John Grady's Rebirth In The Rio Grande

The first crossing of the Rio Grande in Part I is symbolic of a rebirth for John Grady’s life. “They crossed the river under a white quartermoon naked and pale and thin atop their horses… They rode up out of the river among the willows and rode singlefile upstream through the shallows onto a long gravel beach where they took off their hats and turned and looked back at the country they’d left” (McCarthy 45). John Grady has experienced a rebirth in this moment. He looks back at Texas grounds, which shows that he’s decided leave his past behind. McCarthy uses the river crossing as a transition from John Grady’s old life to his new life – a rebirth. The Rio Grande serves as a passageway for John Grady to enter a new country and enter a new life