Summary
As Chapter 9 opens, Joey and Topthorn have been newly separated from the surviving British troops. The Germans are not sure exactly what to do with the newly-captured horses, until a tall, authoritative German soldier begins giving orders. Joey and Topthorn should be treated as heroes, in this man's opinion: they should also be given care and nourishment. However, few of the Germans—with the exception of the tall man himself—seem to know how horses should be handled.
Joey and Topthorn do not rest for long: a field doctor arrives and announces that the two horses must be put to work pulling ambulance carts. Initially offended that such fine horses would be used for such rough labor, the tall German (whose name is revealed to be Herr Hauptmann) decides to oversee the work. Together, the horses save the lives of wounded soldiers, earning the field doctor's approval. The animals are then put in a stable—the first that Joey has been in since the war began—and are greeted by two new acquaintances during the night: an old Frenchman and his young granddaughter.
Chapter 10 describes the early stages of Joey's stay with the old man and his granddaughter Emilie, who is particularly delighted by the presence of the horses in her grandfather's stables. Joey and Topthorn are still used for trips to the front. When they are not helping to rescue wounded Germans, they benefit from the kindness and attention of Emilie herself. Winter sets in and the war rages on; Emilie's grandfather, for his part, begins to talk to the horses on occasion. He reveals that Emilie's other relatives—her parents and brother—were killed after the war began.
Emilie's grandfather reveals another source of sadness: his granddaughter's poor health. Around Christmastime, Emilie takes ill with pneumonia and is treated by a German doctor. She is lucky enough to recover, and, even though the war continues to rage, Emilie's grandfather brings the horses a Christmas present of food and water.
The fighting eventually recedes, as described towards the beginning of Chapter 11, and Emilie's health improves somewhat. She is convinced that Joey and Topthorn will be her permanent companions; Emilie's grandfather also appreciates the presence of the horses, setting them to work on the farm. Though Joey enjoys this occupation, his return to life as a farm horse is short-lived. One day, a group of stern Germans arrives. These men announce that they need horses to help move their artillery guns from place to place; thus, they have decided to take Joey and Topthorn with them. Emilie and her grandfather realize that they are in a helpless position, so they turn over Joey and Topthorn—but not before Emilie asserts that the Germans should return the horses once the war is over.
Chapter 12 depicts Joey and Topthorn's return to warfare. The experience is difficult, especially after the comforts of the farm, though there are other factors that make Joey's time pulling an artillery cart especially harsh, such as cold weather and food scarcity. Joey and Topthorn also toil alongside a few other horses: a large and powerful horse named Heine, a foul-tempered horse named Coco, and two small, sturdy, lovable horses called the Haflingers.
The harsh conditions soon take a toll, sapping the horses of strength and killing Heine, the first of all the animals in the regiment to die. Coco is killed by flying shrapnel, and even the robust Topthorn begins to weaken. A doctor comes to inspect the horses; he warns the major who is in charge of the artillery unit to take better care of the remaining beasts, especially Topthorn. Unfortunately, the conditions that Joey and the other horses face—mud, hard work, and little food—do not improve.
Analysis
In its treatment of the special bond between Joey and Albert, War Horse addresses the theme of human pride in and affection for horses—a theme that reappears, shifted onto markedly different characters, in these chapters. A sense of duty towards horses is not unique to the English, as the words and actions of the imposing Herr Hauptmann show. To this German soldier, Joey and Topthorn are "not circus animals, they are heroes—do you understand—heroes, and they should be treated as such" (64). His sentiment is echoed even by Germans who are in much worse straits; soldiers weary of the front hang a military decoration around Joey's neck, offering a response that personifies Joey, equating him with a human hero.
A different variation on roughly the same theme plays out in the depiction of Emilie and her grandfather. These two civilians have lost much to the war—all of their close relatives, in fact—and Joey and Topthorn become sources of solace. Of course, War Horse does not suggest that the presence of animals can completely erase human griefs. But the presence of animals such as Joey and Topthorn can offer compassion and friendship to humans. These creatures can, as they do for Emilie, inspire a new vigor for life and provide a meaningful surrogate family in times of loss.
As related by Joey, the stay with Emilie and her grandfather is a period of bliss, a time that rivals (and perhaps exceeds) Joey's life with Albert in terms of easygoing pleasure. Joey recalls that "If it is possible to be happy in the middle of a nightmare, then Topthorn and I were happy that summer," remembering Emilie's farm as a small paradise. Unfortunately, there is another parallel between Joey's life with Albert and Joey's life with Emilie: the sense that such idyllic lifestyles are too good to last in a time of war. Splendid though it was, Joey's new happiness is proven fragile by the arrival of a new group of Germans.
Joey's life pulling an artillery carriage is attended by a shift to much bleaker tone in the narrative, and by an interesting shift in character emphasis. Until now, the only other horses who have received much attention, in terms of Joey's observation, have been Zoey and Topthorn. Joey's new role, however, gives him the opportunity to sketch out the personalities of additional animals: Heine, Coco, and the Haflingers. His focus on these new acquaintances is a product, of course, of the fact that they toil together, yet it indicates as well how little intense contact with humans Joey enjoys during the new military campaign. Fellow horses are his only real companions.
For the first time, Joey also finds himself neglected by his human handlers. Though readers are meant to sympathize with Joey in this poor turn of events, readers should also understand that such ill-treatment is motivated by indifference and desperation, not malice. A veterinarian advises the Germans to go easier on the horses—"Take the team as slow as you can, else you'll have no team, and without your team your gun won't be a lot of use, will it?" (93)—but the tough conditions of war make such advice difficult to follow. Already forced to navigate a perilous and war-scarred landscape, Joey has lost the extra assurance of human care. His own sturdiness, determination, and luck are the resources that will determine his survival.
