In this section of All The Pretty Horses (31-59), John Grady and Rawlins are beginning there journey down to Mexico. They are really in an adjustment period for the bulk of this chapter, this can be seen by Rawlins slight disbelieve that their adventure is actually occurring. They offset the hard miles of travel by taking some solace in the meals that they grab on the way and the occasional smoke that Grady, in particular, seems to very much enjoy. They do have a lot of hope and excitement for the road ahead yet they also do acknowledge the real possibility of danger to themselves the further that they travel. They are a bit paranoid of the following man on a horse who they do not know at first is Jimmy Blevins, and once that the boys meet him they do not give out their trust easily. They are primarily concerned with the ownership of his horse and whether or not that Blevins in on the lamb and in possession of another mans stolen property that may be worth looking for. They initially attempt to scare him away by making crude jokes about shooting Blevins as they did to others before him and actually fighting over who gets to do it. Blevins calls their bluff however and they continued on their way. They have another event with Blevins regarding his firearm and leave it much more impressed with the young kid. Finally in an attempt to rehydrate they end up drinking some cider and getting drunk.
Categories
One reply on “ERA #2”
Nick effectively summarizes pages 31-59 in All the Pretty Horses. These pages focus mainly on the relationship between John Grady Cole and Rawlins, while also introducing Blevins who will soon begin to travel with them. Nick notes that the boys do not give out their trust easily, however I would argue that John Grady Cole does in fact feel loyal to Blevins very early on in the novel. Once Blevins begins to travel with the boys, Grady feels a responsibility towards Blevins and cannot leave him even when he is only doing harm to the group. Although this loyalty may seem inexplicable at first, it may stem from their shared American identity or the fact that Grady values loyalty to those he is close to. Overall, I think it is important to recognize Grady’s relationship with Blevins and consider what this relationship says about the character John Grady Cole.