All the Pretty Horses - a Comparative Study
Jeffrey Lohmeyer
Term Essay
History 429
Dr. Malphrus
Horses, John Grady Cole, and Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses: A Comparative Study
Horses and cowboys have, in many ways, changed the history of the West. “Horses are inextricably linked to the mythic cowboy within the national symbolic. More so even than the cow or the gun, the horse defines the cowboy’s status as sacred, special, and uniquely American” (Spurgeon, 89). Without what the Plain Indians called “sky dogs”, the west would not have been conquered. In fact, horses have played a major role in the evolution of civilization. From Alexander the Great conquering Macedonian horsemen, to Genghis Khan, to Napoleon, horses have always played an integral part of history. Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses is a coming of age story of John Grady Cole who dreams of the mythical west that we have all come to know and love. He himself is a modern recreation of the mythical horsemen that have circled the imagination of all young boys for centuries. John Grady was born a horseman and has the soul of a horseman. He has been “born to sit and ride a horse” (Lincoln, 102). Through the studying of the significance of the horse and its spirit, John Grady Cole, the main character in McCarthy’s novel, can be better understood and appreciated. All his life John Grady Cole grew up around and with horses. His life as it seems revolved around the presence of horses and they became an important part of his own existence. McCarthy presents horses as free spirits, untamed, passionate and strong. They almost take on a divine notion. Growing up on his grandfathers ranch, John would sit and listen to stories the ranch hands would tell about the open west, Mexico, and the vaqueros. He was exposed to the beliefs and passion that these horsemen had for horses and the value they placed on the majestic animals. Later on when John would travel to Mexico and gain employment on a Mexican horse
Term Essay
History 429
Dr. Malphrus
Horses, John Grady Cole, and Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses: A Comparative Study
Horses and cowboys have, in many ways, changed the history of the West. “Horses are inextricably linked to the mythic cowboy within the national symbolic. More so even than the cow or the gun, the horse defines the cowboy’s status as sacred, special, and uniquely American” (Spurgeon, 89). Without what the Plain Indians called “sky dogs”, the west would not have been conquered. In fact, horses have played a major role in the evolution of civilization. From Alexander the Great conquering Macedonian horsemen, to Genghis Khan, to Napoleon, horses have always played an integral part of history. Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses is a coming of age story of John Grady Cole who dreams of the mythical west that we have all come to know and love. He himself is a modern recreation of the mythical horsemen that have circled the imagination of all young boys for centuries. John Grady was born a horseman and has the soul of a horseman. He has been “born to sit and ride a horse” (Lincoln, 102). Through the studying of the significance of the horse and its spirit, John Grady Cole, the main character in McCarthy’s novel, can be better understood and appreciated. All his life John Grady Cole grew up around and with horses. His life as it seems revolved around the presence of horses and they became an important part of his own existence. McCarthy presents horses as free spirits, untamed, passionate and strong. They almost take on a divine notion. Growing up on his grandfathers ranch, John would sit and listen to stories the ranch hands would tell about the open west, Mexico, and the vaqueros. He was exposed to the beliefs and passion that these horsemen had for horses and the value they placed on the majestic animals. Later on when John would travel to Mexico and gain employment on a Mexican horse
Bibliography: McCarthy, Cormac. All the Pretty Horses. New York: Vintage, 1993. Owens, Barcley. Cormac McCarthy 's Western Novels. Tucson: University of Arizona, 2000. Wallach, Rick. Myth, Legend, Dust: Critical Responses to Cormac McCarthy. Manchester, UK: Manchester UP, 2000. Lincoln, Kenneth. Cormac McCarthy American Canticles. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Bloom, Harold. Cormac McCarthy. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2002.