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.…
The novel begins at the funeral of a young boy’s grandfather in the year 1949. The boy is introduced as sixteen-year-old John Grady Cole who lives in San Angelo, Texas. John Grady is not close with his father but he meets with him and his father gives him a special saddle. Also, John Grady tries to buy the family ranch from his mother but she refuses. (IM)-John Grady decides he does not have anymore use in Texas so he and his friend Rawlins plan to run away. The boys leave and ride south into Mexico. Along the way they meet a young boy who looks around thirteen but says that he is older. He also claims that his name is Jimmy Blevins. It is obvious that he lies a lot so Rawlins does not trust him and keeps telling John Grady that they should…
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…
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…
“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.…
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.…
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…
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.…
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.…
Fate, “the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events”, is an intriguing topic debated by many people (Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition.). Does it it exist? Is there a sole force that influences our life? Are certain things meant to be? These are questioned throughout Conrad McCarthy’s novel All the Pretty Horses. All the Pretty Horses takes place in 1949 where a teenager, John Grady Cole, and his friend Lacey Rawlins set out to leave Texas and travel to Mexico. On their journey they meet a boy named Blevins that creates some trouble. John Grady Cole and Rawlins work for Don Hector at a ranch in Mexico called La Purisima. Also living there is "grandaunt" Duena Alfonsa and teenage Alejandra who is the daughter of Don Hector.…
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.…
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.…