The first 30 pages of Mccarthy’s book All the Pretty Horses focus on a 16 year old boy John Grady. John’s grandfather has just passed away, which creates an argument between John and his mother. The grandfather of the Grady family was the owner of a successful ranch. This ranch is all John has ever known and he isn’t willing to let it die. John thinks he is ready to be in charge of the ranch and is willing to sacrifice to make it work. His mom on the other hand wishes for an exciting life that focuses more on her romantic fantasies, rather than the wellbeing of herself and her family. She isn’t interested in being so isolated from all of society anymore. Her husband has lung cancer and feels as if he’s failed John as a father. After multiple attempts by John to convince his mom to run the ranch and her consistent answer of wanting to sell it, John decides to take some time away from his mom. He goes to visit the family lawyer Franklin. He then goes to San Antonio to see his mom in a play. This trip led to John realizing him and his moms differences. The big city truly made him understand that the ranch is where he belongs.
Is there any way for John and his mom to compromise?
Despite the fact that John isn’t an adult, should his mom be more understanding of her sons’ passions?
2 replies on “McCarthy Era 1-30”
After reading the beginning part of this book, it is clear that John and his mom do not agree on whether or not he should be in charge of the ranch. John wants to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and own the ranch, and therefore, tries to convince his mom to let him do this. However, his mom does not want him to not own the ranch. With this in mind, there does not seem to be a clear compromise for this issue. However, there may be some possible compromises that John and his mom could have done. One of which is that John could take a couple of years to gain some experience in other parts of the world and enjoy other exciting parts of life. Following this, he could then go back and own the ranch after some period of time and experiencing other aspects of the world. Therefore, he gets other experiences which is what his mom wanted, and he would be able to eventually own the ranch. In regard to your second question, I do think the mom should be more understanding of her sons’ passions. While she most likely wants what is best for her son, the ranch means so much to John and the family. Therefore, carrying on the family legacy should be important to not only John, but also the mom.
After considering Xander’s two imperative questions that he presents at the end of his brief summary, it is necessary to recognize two variables that may contribute to the answer. First, I think it is important to realize the relationship that the mother has with John Grady’s father. They are not on good terms, in fact they are freshly divorced. It is clear from our discussions and from the book itself that John Grady is a spitting image of his father. They care about the same issues and both feel strongly about the ranch. It is possible that John Grady’s mother sees their connection and struggles to compromise with her son as a result of it. She may want to get away from the ranch in order to forget her ex husband. Additionally, it is necessary to consider the ways in which John Grady and his mother differ in society. As was discussed in class, his mother is more representative of an eastern culture, while he values a more western, frontier life. Therefore, their conflict emphasizes the difference between these two areas in America at the time. These factors may greatly impact the mother and her son’s inability to find compromise despite the fact that they should be understanding of one another.