The Childs Family Farm

The Childs Family Farm is a hilltop farm in a very isolated and sparsely populated region of the Appalachian Mountains. The most likely location for the farm is in present-day West Virginia, though the novel does not specify this. The farm appears to have several fields for crops and a variety of typical farm animals. By the end of the novel several neighboring hilltops have been homesteaded. The novel opens and closes at the Childs Family Farm.

The Coal Black Horse

The Coal Black Horse, that lends itself to the title of the novel, is a fine stallion that is fully trained for military operations. Robey obtains the horse rather accidentally but the horse and Robey form a close pair and the horse always is dependable. The horse is clearly symbolic of Robey's voyage into the heart of darkness and his return, and has...