“His pistol hung down from his fingers between his knees. He still wore his uniform with its torn lapels and burned sleeves.” 

The opening of the novel presents the audience with one of the story's final scenes, though it is devoid of context. The audience is unaware of what has happened to Robert to bring him to this time and place and the audience is unaware of the significance of the freed animals or how Robert’s determination to save the horses will ultimately end in tragedy. As such, this prologue functions as an introduction to Robert, particularly the above quote. Here, he is positioned as a post-military figure: Robert is a person who has seen the horrors of war and has been left beaten and broken. His pistol seems to hang dejectedly from his hand and his lapels and sleeves (his identifying marks within the military structure) have been torn away. The heaviness of the situation is palpable and the contrast between the product of human war and the vivaciousness of the nearby natural objects is clear. War has weighed heavily on Robert and the remainder of the novel will demonstrate how exactly this has come to pass.