a beast of burden

[vil]

Dear teachers,

Would you be kind enough to tell me whether I am right with my interpretation of the expression in bold in the following sentence?

With all her mother’s soul she wanted to protect Hugh from a world she was sure would treat him always as a beast of burden.

a beast of burden = a pack animal

Thanks for your efforts.

Regards,

V

[shroob]

Not a teacher only a native.

Yes, beast of burden often refers to pack animals. I find it comes up in crosswords a lot. For example 'Andean beast of burden' would be a llama. Or 'desert beast of burden' would be a camel.

[chester_100]

And it seems to have a literary usage.