Analysis Of All The Pretty Horses By Cormac Mccarthy

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy is neither all about horses nor is it all pretty. Its sixteen-year-old protagonist, John Grady Cole, is on a dangerous and brutal quest for manhood after his childhood life falls apart. He leaves his home after his grandfather passes away, he discovers his father is close to death, and his absentee mother informs him that she is selling the family ranch to pursue a career in acting. He and his friend Lacey Rawlins travel across the plains toward Mexico and away from the troubles of their hometown in Texas. Cole, who has lost his parents and his lifestyle due to divorce and the loss of the ranch he grew up on, is on a search to hold on to the past and find meaning in his life in a quest for manhood.

The hardships of, “two teenagers fleeing the dying ranches of Texas in 1949 and journeying to Mexico,” (Hall) accelerate John's growth in maturity and

Through this relationship with the ranch owner’s beautiful daughter, one can see that John is a good-hearted person who can connect with and start feeling true love for someone. John’s feelings for Alejandra are quick and deep. He sees her beauty and desires her for himself. Even though he has found his dream job, John is quickly taken captive by another quest and without thinking it all through, is willing to risk his dream for a new one. He blindly falls for Alejandra and pursues her even after her father warns him that the pursuit is in vain. While the love John feels may be a rite of passage into manhood, like so many young men before him, John ignores the warnings and advice of those around him, which leads to a horrible consequence. John is growing into manhood, but the speed of this transition accelerates beyond John and Rawlin’s ability to control or enjoy it. He also “...mistakes her for wanting to ride the plains like him, but instead she is into the modern world, not the old like him”