Courage

In The Perfect Horse, courage is identified as a necessary quality in the pursuit of peace and morality. Over and over again, the book's main characters must rely on their courage in order to save the horses and minimize conflict in the final days of the war. Courage is a necessary attribute when faced with an unauthorized and dangerous mission. The need for courage also demonstrates how important it is to save the Hostau horses. The mission is not easy or safe, but the 2nd cavalry is determined to go through with it anyway. As such, readers learn that doing what is right does not always mean doing what is easy.

Letts reinforces the importance of courage as one of the book's themes with her choice of epigraph in the opening pages. "Courage is being scared to death ... and saddling up anyway" (x). This quote by John Wayne...