his... (full context)

...men who work outside always need heavy socks, so they’re certain to buy the machine. Beth changes the subject and asks how his family is getting by. In a restrained voice... (full context)

...uncertainty and disorder. She retreats into herself for months, so much so that when her mother tells her that Chris has returned to Shallow Creek because there are no jobs it... (full context)

Six months later Aunt Tess lets Beth know that Chris was discharged from the army because he suffered a mental breakdown. He... (full context)

Although Beth cares about Chris, she immediately expresses her regret for allowing Vanessa to visit him in... (full context)

Years later Vanessa, home from college on holiday, is helping Beth clean out the attic. As they sort through boxes of old junk she finds the... (full context)

Beth turns away and tells Vanessa that she can’t understand what happened to Chris because he... (full context)

Vanessa tells her mother she thinks that things were more difficult for Chris than he let on, and asks... (full context)

...and points out the brand that shows the name of Chris’s ranch, the Criss-Cross. Confused, Beth asks her what ranch she’s talking about, and Vanessa tells her it’s Chris’s ranch where... (full context)