Flight in Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses
In an enticingly realistic novel, contemporary western writer Cormac McCarthy tells the coming-of-age story of a young John Grady Cole whose life begins and, in a sense, ends in rustic San Angelo. Page by page, McCarthy sends his protagonist character creation on a Mexican adventure, complete with barriers, brawls, and beauties. The events which bring about John Grady’s adventure and the reasons behind his decision to flight familiarity are the most intriguing aspects of the novel. Through an examination of the text, readers can determine that John Grady Cole’s hellish plunge from his position of grace on his grandfather’s ranch in Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses is a compilation of the deterioration of his ranch country, Cold War west Texas culture, and societal expectations that left him with no other option but to run in an ironic effort to return to pre-World War II normalcy.
Because the premise of Cormac McCarthy’s text in All the Pretty Horses relies solely on John Grady’s decision to “run” from his familiar ranch-life in San Angelo, it is important to determine his reasons for leaving. The decay of western civilization casts a long shadow over all of McCarthy’s work, especially in this novel (M. Bell, 2). Ranch life is synonymous with McCarthy’s fictional character of John Grady Cole. When John Grady realizes that his ranch is to be sold, his very way of life is shattered. His normal routine is rocked when his mother, a virtual stranger to John Grady, chooses to sell the 18,000-acre cattle ranch he has called “home” following the finalized divorce and subsequent death of John Grady’s father. Until now, in 1949, his grandfather’s ranch has insulated him from...
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The times are changing and he's unwilling to give up the past. The world is becoming modernized and people like him, cowboys and ranchers, are slowly disappearing. He runs away from home because he desires to find peace within himself, as well as a place where he can feel he belongs. Here begins the adventure of John Grady and his best friend Lacey Rawlins. It is important to note here the means of travel.
In All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy reveals the limitations of a romantic ideology in the real world. Through his protagonist, John Grady Cole, the author offers three main examples of a man’s attempt to live a romantic life in the face of hostile reality: a failed relationship with an unattainable woman; a romantic and outdated relationship with nature; and an idealistic decision to live as an old-fashioned cowboy in an increasingly modern world. In his compassionate description of John Grady, McCarthy seems to endorse these romantic ideals. At the same time, the author makes clear the harsh reality and disappointments of John Grady’s chosen way of life.
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McCarthy’s plot is built around a teenage boy, John Grady, who has great passion for a cowboy life. At the age of seventeen he begins to depict himself as a unique individual who is ambitious to fulfill his dream life – the life of free will, under the sun and starlit nights. Unfortunately, his ambition is at odds with the societal etiquettes. He initiates his adventurous life in his homeland when he futilely endeavors to seize his grandfather’s legacy - the ranch. John Grady fails to appreciate a naked truth that, society plays a big role in his life than he could have possibly imagined. His own mother is the first one to strive to dictate his life. “Anyway you’re sixteen years old, you can’t run the ranch…you are being ridiculers. You have to go to school” she said, wiping out any hopes of him owning the ranch (p.15). Undoubtedly Grady is being restrained to explore his dreams, as the world around him intuitively assumes that he ought to tag along the c...
Corruption consists in the illegitimate agreement between a corruptor and a corrupted, in which they abuse of their public power in order to obtain personal benefit. Bribery and corruption is something that has been going on for years. According to Allen, “officials perceive themselves as immune to any penalties for demanding and receiving bribes” which she states that it is one of the main reasons for bribery and corruption in underdeveloped countries. According to Transparency International, an organization committed exclusively to end corruption, three of the most corrupt countries in the world are Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan. This does not mean that corruption is only seen in underdeveloped countries. In international business, corporate employees often find themselves dealing with corruptors in foreign countries and, in most cases, they will give in.
The cowboy hero, The Virginian, as portrayed in Owen Wister’s novel was the first of his kind and today is known as the stereotypical mythic cowboy figure which our view of the western frontier are based from. The Virginian was the first full length western novel apart from the short dime novels which marked the final stage in the evolution of the cowboy hero to a national icon. The Virginian was published in 1902 and at that time was wildly popular because of the settlement of the west. The story of the cowboy who had the skill and courage to take control of the untamed frontier enthralled people. The cowboy hero had a few distinguished qualities, he was a self-appointed vigilante, he had a very strict moral code, he had exceptional perception skills and he had the ability to adapt. Owen Wister’s The Virginian was the first to portray these qualities and really created a deeper cowboy character.
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It is only in recent years that physical attractiveness was looked upon from a scientific point of view and not simply a poetic or philosophical pondering. We now know that we have a predisposition to see physical attraction as the primary factor of romantic attraction. When people first begin to date, they are more attracted to the partners they deem to be more physically attractive 1. Another example of physical attraction as an influential factor of our attraction to others is seen in the matching hypothesis. The matching hypothesis proposes that the forming of a successful relationship is far more prone to occurring with people whom they consider to have an equal level of physical attractiveness to themselves.
In 2012,Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index ranked India 94th out 176 countries. "It is not about petty bribes (bakshish) any more, but scams to the tune of billions of rupees that highlight a political/industry nexus which, if not checked, could have a far reaching impact”(KMPG,2012).Corruption poses a risk to India’s GDP growth and continual level of Corruption will lead to a volatile political and economic environment.Almost half of India’s economy runs in the informal or black market sector, ‘shadow economies’ permeate the lives of every citizen.What seems on the surface as broken,dysfunctional system,operates smoothly with ease for those with money and power.Whereas,for an Average citizen, access is limited and a reminder of a failed democracy.In this essay I will be looking more deeply into the issues of Corruption and how it has impacted the Indian economy.
Newham, G. (2014). Why is corruption getting worse in South Africa?. Retrieved May 4, 2014 from
Corruption and fraud is a relevant topic in South Africa and will continue to be so until it is able to be limited. Corruption is committed mainly by people in power as they neglect and take advantage of this power in order to better themselves at the expense of others. Fraud and corruption is the wrongful or criminal deception that results in financial or personal gain. Government officials, police officers and some unexpected individuals such as law officials have been known to commit corruption and fraud. There have been cases of corruption in the 2014 elections and the political parties have seen that it is something the community is concerned over. Each party has addressed this concern and suggested ways in which to limit this corruption. Not only is corruption morally wrong, but it causes trust problems between the community and people in power, the people who are meant to help society. (1)