There are many universal themes displayed in Seabiscuit. The horse mirrored the average American man of the time: desperate, overlooked, impoverished, but a good fight lurked within--it just took patience and an opportunity.
People of that time identified with Seabiscuit, an unlikely hero that was a victim of situations beyond his control.
There is search for better life as people looked for inspiration in someone or something in a desperate struggle for a better life and the American Dream: hard work and desire = opportunity and prosperity.
Seabiscuit was the embodiment of persistence and pluck, the criteria often cited as fundamental to achieving the American dream; thus, he served as a role model of sorts.
More specifically, Seabiscuit exemplifies the sacrifice of athletes, specifically the jockey's sacrifice of weight control and what they are willing to do "for the love of the sport."
Given the fact that the main characters, in addition to the horse itself, struggle with internal and external conflicts, one could certiainly include the overcoming of pain as a major thematic message in this powerful true story.
Howard suffers through the death of his son and... guilt he feels at supplying the means of that death... Smith surrenders his isolation...to deal with the press and the fans. Seabiscuit and Pollard both overcome mistreatment and extensive physical injuries to triumph in the end.
Seabiscuit was a horse that only one believed in. And Red Pollard was the jockey that only one believed in. Together they believed in each other, and through sacrifice, struggle, and belief, they made their own American Dream together.
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