In general, Steinbeck's work was often praised for its positive view of life. When he used California as a setting, critics believed that his work flowed more naturally and clearly, such as in The Red Pony, The Grapes of Wrath, and Of Mice and Men. Although his male characters were often well developed and thus highly complimented by reviewers, Steinbeck was often criticized for neglecting the women in his stories, for leaving them flat and stereotypical.

John Steinbeck's The Red Pony—which some critics believe represents one of Steinbeck's best works—is divided into four separate sections, unlike standard chapters. The sections are held together by common characters, location, and themes, and they follow a similar time line, but the continuation of story line is not as smooth as the transition between normal chapters of a novel. They all follow the trials of Jody Tiflin, however, as he progresses through the rites of passage from young boy to young man.

It is through the red pony, which Jody receives as a gift from his father, that he learns about death. This is a painful experience for a shy young boy who is so proud of his pony that he invites friends home from school just to look at the small horse. Likewise, it is through other animals that populate this book that Jody also learns about sex, old age, sickness, and birth. He is gently guided through his journey from boy to man with the help of a ranch hand named Billy Buck, who is reputed to know more about horses than any man around. However, even Billy cannot defy nature and must learn that he cannot make promises that he cannot keep. Through Billy and Jody's mother, Jody learns compassion and understanding. Jody's father is not as open to other people, but Steinbeck takes care not to depict Jody's father as a villain. Steinbeck treats all his characters fairly and fleshes out their personalities to their fullest extent possible within the confines of his stories.

Three of the sections of this novel were published separately before being collected in the book The Red Pony. The first two, "The Gift" and "The Great Mountains," were published in the North American Review in 1933, and the third, "The Promise," appeared in Harper's in 1937.

The story begins with a long description, focused on everyone who lives on the ranch getting up in the early morning. First to appear is Billy Buck, the only help on the ranch, who is presented as a very meticulous man, who rises from his bed in the bunkhouse. When he hears Mrs. Tiflin ringing the triangle, he walks slowly toward the house, not entering until he hears the sounds of Mr. Tiflin's boots on the kitchen floor. It would be impolite for him to sit down at the breakfast table before Mr. Tiflin, his boss.

Slowly but surely, Steinbeck hints at a sense of revolt stirring inside of Jody, another of the initial signs that a child is beginning to move away from his parents, moving toward independence. The first mention of this occurs as Jody smashes a muskmelon with his heel. He doesn't feel good about his action. He knows it is wrong, and he tries to hide the evidence by burying the cracked melon. However, just a couple of paragraphs later, Steinbeck mentions that Jody was feeling "a spirit of revolt" once he joined his friends at school. After the school day has ended, Jody again goes up into the hills, this time with a shotgun, and aims it at the house. Although the gun is unloaded, Jody knows that if his father had seen him do it, he would have to wait another two years before his father would give him any ammunition. With these examples of rebellion, Steinbeck shows that Jody is straining at the reins, wanting to be rid of his father's restrictions but, at the same time, still in fear of them.

The next big event, the gift of the red pony, marks yet another stage in the young boy's development. First of all, the pony cost money, which means that Jody's father, in giving Jody a valuable gift, is developing a trust in his maturing son. Jody has somehow shown his father that he is worthy of that investment, and now he must prove it. In caring for another living creature, Jody will also develop a sense of responsibility. In attending to the pony, Jody will hopefully develop a meaningful relationship that will open up his heart to more mature emotions.

The depth of those emotions is increased as Jody learns to take care of the pony. He is first exhilarated by the joy of owning the pony. Then, when the pony becomes ill, Jody's heart is wrenched by fear and worry. On top of being distressed about the pony, Jody's innocence is strained in another area. His complete trust that adults always know what they are doing is challenged when Billy promises that it won't rain on the day that Jody decides to leave the pony in the corral while he goes to school. It does rain that day, and the pony's illness appears to be a direct result of the inclement weather. Billy, with whom Jody has entrusted not only the care of his horse but also the care of his emotions, has disappointed him. This disillusionment with the adult world is another stage in the progression towards maturity. Children place all their faith in people who are older than they are when they believe that they themselves are not capable of making decisions. However, as they grow more experienced, the adult world appears in a more normal fashion; that is, men and women are seen as fallible. They are not the gods of wisdom and perfect understanding that children once believed them to be. In understanding that adults are capable of making mistakes, children gain courage to trust their own instincts and to reach their own conclusions about the world. Steinbeck demonstrates this stage in Jody's development by making Billy imperfect, by making him, despite all his wisdom, subject to at least an occasional error in judgment.