All The Pretty Horses Themes

One of the main symbols is the ‘lawnmower bomb’(pg90) this happens on one of the early reconnaissance trips when Ellie, Kevin and Corrie were cornered by soldiers and quick thinking led to a ‘lawnmower bomb’. This symbolises the ‘start’ of the war for Ellie and her friends. After this happens Ellie is haunted by what she had to do and this helps her change. The ‘hermit from hell’, this is a symbol as Ellie and her friends go into Hell, afraid of him and not understanding why he killed his wife and child with questionable intentions ‘That both deceased met their deaths EITHER as a result of bushfire consuming the Christie residence during which both were terribly burnt and that (the hermit) believing their injuries to be mortal… killed both deceased… OR that both deceased were wilfully and feloniously murdered…’(pg208) and came out the same. The hermit poses the question of whether the intentions of Ellie and her friends are selfish or necessary. When they blew up the bridge they also destroyed the only point of connection to the rest of the world. This symbolises how they are isolated and how they will need to survive by

In the beginning of All the Pretty Horses McCarthy describes Rawlins as a childhood friend, and the young boys adventure to Mexico in hope of an adventure. Then the innocence shifts with the maturity of both the characters, as John Grady Cole finds a girl and Rawlins finally starts making decisions for himself and decides to go home the the United States because of the trouble that John Grady put him in. Maia Y. Rodriguez agrees in their paper Relocating the Cowboy: American Privilege in "All the Pretty Horses ". The article describes parts of the book that relate to western life and the American cowboy ideal, one of the most important features being the idea of a Bildungsroman or a growing up story, and Rodriguez proves the impact in All the Pretty

All The Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy, follows a trio of teenage boys who are making their way from Texas to Mexico, the hardships they face along the way, and what they encounter once they get there. The dynamic between these, loosely titled friends, is an interesting one that changes throughout the book based on how the characters themselves change. With wildly contrasting personalities but the similar goal, the relationships between the boys are both strained and cordial throughout the novel. John Grady, although being the leader of the pack, is a man of little words and a lot of actions. Like the famous saying goes, opposites attract, this is true for the relationship that John Grady shares with Lacey Rawlins. Rawlins is more of

John Grady is not your average cowboy. All the Pretty Horses is not your typical coming-of-age story. This is an honest tale. Cormac McCarthy follows John Grady as he embarks on his journey of self-discovery across the border. Armed with a few pesos in his pocket, a strong horse and a friend at his side, John Grady thinks he’s ready to take on the Wild West of Mexico. At their final steps in America, a stranger, aged thirteen, joins our heroes. This unexpected variable named Blevins challenges John Grady, testing his character and pushing him to uncomfortable limits. The dynamic of their relationship reveals John Grady’s capacity to care for others as he shelters this kid from the hardships of reality and the

The demonstration to live the dream through rejection happens more than once in All the Pretty Horses. As a new chapter opens in the life of John Grady, an oasis seems to appear in the middle of the desert, or in the middle of the darkness. This oasis is many things for John Grady. Physically, it is Hacienda, the ranch. As a person, it is Alejandra, his future lover. Emotionally, it is hope and optimism

Symbolism is used in many ways and writers use symbolism to “enhance their writing.” It can give their work “more richness and color and can make the meaning of the work deeper.” In literary work the actions of the characters, words, action, place, or event has a deeper meaning in the context of the whole story. The reader needs to look see the little things like a dove symbolizes peace, or like the red rose stands for romance. Mostly everything can have a symbolism meaning to it. For instance the flag symbolizes freedom and the stars represent the states. Even some signs are symbols like when a beaker has a skull with a bones placed like an ‘x’ behind it symbolizes that it’s toxic or bad. When people see the red light when driving that’s

One major theme in the book is coming of age. Both Alex and Dean are pushed into situations where they must make life or death decisions on the behalf of a group of children. This forces them to leave behind all of their childish notions of how the world should

The Black Wall Street, Harlem Renaissance, Great Migration, and Great Depression are all period that came in mind, while reading this novel. To begin, the novel presented aspects of The Great Depression and Great Migration because it represented African American people escaping from the poverty, segregation, racism, violence, and lack of job opportunities they were exposed to in the South by migrating to the North. The novel itself represents The Harlem Renaissance because it was written when importance of literature during the time period for the African American people and the Black experience was growing. To continue, the Brothers throughout the novel were reminded of their class and race, which made them constantly aware of who they were and where they came from. This can be related to modern day Black men who experience poverty because they ar

Syntax in All the Pretty Horses varies and has quite an impact on the novel. The sentences are predominately simple, as like most dialogue. However, the descriptions of the setting and other objects in the story are complex. Sentences vary in size from short or long, with rarely medium length sentences. Dialogue tends to be short, with phrases or single sentences. There are long pieces of dialogue. The language used is not very formal. Fragments are used within the story, like on page 161, with just the word, “Dogs.” There are some rhetorical questions throughout the novel, such as, “And what did she have to give in return?,” with John Grady already knowing the answer. There is some parallel structure in the story, with a person close

“Beware gentle knight, there is no greater monster than reason (McCarthy, pg.146).” This is a theme that runs throughout both the novel and especially through John Grady. John Grady Cole has had the most consistent and dedicated views based on his own morality. The principles which he lives by seem to be the only things that govern how he acts, despite the consequences that arise from having followed these values. His beliefs in the power of justice, honor, and loyalty cause him to treat the world in a highly idealized manner. The irrational amount of idealism and heightened sense of morality that drives John Grady to commit each of his actions eventually becomes

Though John Grady follows this template in All the Pretty Horses, love is only one aspect of his rite of passage. Before leaving San Angelo, John Grady is seen unsure of himself and in a state of perpetual blankness like most teenagers, but also is unusually possessed by a search for meaning, for fulfillment. He searches the plot of his mother's play for divine significance, looks to the landscape for answers while riding with his father for the last time, and eventually leaves his hometown not to pursue a new destination, but rather on a quest for one, for some purpose to his life. In San Angelo, his life lent itself to a vacuous limbo; his mother neither offered him guidance nor ceded him control and his father is a beaten man on his last breaths, his last relationship with a girl ended apathetically. By the end of the novel, John Grady grows up in all the capacities of a true hero he has learned to be a father to Blevins, a lover to Alejandra, and a friend to Rawlins. Most importantly, he has lost his innocence without becoming disillusioned. At the end of the novel, he is a hardened hero, but also a wise one. His spirit is no longer defined by its emptiness but by its completeness; its synthesis of the moral and amoral, the serene and

1.) Characters in the novel are John Grady, Lacey Rawlins, Belvins, Alejandra, Senor Rocha, Cole, Franklin, Captain and Perez. The most important characters throughout the novel are John Grady, Belvins, Rawlins, and Alejandra as they are the major characters.

Symbolism is strong throughout the novel; from the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizing how close Gatsby is to Daisy (yet still so far away), to the valley of ashes representing the lost hopes and dreams of the people in the city. There is also the mantle clock, a symbol of lost time

These are both symbols of the darkness of Armond, in the first it is showing the reader the darkness of the resident with the physical displeasure of the home. The second, shows us the physical darkness that Armond that represents the darkness within as well. Throughout the story there are also symbols that represent the purity of Desiree, beginning with her name. In the book “What shall we name the baby?”

The rocking horse winner has many themes but the most prevalent and important theme which is, materialism and love are incompatible. Paul's love for his mother is what lead to his death because he would do anything to feed his mom's greed and materialism his mother's love for objects outweighed her love for him in a sense.