When he saw the dry, dead hair on Gabilan, he lost all hope for the pony's recovery. During the night, Gabilan, got out of the barn and Jody found him dead the next morning. One buzzard was sitting on Gabilan's head, black liquid dripping from its beak, and others were circling overhead (pg 35). Jody grabbed the buzzard that was on Gabilan and beat its head on the ground. He kept beating the bird until Billy and Carl found him, long after the bird was dead. Billy picked Jody up and carried him home. Jody was very angry and blamed Billy for the death of Gabilan. Billy had promised Jody that it would not rain the day he left Gabilan out and when Gabilan became ill, Billy promised Jody that the pony would get better. Both of these promises were broken. Billy felt guilty and understood why Jody blamed him. Jody had learned a hard lesson about death and loss. The imagery of death is used quite abundantly in this first chapter and will continue throughout the novel. Jody has seen the cycle of life and death here and has been taught the pain of loss. The circling buzzards, the black cypress tree where pigs were slaughtered, and the blood spot he saw one morning in his egg were all symbols of death. Steinbeck also used the weather and time to
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