Jess (6)–Ten Broeck’s Jarret (3) Summary
Jess (6)
Jess meets Theo and Clancy for lunch, and the two humans discuss Theo’s polo playing at boarding school and Oxford. Theo recalls the bullying and racism he experienced at the time and his father’s advice to use the prejudice against him to get the upper hand over people who underestimated him. He also remembers the incidents that led him to quit the sport and reflects on the racism he suspects in Jess. Theo has a hard time figuring Jess out. She is open about her interests, and Clancy likes her, but Theo cannot determine how he feels.
Ten Broeck’s Jarret (2)
Jarret returns to the smithy after the harvest and appreciates the dull routine more than ever. One day, Henry comes for Jarret on Pryor’s orders. Lexington is ill. He got out of his stall and ate too much grain, and now the horse is colicking. Jarret immediately takes charge of the situation, tells Pryor to get what he needs, and starts to treat Lexington. Pryor reluctantly obeys out of fear of Ten Broeck. The remedy takes effect, but Jarret refuses to leave the horse again. Pryor allows him to stay. Jarret continues to treat Lexington, who seems not to be permanently harmed by the incident.
Jarret decides that he wants to learn to read and write, and he goes to Uncle Jack for lessons. Uncle Jack reads a passage from the Bible about horses, and the two discuss the nature of fear. Uncle Jack agrees to teach the boy, and Jarret begins to learn words. He also memorizes the Scripture passage and recites it often. Shortly afterward, Jarret writes a note to Ten Broeck, telling him that he is back with Lexington and that all is well. He sends it through Johnson and receives a note back from the barber. Jarret decides he wants to write like Johnson and works even harder at his studies.
As the days pass, Jarret teaches the horse more voice commands. Pryor comes to tell Jarret that Ten Broeck has ordered the boy and horse to go to New Orleans the next day. Lexington will race soon against an older filly. Pryor gives Jarret a pass and tells him to be on his way. Uncle Jack gives him a Bible as a going away present and expresses his pride in all that Jarret has learned. Jarret is not sorry to leave the Fatherland, but he knows he has learned much about life during his stay. On the way to the boat, Jarret is stopped by two men who threaten him but eventually let him go after they inspect his pass.
Theo (5)
Theo and Jess are at the American Art Museum admiring a painting of Lexington. They each appreciate elements of the work according to their own professions. Jess looks at the horse’s anatomical detail, while Theo notices the work’s artistic merit. Jess also gets some help with her project of rearticulating the skeleton. The painting they are viewing arrived at the museum in 1980 as part of the Martha Jackson Memorial Collection. Theo has heard of Martha Jackson, a Manhattan gallery owner in the 1950s who was connected with artist Jackson Pollock. He notes that Pollock died in a car crash.
Theo’s mind drifts to another crash, the one that killed his father. He was at boarding school at the time, but his mother would not even travel to Britain to be with him. Theo realized that her work would always come first. Theo reflects that his mother would not approve of Jess, yet Theo is intrigued by the young woman....
(This entire section contains 1190 words.)
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She is not like the women he has dated in the past, especially Makela, who dumped him because he was not Black enough.
Theo wonders what the horse painting was doing in a collection of modern art, and the two decide to get coffee, holding hands as they go.
Martha Jackson
It is 1954, and Martha Jackson is trying to stay out of the way as the aggressive, angry artist Jackson Pollock throws paint onto his canvas. He drinks vodka, breaks his glass, and smears glass shards and blood into the painting as well. The artist’s wife waits calmly nearby. When Pollock finishes, he collapses to the floor, and his wife, Lee Krasner, moves to comfort him. Martha recognizes the painting as a masterpiece, but she leaves the couple together. There will be no business that day.
As she drives her convertible, Martha reflects on Pollock, Lee, and her own two failed marriages. Lee is a brilliant artist in her own right, and she and Martha have been friends since art school. Pollock is brilliant but erratic. Martha also recalls the day she realized that her own art would never be what she wanted it to be and how her instructor, Hans Hofmann, had encouraged her to become a critic instead. She had that gift, he said. Martha had already started buying paintings, and Hofmann told her to be a dealer and to educate others about art. A while later, she opened her own gallery and began to promote painters like Pollock.
Ten Broeck’s Jarret (3)
As Jarret and Lexington travel downriver, Jarret notices the poverty of the woodcutters. He reflects on home and his father, missing them and realizing that he will never see them again. He decides to write to Mary Barr for news. A man accosts him in the dark, but Jarret diffuses the situation by pretending to read the Bible.
In New Orleans, Jarret is amazed by the sights, sounds, and smells of the city. Ten Broeck’s chief of staff meets him and brings him to his master’s townhouse. Ten Broeck and Jarret discuss the upcoming race, and Jarret firmly expresses his argument against it. Ten Broeck appreciates the boy’s honesty but says that the horse will race as a matter of honor and for the money. He thinks that Jarret can get Lexington in shape by that time. Jarret eats and takes a nap. When Ten Broeck comes for him, he apologizes, in a way, for what happened at the Fatherland, and he encourages Jarret’s studies.
Jarret, Ten Broeck, and Lexington ride out to Metairie. Jarret learns that he is now deputy trainer, with both the privileges and the responsibility that entails. He meets jockey Henri Meichon, gets Lexington settled, and finds that his own quarters are more comfortable than any he has ever had. He is still enslaved, yet he feels he has come a long way up.
The next morning, the Irish farrier puts racing shoes on Lexington, and Jarret begins to train Meichon how to ride the horse. Training progresses well, and by race day, they are ready. Metairie is filled with spectators, most betting on the filly Sallie Waters. Jarret decides to bet his money on Lexington, and Thomas Scott reluctantly helps him.
Lexington wins the first heat easily after Sallie falters and her jockey whips and spurs her. Before the second heat, Jarret can see that Sallie is exhausted and should not be raced again. Lexington wins again, and Sallie dies that night.
Thomas J. Scott (3)–Ten Broeck’s Jarret Summary
Martha Jackson (2)–Ten Broeck’s Jarret (5) Summary
