Pony

In Pony, love and loss are interrelated concepts that develop the characters and drive the plot forward. In R. J. Palacio’s Afterword, she asserts, “Ultimately, this is a book about love, which never dies, and the invisible connections that exist between people, both the living and the dead” (285). Silas experiences deep love and repeated losses of loved ones, and these events shape his personality and inform his choices. The narrative implies that Silas can see ghosts because he lost his mother as a newborn baby and is therefore preoccupied with the realm of the dead. Similarly, Mittenwool has attached himself to Silas because of his connection with Silas’s mother, further emphasizing the power of love and loss. Furthermore, the impetus behind Silas’s quest is the desire to rescue his father from the outlaws. Even after Silas loses his father, the remembrance of his loved ones remains a powerful motivator for his choices and helps him to forge meaningful connections with other characters.

Silas claims that he can remember his mother’s death, even though he was a newborn baby at the time, and this detail illustrates the degree of love that Silas feels for his mother despite having spent only a brief moment with her.