Horses of the Night Themes

Throughout “Horses of the Night,” Chris, a young man growing up in rural Canada during the Great Depression, finds refuge in his own imagined worlds that are at odds with the difficult realities of his life. Chris moves from his family’s struggling farm in Shallow Creek to stay with his Grandmother and Grandfather Connor in Manawaka to attend high school. Grandfather Connor is a harsh and critical man whose biting comments affect everyone in…

In the beginning of “Horses of the Night” Chris is an optimistic young man with big dreams and goals for his life. However, he is growing up during The Great Depression and the beginnings of World War II, so the realities and hardships of the society he lives in prevent him from realizing these goals at every turn. Chris’s dreams start out both admirable and reasonable. He wants to go to college and become a…