All the Pretty Horses Essay
The Guardian – The Myth of the Cowboy,
Eric Hobsbawm
In the article The Myth of the Cowboy, Eric Hobsbawm argues that the tradition of the American cowboy has become an invented myth. All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy explores the journey of John Grady Cole and Lacey Rawlins, who leave Texas and travel to Mexico where they acquire the cowboy lifestyle. The text could fit into the same category Hobsbawm describes but it also serves as a more realistic and honest description of the cowboy experience.
In All the Pretty Horses, John Grady is a good example of a character that satisfies the role of the ‘typical’ cowboy. His character demonstrates facets of the cowboy myth Hobsbawm writes about in his article. Hobsbawm describes the physical characteristics of a cowboy to be “the lanky, tall Aryan”, this fits the description we get of John Grady.
Hobsbawn states that “The new cowboy tradition made its way into the wider world by two routes: the western movie and much underrated western novel or sub-novel” and that the cowboy itself can be divided into two models: “the romantic, strong, shy, silent man of action of exemplified by WS Hart, Gary Cooper and John Wayne, and the cowboy entertainer of the Buffalo Bill type – heroic, no doubt, but essentially showing off his tricks and, as such, usually associated with a particular horse.”
The setting of ‘the West’ shows a return to the authentic Mexican vaqueros or gauchos – equivalents to the North American cowboy.
Vaqueros – foundation for the American cowboy
Biblical and Medieval references imply and create a Romantic atmosphere that sets the stage for the novel Significance of horses John Grady feels as though these horses connect him to the conquistadors of the past, as well as the cowboys of the present.
Horses are the tangible symbol of John Grady's Romantic aspirations and his deep desire to be the right sort of man--a cowboy who is intricately connected with the animal he rides
Eric Hobsbawm
In the article The Myth of the Cowboy, Eric Hobsbawm argues that the tradition of the American cowboy has become an invented myth. All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy explores the journey of John Grady Cole and Lacey Rawlins, who leave Texas and travel to Mexico where they acquire the cowboy lifestyle. The text could fit into the same category Hobsbawm describes but it also serves as a more realistic and honest description of the cowboy experience.
In All the Pretty Horses, John Grady is a good example of a character that satisfies the role of the ‘typical’ cowboy. His character demonstrates facets of the cowboy myth Hobsbawm writes about in his article. Hobsbawm describes the physical characteristics of a cowboy to be “the lanky, tall Aryan”, this fits the description we get of John Grady.
Hobsbawn states that “The new cowboy tradition made its way into the wider world by two routes: the western movie and much underrated western novel or sub-novel” and that the cowboy itself can be divided into two models: “the romantic, strong, shy, silent man of action of exemplified by WS Hart, Gary Cooper and John Wayne, and the cowboy entertainer of the Buffalo Bill type – heroic, no doubt, but essentially showing off his tricks and, as such, usually associated with a particular horse.”
The setting of ‘the West’ shows a return to the authentic Mexican vaqueros or gauchos – equivalents to the North American cowboy.
Vaqueros – foundation for the American cowboy
Biblical and Medieval references imply and create a Romantic atmosphere that sets the stage for the novel Significance of horses John Grady feels as though these horses connect him to the conquistadors of the past, as well as the cowboys of the present.
Horses are the tangible symbol of John Grady's Romantic aspirations and his deep desire to be the right sort of man--a cowboy who is intricately connected with the animal he rides