The desire to bounce back is most notable in the life of Ted Narracott. For instance, he is unable to pay rent because he bought an expensive horse. He also sustained injuries from the Second Boer war in South Africa even after attaining several medals (War Horse, 2012). Perhaps, his state of hopelessness explained why he constantly resorted to alcoholism. The reality of tribulation is also evident in the movie throughout the plot.
Rose tells Albert that Ted was not pleased at all by his roles at the war. At some point, Ted threw away the medals and flags because they were painful reminders of his traumatic past. Worse still, the turnips planted by Albert were spoilt by the storms. The boldly emotional nature of the movie is indeed one of the visible strengths. The soundtrack behind the movie also matches every scene in the film.
Ted remained resilient and was determined to pay his rent arrears. He sold his only horse to a cavalry officer. He did not want to renege on his promises to the landlord. This was yet another spate of pain, suffering and resilience for Ted. Joey was sold at a time when the First World War was just about to begin. It spelt another trauma for the horse. James Nicholls (the horse buyer) appeared to be a kind man because he promised to treat Joey as his own horse. Kindness is one of biblical virtues depicted in both the New and Old Testaments (Manion, 2010).
After crop failure, Albert tried his luck to join the army but he did not succeed. Joey went through yet another difficult time when it was taken through military training. The fierce battle front in German led to the death of Nicholls while the war horses were captured by the Germans. Most of the cavalrymen also lost their lives in the war even as they defended the truth (Smiley, 2010). The aspect of substionary atonement for the sake of redeeming humanity is clearly demonstrated through sacrifices made by cavalrymen in the battle field (Koenig, 2006).
Joey was not fortunate even after being captured by the Germans. The firing squad executed both Gunther and Michael on their way to Italy while riding the two horses. The horses were found the following morning by an orphaned French girl. The young girl by the name Emilie opted to take care of the horses (War Horse, 2012).
All the food supplies were confiscated by the German soldiers. This left Emilie hopeless. Her bones also became delicate due to a strange disease. Is the movie attempting to portray the concept of destiny and not just the war horses? The main weakness of the movie is the title because the plot is not just about the war horses.
When the horses were later captured by the Germans, they were enrolled into a strenuous German heavy artillery work. Topthorn died due to fatigue. Joey was trapped by a barbed wire but later rescued by a British and German soldier. An act of kindness in the midst of war disaster is vivid at this point. From a Biblical perspective, every bit of suffering has a reason and an end. Joey finds a hospitable host and finally lands in the hands of Albert. The film elicits critical thinking abilities of either a researcher or student owing to the twisted life events in the entire plot. There are several episodes of suspense, risks, uncertainties, and sighs of relief that the targeted audience can reckon throughout the film (Dees, 2011).
References
Dees, R. (2011). Resilient warriors. San Diego, CA: Creative Team Publishing.
Koenig, H. G. (2006). In the Wake of Disaster: Religious Responses to Terrorism and Catastrophe. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press.
Manion, J. (2010). The land between: Finding God in difficult times. Grand Rapids: MI. Zondervan.
Smiley, S. (2010). Hope unseen: The story of the U.S. Army’s first blind active-duty officer. New York: Howard Books
War Horse (2012). Touchstone Pictures [DVD]. M Narracott: BS Direct.