The Horses in All the Pretty H essays

The Horses in All the Pretty H essays In his novel, All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy presents us with a young mans journey through the regions of the unknown into adulthood. This novel, at once a western, a coming of age story, and a picturesque adventure, gives the story of John Grady Cole, the last in a long line of west Texas ranchers. As McCarthy moves through this tale, one finds that humans do not remain its sole motivators. As the title suggests, horses play an intricate part in the development of the storyline. In fact, the novel is centered around horses. Throughout, one finds the characters riding horses, rescuing horses, catching horses, breeding horses, talking about horses and even pondering their nature. The horses in All the Pretty Horses serve as the center around which the novel grows and depends. McCarthy introduces John Grady Cole, 16, at his Grandfathers wake held at his familys small Texas ranch. In this first chapter, John finds that, despite numerous efforts on his part, his estranged mother intends to sell the family ranch that she has inherited from the grandfather. In addition, Johns father, Cole, and his mother have recently divorced; thusly, Cole has given up any rights to the land and is unable to keep the familys land. With no apparent future in Texas, and sensing the threat a new era upon the traditional cowboy life that he values, John urges his friend Rawlins to accompany him to Mexico. Before reaching the border, they meet Jimmy Blevins, an even younger boy, who rides a magnificent bay. The three boys continue on into Mexico where they become vaqueros at the Hacienda de Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Conception. John meets Alejandra there, the daughter of the hacendado. Eventually, we find that these star-crossed lovers are not meant to be. John and his friends are thrown in prison for stealing a horse that had belonged to Blevins. In actuality, it is Alejandras father who turns...