The ending of Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses, can best be described as a bitter sweet ending. John Grady, the protagonist of the novel, escapes death in Mexico, but is last seen alone trying to find his place in the world. Despite the events that occurred, John has a moment of moral reconciliation, which better helps him accept his fate. This moral reconciliation not only contributes to the bitter sweet ending, but also enhances the novel altogether. John Grady Cole cannot help but blame himself for the events that transpired in Mexico. The death of Blevins, the loss of his lover Alejandra, and the death of the prison inmates at his own hands rested heavily on his heart. He was mortified by the fact that he “almost done it again” (McCarthy 292), and cannot comprehend why the judge in Texas was so willing to put the ruling his favor. He was not on …show more content…
It also provides John with closure that helps him come to a moral reconciliation. In a sense the judge is a priest giving John, who is the sinner, absolution. The Judge comes to the conclusion that John is “somebody that maybe tends to be a little hard on theirselves” (McCarthy 291), and that he must put the past behind him. He reassures John that his actions were justified as he had the right intent. John did not have to reclaim and return the horses to their rightful owners. Whether it was out of guilt or a sense of duty John chose to do the right thing. John, much like the judge, saw injustice in the world and decided to take a stand against it. The judge never wanted to become a judge, and John never wanted to be a vigilante, but in the face of adversity they both did what was morally right. This conversation enabled John to put the past behind him, and allowed him to set out to find his own
Many war stories today have happy, romantic, and cliche ending; many authors skip the sad, groosom, and realistic part of the story. W. D. Howell’s story, Editha and Ambrose Bierce’s story, An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge both undercut the romantic plots and unrealistic conclusions brought on by many stories today. Both stories start out leading the reader to believe it is just another tpyical love-war senario, but what makes them different is the one-hundred and eighty degrees plot twist at the end of each story.
When individuals face obstacles in life, there is often two ways to respond to those hardships: some people choose to escape from the reality and live in an illusive world. Others choose to fight against the adversities and find a solution to solve the problems. These two ways may lead the individuals to a whole new perception. Those people who decide to escape may find themselves trapped into a worse or even disastrous situation and eventually lose all of their perceptions and hops to the world, and those who choose to fight against the obstacles may find themselves a good solution to the tragic world and turn their hopelessness into hopes. Margaret Laurence in her short story Horses of the Night discusses the idea of how individual’s responses
John is a loving husband. He proves that by telling Elizabeth, “It is well seasoned” (p. 48) in reference to the rabbit she cooked, in which he had to add salt to. He likes to make her happy, which shows he loves her, and so he asks, “Would that please you?” (p.48) He is asking in reference to buying a heifer for her if the crops are good. He assures her he will “fall like an ocean on that court” by which he shows his love in caring for her freedom (p.73). To the court he admits he has “known her” he is talking about Abigail and their affair (p.102). He is showing his love towards his wife by throwing away his freedom, life, honor, dignity, and pride to prove Elizabeth’s innocence and have her freedom. He tells Elizabeth to “show honor now” as he is to be hanged in the gallows (p. 133). He is showing his love for her by letting her know he cares about her enough to want her to be strong even though he is to die.
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.
The magistrate that sits in your heart judges you.” This is where Elizabeth suspects that John has committed adultery, but knows how good of man he is and tries to look over it. “Adultery, John.” This is where John tells her and she makes it sound like it is news to her even though she has known for awhile. She is trying to have John have a “good” name and not be a name that everyone discards. “No, sir.” Here she is protecting his name but she doesn’t know that John has just came out and said that he committed lechery. She thought that she was saving him but she was actually making it worse for him.“I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face.” Here he is talking about if he ever encountered the Devil that he would literally kick his ass.
The author wrote this story in response to a magazine company, and eventually published it into a book. He used many styles and techniques to describe the life and death of McCandless. The mood throughout the novel constantly varies with the excitement of McCandless’s adventures and the emotions caused by his disappearance. Krakauer’s ability to engage multiple senses of a reader truly makes his novel special.
The story All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy guides readers from central United States to territories of Mexico. Throughout John Grady’s growth, from young and confused child to a mature, wise adult. In the process, the readers see major conflict McCarthy presents, which is John Grady’s response to justice or injustice in a corrupt society around him. Though John Grady’s surroundings are corrupt in All the Pretty Horses and he faces disappointments, he trusts in the fact that good will triumph over evil will make him able to maintain his moral in corrupt society, but only through limited scope of his conflicts not on scope of other characters.
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 adult life is something that John Grady Cole would most certainly believe to be like scraping a cheese grater against his head for the entire day. John Grady is a wandering cowboy, never looking to end his adventurous life and settle for a nine-to-five. Summing up one of his final adventures, John Grady said, “That it was good that God kept the truths of life from the young as they were starting out or else they’d have no heart to start at all”(pg. 284). Before leaving his family ranch, John Grady only saw the dream of the perfect ranch in Mexico, and did not consider any obstacles that would prevent him from arriving there. As such, John Grady lived the true cowboy life and fell in love with the beauty on horseback, yet their relationship
After many long days in jail, as his execution date approaches, John finally confesses to witchcraft in an attempt to save his own life. The judge of the court, Danforth, insists that his signed confession be hung on the door to the church. Due to the fact that lying goes against John’s religious beliefs, he fears that in signing to a falsely fabricated confession he will actually suffer more than if he is hanged. He is also a firm believer in keeping his name clean and wishes not to ruin his name. In this situation John perceives that it is important to stay true to your heart and to your beliefs. He wants to remain a good man:
In defiance of the request of Judge Danforth, Proctor says, “I am John Proctor! You will not use me!” (Miller 143) This shows that John has changed significantly. By saying this, he has been able to forgive himself and accept his sin. By saying this John is no longer being timid, rather, he is able to stand up to authority and stand up for those who deserve to be stood up for. By saying this, John Proctor shows that he is no longer a stubborn man, scared to taint his reputation, but an improved man who will stand up for his beliefs and what is right even if it is the death of him. However, John’s new way of thinking conflicts greatly with that of Danforth. While John learns to be tolerant, Judge Danforth completely lacks this ability. When Judge Danforth says, “And if she tell me, child, it were for harlotry, may God spread His mercy on you!” (Miller 111), he is telling Abigail that would be appalled with these actions. By saying “God spread His mercy” he shows that this is something he will not tolerate, and that God will be the final judge of her actions. The conflict between the ideas of John Proctor and Judge Danforth is important because it shows how different ways of thinking can lead to different lives with different outcomes. A lack of tolerance, as in the case of
John Grady Cole is a sixteen-year-old southern boy from Texas who is trying to live his life as a cowboy while following in his great grandfather’s footsteps. Saving his grandfather’s ranch, where he’s lived the entirety of his life, is no longer an option; instead he chooses to flee from the United States towards Mexico in order to the live out the western lifestyle that he wants.
The author skillfully uses literary techniques to convey his purpose of giving life to a man on an extraordinary path that led to his eventual demise and truthfully telling the somber story of Christopher McCandless. Krakauer enhances the story by using irony to establish Chris’s unique personality. The author also uses Characterization the give details about Chris’s lifestyle and his choices that affect his journey. Another literary element Krakauer uses is theme. The many themes in the story attract a diverse audience. Krakauer’s telling is world famous for being the truest, and most heart-felt account of Christopher McCandless’s life. The use of literary techniques including irony, characterization and theme help convey the authors purpose and enhance Into The Wild.
“All the Pretty Horses”, a novel written by Cormac McCarthy tells the tale about a man and his friend travelling the plains of Mexico after leaving their homes in Texas. As the novel’s name alludes to, horses are a central theme in the story as they represent manhood and freedom when John Grady, the protagonist, and his friend Rawlins get thrown in jail. McCarthy’s novel became critically-acclaimed which gained him more recognition, as well as a movie adaptation directed by Billy Bob Thornton. Even though Thornton’s adaption has the basics of the novel’s story it does not appropriately grasps its depth. While Thornton’s version stays faithful to the dialogue from the book’s included scenes it does fall short by having an erratic pace, having
In ‘horse,’ the speaker describes a horse being betrayed and then killed in a small town in Texas. The first two stanzas described the horse thundering towards outstretched hands being attracted to a field of corn but instead it is attacked by a group of white teenage boys who leave it mutilated. The sheriff of the town does not do anything because he believes that it is in their nature to do so. In the last stanzas the Mexican owner puts the horse out of his misery and someone tries to pay him for the damage. His people are disappointed because they believe that money could not make up for the death of the horse but, they do nothing about it. It would seem the horse in the poem is meant to represent the Mexican culture and how it is being eradicated by the dominant white society in the United States.