Seabiscuit Analysis

Everyone loves a good underdog story. Throughout history there have been many stories of the little guy beating the odds. There are the famous stories such as David and Goliath, or The Tortoise and the Hare, that we pass on through generations. In all these stories of improbable victory the story of Seabiscuit rises above the rest in American culture. In Laura Hillenbrand's book an awkward, and stubborn horse named Seabiscuit becomes an unlikely hero as he is trained by an even more unlikely team of men and they rise to horse racing stardom. In the story, Seabiscuit races against a horse named War Admiral, who is favored to win by a long shot. Hillenbrand makes the reader feel as if there are actually at the race with her use of diction, imagery, and suspense.

Hillenbrand’s perfect choice of words enhance the overall experience of reading this scene. Throughout the whole race there are many instances where one can see the effort she has put into this book by meticulously choosing every adjective, and verb. “After an agonizing interval, Woolf cantered Seabiscuit back to the top of the homestretch.” The average writer would have settled for less and been ok with it, but Hillenbrand uses each word to put the reader in …show more content…
As the race drags on it’s a back and forth between Seabiscuit and War Admiral. Throughout the race the riders keep using small advantages to gain the lead. At one point the horse’s are stuck in a dead tie. “The horse’s stretched out over the track. Their strides, each twenty-one feet in length, fell in perfect synch. They rubbed shoulders and hips, heads snapping up and reaching out together, legs gathering and unfolding in unison.” Hillenbrand keeps the reader on the edge of their seat for just the right amount of time to keep the book suspenseful but not too long as to keep the intensity relevant. This scene grips the reader and builds them up for an epic