Short Essay #3

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy through John Grady Cole highlights a worldview and values consistent with that of Ango-Protestant culture as defined by Samuel Huntington in Who Are We? The Challenges to America’s National Identity. One of the greatest Anglo-Protestant values is that of family and furthermore the value of the family name. This is a great aspect we see represented by John Grady throughout the novel as he leaves his family behind in Texas and moves on to Mexico and creates new relationships. Huntington describes how the American identity was formed by the settlers and impacts the way both United States society and government structure to this day. The Anglo-Protestant culture shaped the way this structure was created and defined. It laid a foundation for equality, freedom of religion, and individualism. It created a heightened sense of work ethic and motivation to promote success. 

Throughout this journey, we see both the struggles and successes of John Grady through his travels. He works hard to keep his stay at his newfound living situations and is able to make a home for himself in many different places. Thus extreme work ethic is commonly associated with the foundation laid by the Anglo-Protestants as they were known for being very hard workers. He has a wanting for exploration and newfound success. To find transportation he makes friends with many people such as farmworkers and to find living he uses his knowledge of horses and extreme work ethic. These are characteristics defined by the foundation laid by the Anglo-Protestants.

John Grady values his family as demonstrated by the pressure put on him by the death of his grandfather. Once his grandfather passes away, John Grady is the last male in his family to carry it, as represented by his funeral. It is stated by McCarthy that it was “buried with that old man” (McCarthy 4). We watch John Grady question his identity as he stares at his reflection in the portrait of his deceased ancestors. The portrait defines a culture made by both the past and present of the family. This provides him with identities of hard work, live dangerously, and promotes a desire to take risks and be independent. It was even stated that his grandfather was the last of 8 a family of wreckless brothers. McCarthy writes, “was the oldest of eight boys and the only one to live past the age of twenty-five. They were drowned, shot, kicked by horses. They perished in fires. They seemed to fear only dying in bed.” This not only paints a picture of the value of masculinity and recklessness but that of adventure and freedom. This promotes the wreckless actions of John Grady that occur in the novel. This sense of adventure came along with the motivation for travel, looking for a new life from the Anglo-Protestants. 

Through John Grady’s sense of adventure, family value, and extreme work ethic, we see many prevalent worldviews and values consistent with that of Ango-Protestant culture as defined by Samuel Huntington in Who Are We? The Challenges to America’s National Identity. John Grady represents these aspects through his hard work to maintain his keep as well of his sense of adventure and family legacy. Although these aspects have reshaped over time, they provide a framework that we can recognize in John Grady Cole as well as today.