Tag: All the Pretty Horses

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Short Essays and Responses

Short Essay #3

Learning about American culture and society we have looked at both formalized sources of information about society, and work that reflects said society. The books Who Are We by Samuel Huntington and All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy help to provide us with both formal and informal views into the values and practices of American people. In McCarthy’s book the main character John Grady helps to exemplify the values and worldviews that Huntington describes. John Grady heavily exemplifies individualism and some of the core American values about workmanship throughout the novel. Not only does Grady himself show certain aspects of the American identity that Huntington talks about, but his relationships with his companions does as well. The worldview and values shown by Grady, help us to understand aspects of the American identity that Huntignton speaks about throughout his book. 

In the beginning of the novel by McCarthy Grady decides to leave the ranch that his mother is trying to sell and head down to Mexico and start a new life for himself. Joining him is his friend Rawlins and another accomplice he meets along the way; Blevins. The aspects of American identity and the worldview held by Grady are heavily present throughout the beginning of the novel as Grady and his companions are not only inexperienced in frontier life but also very young as well. Huntington talks about American values and worldview as being ready for anything and being able to go at things alone. Grady does not rely on anyone and even though him and his companions work as a team, there is no sense of dependence on one-another. The rugged frontier and Grady’s ability to navigate this new terrain with little experience is a reflection on many of the American ideals that Huntington sets forth in his book. Huntington speaks on the ideas of individualism and Grady’s decision to leave his home and go to a completely new area is a great example of it. Not only does Grady leave his ranch back home he also works hard in Mexico to prove himself as a good employee on the new ranch he ends up briefly staying at. The ideas of strong workmanship and facing new tough conditions with confidence are strongly present in the worldview presented by Huntington and show us the accuracy in Grady’s representation of American Ideals.

The relationship that Grady has with Blevins and Rawlins also helps to exemplify elements of the American and Anglo-Protestant identity that Huntignton speaks about. Specifically when speaking about Blevins, Grady makes decisions that are not necessarily beneficial to him in order to help Blevins out. When Blevins loses his horse Grady decides to help him steal it back and convinces Rawlins not to abandon him. This sense of togetherness and group strength is an aspect of American identity and is amplified in the face of conflict. When Huntington talks about Americans grouping together in the face of conflict we see a direct parallel to Grady. Not only when helping Blevins is this group strength shown, but towards the end of the novel when Rawlins is ready to give up it is Grady who convinces and motivates him to continue to move forward. Grady’s ability to be strong in the face of conflict and unify the group he is with further shows how he is strongly aligned with the values that Huntingon explains are characterized by an Anglo-Protestant worldview. 

Grady’s alignment to the Anglo-Protestant worldview and culture that Huntington presents helps to show us concrete examples of what that culture entails. The actions and decisions Grady makes show us how his views and ideas are influenced by the Anglo-Protestatn culture and helps us further understand the specific things Huntington spoke about in his book.

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Catch-All/Student Discussion Questions

All the Pretty Horses; Grady and Love

The ending of All the Pretty Horses reveals a lot to us about the character of John Grady. In this closing section we see a significant amount of emotional baggage that Grady has been holding onto. In particular when Grady finds out from Alejandra that she will not go to America with him we see the strong impact it has on Grady. When Rawlins and Grady went their separate ways, the main cause was that Grady wanted to reunite with Alejandra and continue their relationship. When this relationship is put to an end by Alejandra’s loyalty to her family Grady is devastated. He believed that she was the one meant for him and losing that person impact him significantly. He has already been through so much trauma. Losing his friend, being imprisoned and attacked, and now the one good thing that he truly cares about is gone as well. Seeing the emotions of Grady come out and the amount of pain he experienced from this loss conveys the value that Grady placed on Alejandra. Did Grady’s emotions harm the overall group? How does love relate and contrast the values typically associated with the frontier?

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Reading and Film Presentations and Discussion

All the Pretty Horses ERA pg. 257-conclusion

This section begins with John Grady Cole going back to the police unit who detained him, Rawlins, and Blevins to get their horses and belongings back. In the process, he decides to take the capitan who gave the order to have a family member of one of Blevins’ victims kill Blevins as a hostage. John Grady Cole successfully escapes with his belongings but is shot in the leg in the process. In the desert with the Capitan, he uses a pistol barrel to cauterize his wound.  

One morning, a group of strangers happen upon John Grady Cole and the Capitan who is handcuffed. They peacefully make John Grady Cole release the Capitan, at which point the hostage situation ends. 

John Grady Cole returns to America and tries to determine who the rightful owner of Blevins’ horse is. He goes to court and a judge, upon hearing his story, grants him legal ownership of the horse. Then John Grady Cole goes to the house of who he thinks is Blevins’ family, only to find out that they are not Blevins’ family. He then goes to Rawlins’ house to return his horse. After that, he sets out on his own, riding off into the desert. 

What stood out to me most in this section was the conclusion, or, rather, the non-conclusion. Where is John Grady Cole going? What is he going to do now? How is he going to pay for food? No idea. At a seemingly opportune time for John Grady Cole to reflect on his experiences and realize how toxic the lifestyle he loves has been for him, the main character does not decide to go and reunite with his mother and start over. He decides to continue on the exact same path as before. 

Knowing John Grady Cole as a character, this should come as no surprise to readers. He is the type of character who, once committed to something or someone, will let nothing change his course. It just seemed to me that, if there was ever a time in his life he should have allowed himself to change course, it should have been at the end of this novel. What is left for John Grady Cole out on the open plains? He is no longer with his best friend, he lost the woman he loved, and every day the “West” gets smaller and smaller. The world is leaving him behind, yet he is a 17-year-old with the work ethic, dedication, and commitment to truly make something of himself regardless of what he decides to do. It is strange that his heart leads him somewhere where his potential success is so limited by the environment he is putting himself into. Automobiles are only improving at this time period, and the world becomes more urban and industrial every day. 

This is why I am having trouble conceiving of a plausible path for John Grady Cole after this conclusion in which things go well for him. If you agree, disagree, I’d be happy to hear your thoughts.

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Reading and Film Presentations and Discussion

ERA: All the Pretty Horses Pgs. 179-217

In this section of All the Pretty Horses we see key aspects of the characters personality traits and alot of conflict. Rawlins and Grady are transported to another prison facility. This new facility is very cruel and dangerous, from the moment they arrive they realize and understand that it is not a good place for Americans to be in. Grady and Rawlins are badly injured and attacked constantly during their first few days at the prison. During these first few days both Grady and Rawlins meet a prisoner who seems to have a lot of power within the prison. This prisoner, perez, says he can help them escape but only for money. Without any money the boys cannot bribe their way out of jail and are still stuck inside. After the meeting with Perez, Rawlins is stabbed in the courtyard of the prison and is taken away to the medical ward, making him lose contact with Grady. Grady goes back to talk to Perez because he is desperate to talk to Rawlins but Perez says he still will not help. Following the stabbing of Rawlins and the second meeting with Perez, Grady decides to spend the little amount of money he has on a knife in order to protect himself so what happened to Rawlin doesn’t happen to him. Unfortunately Brady is attacked and badly injured, luckily he is able to kill his attacker with the knife he bought. After being in the infirmary due to the injuries he suffered, both him and Rawlins are released with an envelope of money which was provided by the aunt who lived on the ranch they had recently worked at. Once they are released they both decide to go separate paths. Rawlins wants to head back to Texas and Grady wants to attempt to get their horses back and win over Alejandra. 

This section of the novel reveals many interesting pieces of both Rawlins and Grady’s character. The horrible experiences that they go through in the jail show how strong they are. Grady is able to convince Rawlins to not give up even in this time of extreme difficulty. Even though they made it through this traumatic experience together they still decide to go separate ways in the end. Rawlins cannot live in this constant state of danger and fear which is why he decides to go back to Texas but Grady is still set upon seeking justice for himself and reconnecting with his love. The motivation to stay in Mexico for both of them differ significantly which is why Rawlins is leaving. The companionship that Rawlins and Grady have for each other is clearly exemplified during this tough time at the prison. Rawlins was motivated by Grady to continue on and having one another there for eachother helped both of them significantly. The tough aspects of the frontier are brought out heavily during this section of the book in that there is a lot of conflict and violence that the boys have to face. How does the separation of Grady and Rawlins show aspects about Grady’s character? How does the prison represent aspects of the frontier? Lastly, does the relationship between Grady and Rawlins show that individualism can sometimes be less favorable in places like the frontier?

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Catch-All/Student Discussion Questions

Huntingdon & Horses

“All the Pretty Horses” seeks to explore American myth and American identity through its presentation of the story of John Grady Cole. What I have found interesting throughout the novel so far is how McCarthy strives to accomplish this through the eyes of a largely uneducated 16 year old. John Grady Cole has never read Alexis De Toqueville or taken a 100 level sociology course, but through his actions and his very being he is exploring and exemplifying many of the same themes that Huntington touches upon in his book “Who Are We.”

One section that specifically caught my attention was a scene from when John Grady Cole and Rawlins were trekking through the Mexican desert after they lost Blevins. The pair lacked most provisions, and they sat down for dinner one night only because Rawlins was lucky enough to spot and shoot a buck. As they sat cooking and eating, they talked amongst themselves.

The conversation was exactly what you would expect 16 year olds living the life of Grady and Rawlins to talk about. They talk about hunting, food, and cooking. But seemingly out of nowhere, the conversation turned towards the existential. Rawlings and Grady discussed whether or not they think about dying as well as their positions on the existence of Heaven and Hell. These themes and others are the chief themes that Huntingdon argues have characterized the American national identity since before the country’s founding. 

The boys in the story are living a life full of religious symbolism as well. They are currently out in the wilderness on a journey to an unknown land. Echoes of the story of Abraham and God’s call to him or Jesus venturing out into the wilderness pervade this seemingly simple story about two boys looking for work on a ranch. 

John Grady Cole and Rawlins may be discussing life’s big ideas, but what is remarkable is that they do it in the language of largely uneducated 16 year old boys. To provide some examples…

“You fixin to get religion on us?”

“You think about all the stuff that can happen to you,” he said. “There aint no end”

“You aint fixin to quit on me are you?”

The point about American culture that I believe McCarthy is trying to make is that these fundamentally Anglo Protestant ideas and eternal human questions are so pivotal to the American psyche that even boys as unrefined as these who spend their time hunting in the wilderness to keep themselves alive have an affinity for such serious topics as God and fate. What distinguished certainly the Puritans and most definitely the American population generally throughout all its history was their habit of keeping these questions and their answers always close at hand. I think one of the ultimate testaments to that is Rawlins and John Grady Cole talking about life and death and God in simple terms while eating freshly killed venison somewhere between the USA and Mexico. While enlightenment philosophers and theologians could have articulated their points in a much more sophisticated way, the American identity exemplified here is one and the same.