Book Analysis Of Charles Pollard's 'Seabiscuit'

In the preface, Hillenbrand gives background information on Seabiscuit and the people that were closest to him. It told of how famous Seabiscuit was and gave the book a sense of purpose. “Along the way, the little horse and the men who rehabilitated him captured the American imagination. It wasn’t greatness that drew the people to them. It was their story.” (Hillenbrand, p. XIX). Chapter one gives some extra information on Charles Howard’s life, giving the reader an idea of how persuasive and eager he was when it came to succeeding. In this chapter, the Howard’s first realize their wish to win their Santa Anita Handicap, which was their ultimate goal throughout the book. “Whatever the reason, the Howards, especially Marcela, hung their hearts
A sense of victory was near the end of the chapter when Howard said Pollard would be the one riding Seabiscuit in the big race. “Pollard had won the mount on Seabiscuit” (Hillenbrand, p.314). This pushed the book one step further towards the race, and showed how far Pollard had progressed since his accident. The race that everyone was waiting for finally came in chapter twenty-three, telling how Seabiscuit won. This chapter marked the end of Seabiscuit’s and Pollard’s racing career together, almost bringing the book to the end. “Red Pollard sipped his scotch and reminisced about Seabiscuit and quietly slipped out of history” (Hillenbrand, p.326). The epilogue showed what happened to all of them after Seabiscuit retired. It told about how they lived after his retirement, as well as how they died, bringing a sense of closure to the book. “Seabiscuit paused and looked toward the track, and Smith’s eyes clouded over. He led his horse up the ramp and disappeared into the darkness. A moment later, he emerged alone” (Hillenbrand, p.329).
References:
Hillenbrand, L. (2002). Seabiscuit: an American legend. New York: Ballantine