All the Pretty Horses is the first volume of The Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy and it is a tale about two cowboys who decide to leave their hometown in search of a new life in Mexico. The two young men, John Grady Cole and Lacey Rawlins, are close friends that live in San Angelo, Texas; they decide to travel south on horseback.…
John Grady Cole makes many decisions in the book and many of them are life changing ones, if any one of his choices had been made differently the whole book would have been drastically different. John Grady Cole is the main decision maker of the group because both Rawlins and Blevins look up to him. The first decision he makes for himself is choosing to leave his home because if he hadn’t everything that follows wouldn’t have happened but he wouldn’t have been able to follow his dream. When we finally meet Blevins, Rawlins isn’t a big fan of him from the start. Later when Blevins runs away because of the lighting Rawlins finds the opportunity to leave him behind but Grady convinces him to go look for him (page 71). If they had left him behind the book would…
Cormac McCarthy gives his story All the Pretty Horses an unique organization. The book only has four chapters within, yet each chapter is lengthy. There are also very few flashbacks in this story. This flashback was needed, however, to show how things did not change after John Grady Cole’s grandfather died. “On the wall opposite above the sideboard was an oilpainting of horses. . . . his grandfather looked up from his plate at the painting,” shows the painting being there while his grandfather was alive and is stirs up John Grady’s memory of it. There was also one dream sequence in the novel. “That night he dreamt of horses in a field on a high plain . . . they ran in that resonance which is the world itself and which cannot be spoken but only praised,” implies how the horses are wild and…
In the novel All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy illustrates the coming-of-age protagonist, John Grady Cole, who impulsively decides to travel to Mexico in search of an adventurous lifestyle. Although a teenager, John Grady Cole reveals rather matured behaviors towards his fellow companions, but he preserves the notion that he has control over everything. This very attitude backfires in severe consequences, in which John Grady Cole is essentially powerless. Subsequently, his ideals of cowboy life confronts the reality of adulthood because John Grady Cole loses his most prized attribute -- the child-like belief of…
“The Story of Tom Brennan” is a novel reflecting our own sense of crushing a negative life experience and overcoming that with new and positive adventures into a new world. The novel written by J.C. Burke demonstrates journey of acceptance and hardship that the Brennan’s had to face throughout their stay at Coghill and their past from Mumbilli, especially for Tom.…
Jimmy Corrigan is the sad story of that explores some of the most depressing moments a person could experience. The novel is well written, well-drawn and…
The last two paragraphs of All The Pretty Horses tie up most of the imagery, metaphors, and themes that he uses throughout the book. He fills the novel with insightful imagery to make us feel like you are there. We think it is both challenging and captivating. He uses a sunset to make things come to an end. McCarthy uses a sunset in the beginning of the novel and at the end. It’s used in the beginning of the book for his grandfather’s death and in the end for the novel ending.…
Within the novel All The Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy attempts to associate the appeal of the Wild West in comparison to its reality. A prevalent idea that concludes the book on a slightly somber note appears in the form of John Grady’s character going into the western plains. As the narrative comes to a close, it is the diction and imagery that ultimately show how John Grady lets the story end with his departure into his life as a cowboy, having completely bended into this unique lifestyle and having lost a piece of himself along with it.…
In both tales, the main characters interact with other cultures but, in very different ways. The typical American Western highlights a cowboy who is superior to other cultures. The romanticized American cowboy has no respect for any culture other than his own. Ethan shows this disrespect and hate early in the film by shooting the eyes out of a dead Native American so that he will have to wander between the worlds of life and death, never able to go to the heavens. Ethan hunts and slaughters many "savage" and "evil" Native Americans throughout the film. "The Searchers" romanticizes the American West myth of the righteous cowboy. All the Pretty Horses challenges this role of the American cowboy with the novel's main character: John Grady Cole. John Grady is not in search of bloodshed. Instead, John Grady is looking for a life that vanishes with the turn of the twentieth century. He is looking for a life of ranching, horses, and peacefulness. John Grady contradicts the romanticized "racist" cowboy, by valuing justice, responsibility, and loyalty. Cole treats other cultures with respect and trust. John meets the Hector family and comes to befriend them. In contrast to Ethan's treatment of the Native Americans, John Grady Cole treats the Hector family as equals, despite the difference in cultural backgrounds. Conflicting with the romanticized American cowboy, Cole treats other cultures with acceptance. When…
The concept of a ‘rite of passage’ is a historical phenomenon that dates back to most, if not all, human cultures. Whether it is the vision quest of the Native Americans, or it is the acquisition of one’s driver’s license as an American, the story that is born from a rite of passage event is often a heartfelt and passionate tale from beginning till end. All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy, is no exception.…
Throughout the novel, All the Pretty Horses, there is a constant theme of an awakening to reality. Both characters, John Grady and Alejandra have dreams they desire to achieve but cannot in the end once they realize their expectations are not accurate and they must face real life.…
Their extraordinary friendship distinguishes them from other hopeless and lonely migrant farm workers. The novel portrays a class of ranch workers in California whose plight had been previously ignored in the early decades of the twentieth century.…
What would a story be without cultural and historical background? It would not be a very detailed story to read. Cultural and historical background information helps the reader to see why certain actions were made, the heritage of the characters and many other things. When understanding information about the cultural and historical background, it helps with interpreting what other literary devices mean as well. Without any background information to explain some reasons for certain events, the story would be confusing and the reader might not understand it to its full ability. Also, there would not be much personalization with the characters. In All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy the importance of cultural or historical aspects is utilized by conveying that it is rare “to live in some place that is not yet touched by the complication of the modern world, where it is possible to be one with the earth and to live in a genuine human communion.” (Bell 5)…
When you look at the individuals they will become, there circumstances is sets them apart. As the . Both boys were brought up in Baltimore, however they were brought up in different parts of Baltimore. The author Wes lives in more family oriented location. When the area he lived in starting getting broke in, his mother decided to move back home with her parents in Bronx, New York City. Just to find out it had ran down over the years itself. Despite the efforts of the other Wes Moore’s mother, she moved her family four times over the years to tried and get them to a better neighborhood. However, trouble still followed.…
We often encourage people to actively pursue their happiness and discourage them to escape from the reality. However, escaping is also a way of pursuing happiness, even though escaping will only provide temporary happiness and facing the reality will make true happiness possible. The short story “Horses of the Night” uses its character Chris to demonstrate the idea that individuals may escape from the miserable aspects of life to stay happy, however, individuals will compromise their ability to pursue true happiness if they escape.…