Criticism on All the Pretty Horses

All the Pretty Horses: A Classic A classic is a novel that will last throughout the ages. Such novels leave lasting impressions in the minds of those intellectuals who read them. Through unique and interesting styles, classics have the ability to tell a story as well as teach a lesson. These stories will never be forgotten, and they will last throughout the ages. All the Pretty Horses is destined to join the elite class known as the ‘classics’. Cormac McCarthy blends characters that connect to any reader with his unique and unmatched writing and prose. McCarthy’s extreme attention to detail formulates an original and relatable plot with an everlasting and meaningful theme. All of these elements blend together and make All the Pretty Horses a novel that will engrain its’ message onto the span of time. Cormac McCarthy masterfully crafts together the character of John Grady Cole. His character is much like Hemingway’s code hero. Cole tends to stay quiet, sticks to his way of life, and stays true to his friends; all of which are characteristics of a code hero. McCarthy’s love of all things simple, such as nature further connects with the audience and they can see that he is a man of simple pleasures (Blair 2). McCarthy uses this character masterfully, and although Cole may aggravate the audience, due to his lack of words, he also connects to the audience on a level, much like a friend. He does this through sharing Cole’s inner ideas that he fails to share with other, such as “Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real” (McCarthy, 139). However, the code hero is not only a tool to pull in the audience. Cole helps to further the picture of the ‘blood-red’ imagery (Lee, 1) as he pays close attention to his surroundings. This use of a code hero further develops McCarthy’s book into a classic as it helps readers of any age or era connect to the book. McCarthy also strategically uses his unique and unmatched style to connect to his reader and

Cited: Blair, John. "Mexico and the Borderlands in Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses.” Studies in Contemporary Fiction. 42.3 Spring 2001, Literature Resource Center ed.: 301. Print. Lee, Susan. "The Search for Utopia: Blood Imagery in McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses." The Explicator Summer 2008: 189. Print. McCarthy, Cormac. All the Pretty Horses. New York: Knopf, 1992. Print. Spellman, Chad. "Dreams as a Structural Framework in McCarthy 's All the Pretty Horses." Editorial. The Explicator Spring 2008: 166-68. Print