All the Significant Themes

Years following his—for the most part—horrendously unfruitful expedition away from his life in Texas to the arid land down South known as Mexico, Mr. John Grady Cole, now a world renowned movie director, sits at his desk accompanied by a 20 ounce can of Red Bull and a half-empty box of Girl Scout cookies. It is quickly approaching midnight, and Mr. Cole is on the brink of insanity as he tries to muster the fortitude and vigor required to work on his new movie. While endlessly daydreaming of Alejandra for the past week, he completely forgot about the conditions of his contract, which were to have a new movie title and a list of themes prepared within the next few days. Twenty million dollars are on the line. His palms and brow begin to sweat as caffeine, stresses of filmmaking and everlasting infatuation for Alejandra happen to fall together at once. Although the exact details of McCarthy’s efforts are unknown, he may have faced similar problems in figuring out the themes to present in his novels. Considering the fact McCarthy is an absolutely brilliant writer, he manages to get it done, leaving us with the remarkably striking story of All the Pretty Horses. With that thought, what themes are present in All the Pretty Horses, and how does the combination of those themes work to influence the story?

The theme of evil acts as a hindrance to Cole, Rawlins, and Blevins in various occasions throughout the novel. An early instance of evil manifests itself when Cole and Rawlins ride into Mexico and find work at the La Purisma Ranch. While spending his time on the ranch, Cole meets Alejandra—the daughter of ranch owner Don Hector—and the two eventually develop a highly intimate affair. As a highly protective and traditional father, Don He...

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...he thrill factor that moviegoers seek. He is confident that this will be number one in the box office for months to come. In contrast, once again, the exact details of Mr. McCarthy’s writing process are unknown, but if he thought: “This novel will win awards and people will love it,” he was definitely correct.

In a slightly different manner to future director Cole, McCarthy integrates the themes of evil, gender, and conflicting moral codes in All the Pretty Horses. Each theme influences the story by acting as a solid foundation for conflict(s) within a specific theme to form. Additionally, the amalgamation of each theme-specific conflict molds a gradually sloped staircase leading to the climax of the tale and slowly brings the reader back to ground level as the novel comes to a close. In doing so, the reader is kept on the edge, waiting for something new to happen.