All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy - Individualism vs. Society

These two cowboys have no use for an extraneous kid with a showy horse, and Rawlins makes that clear to him, but they do not deliberately run Blevins off. John Grady recognizes the beginnings of a relationship, and he does not refuse. “We aint seen the last of his skinny ass” (41), he reflects as they continue, abandoning Blevins in the dust. His words are not resentful nor does he appear aggravated. Blevins’ eventual inclusion reflects the nonchalant attitude John Grady maintains throughout the beginning of his journey.

Through this situation, Blevin caused conflict and hardship for Rawlin and John Grady, but he allowed John Grady to live the dream. Without the situation, John Grady would not have encountered darkness and suffering, which forced him to grow. The prison, as reality’s rejection, allows John Grady to express ideal qualities of a cowboy. Ironically, these qualities come out because of contrast: prison emphasizes his desire to be unfettered, the threat of his life emphasizes his laid back approach, his confinement emphasizes his nomadic desires, and the lack of concern about a jail brawl stab emphasizes his carefree attitude. Conflict results in darkness, allowing John Grady to live his dream.

In a society where conforming is normal, individualism is a necessity to be oneself. The first example of being oneself is of Clarisse. Montag and Clarisse are walking in the moonlight on their way home when Clarisse says, “Isn’t this a nice time of night to walk? I like to smell things and look at things, and sometimes stay up all

The poem “Invictus” by William E. Henley, and the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand, both have common themes that discuss the importance of individuality. Each of the themes that these works have to offer will be discussed throughout the paragraphs of this essay.

In a journey across the vast untamed country of Mexico, Cormac McCarthy introduces All the Pretty Horses, a bittersweet and profoundly moving tale of love, hate, disappointments, joy, and redemption. John Grady sets out on horseback to Mexico with his best friend Lacey Rawlins in search of the cowboy lifestyle. His journey leaves John wiser but saddened, yet out of this heartbreak comes the resilience of a man who has claimed his place in the world as a true cowboy. In his journey John’s character changes and develops throughout the novel to have more of a personal relationship with the horses and Mother Nature. He changes from a young boy who knows nothing of the world

In the novel The Road, Cormac McCarthy illustrates the actions, geographical setting, and expressions to shape the psychological traits in the characters struggle to find survival in the gloomy and inhumane civilization. McCarthy uses imagery that would suggest that the world is post-apocalyptic or affected by a catastrophic event that destroyed civilization. In Gridley’s article The Setting of McCarthy’s THE ROAD, he states “On one hand the novel details neither nuclear weapons nor radiation, but the physical landscape, with his thick blanket of ash; the father’s mystery illness; and the changes in the weather patterns of the southern United States all suggest that the world is gripped by something similar to a nuclear winter”(11). In other words, Gridley asserts that McCarthy sets the setting as an open mystery, so that anyone can draw his or her own conclusions. The surrounding of the colorless and desolate society affects the characters behavior positively and negatively. Similarly the surroundings and settings of the society illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.

It isn’t until other characters attempt to remind him of the reality that is around him that he truly begins to grasp the situation that his sense of morality has placed him in. Rawlins is one of the main opposing forces that try to influence the hold that John Grady’s idealism has over him. Even though Rawlins is his constant companion and friend he is not afraid to attempt to talk some sense into John Grady when he is being unreasonable. Between the two boys, John Grady seems to be the more fanatical of the two, openly participating in things that may get him trouble just for the sake of sticking to his moral code. There is a strong contrast between the values and morals that Rawlins holds within him and those that John Grady has for himself. Rather than view the world through idealist eyes such as John Grady does, Rawlins has a much better grip on reality. John Grady and Rawlin’s friendship is often put to the test, but ultimately they stick together for the sake of loyalty. This is evident when Rawlins says “I wouldn’t leave you and you wouldn’t leave me. That ain’t no argument (McCarthy, pg.79).” He is perfectly capable and willing to leave Blevins, but when it comes to John Grady he chooses to stand by his friend. Rawlins often puts himself in harm’s way in order to stay loyal to John Grady, compromising his beliefs about watching out for themselves,

The use of McCarthy’s style of writing is written in a way that someone can detect the feelings of the character rather than the story of what happened. The purpose for narratives is to focused on the plot of the story but McCarthy wants the readers to really feel exactly what the characters feel so he in repetitive of how “Cold and Grey” (McCarthy 19) the world around them is Even when they are physically battle something like hunger, you can really feel that they were almost always “Out of food” (McCarthy 197).

In this essay, M.D. will analyze the roles and choices the main characters made while relating them to the main theme of good versus evil and fate versus free will in Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men.)

While it may be tempting to leave society in order to pursue one’s dreams, severing the ties with those whom one knows can result in a world of chaos and instability. One such example can be found in Jeannette Walls’s, The Glass Castle. In this memoir, Walls recounts her volatile childhood that was the result of her parent’s strong beliefs in the importance of self-sufficiency. While it is not looked down upon to be dependent on oneself, when we evaluate individualism through the scope of Jeannette Wall’s dysfunctional life one can tell that more often than not individualism brings instability and results in the negligence in regard to those around them. Thus, the consequences of individualism profoundly outweigh any benefit that is reaped because

In an enticingly realistic novel, contemporary western writer Cormac McCarthy tells the coming-of-age story of a young John Grady Cole whose life begins and, in a sense, ends in rustic San Angelo. Page by page, McCarthy sends his protagonist character creation on a Mexican adventure, complete with barriers, brawls, and beauties. The events which bring about John Grady’s adventure and the reasons behind his decision to flight familiarity are the most intriguing aspects of the novel. Through an examination of the text, readers can determine that John Grady Cole’s hellish plunge from his position of grace on his grandfather’s ranch in Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses is a

Elizabeth Cady Stanton delivered her speech “The Solitude of Self” in 1892, which presented a definition of being a human being as well as being a woman in the time when males were dominating the society. By analyzing the historical and rhetorical context that the speech was delivered at, I argue that Stanton managed to address her purpose to the targeted audiences.

The theme of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is that the ideas of society can greatly influence the individual, and sometimes the individual must break off from the accepted values of society to determine the ultimate truth for himself. In Huckleberry Finn's world, society has corrupted justice and morality to fit the needs of the people of the nation at that time. Basically, Americans were justifying slavery, through whatever social or religious ways that they deemed necessary during this time.

In the novel ‘Heroes’ it is shown that there is no such thing as a real hero, because everyone has a weakness, Cormier uses Larry LaSalle, Francis Cassavannt and the veterans as a way to convey this message. The protagonist Francis is portrayed as having both heroic and cowardly personality; this forces the reader to consider what makes a real hero. To some people a hero might be someone with great strength or ability. Perhaps someone admired for their great achievements or great qualities. But in this case it is someone who is admired for their great courage and nobility a man in contrast to Francis Cassavant.

Ignorant souls will probably tell you that No Country for Old Men is a film of thirst for blood, material wealth and a sheriff's investigation. Those that suggest this, however, are the same that tune in weekly for their dose of Big Brother: The Evictions and are swayed by the words of their local car salesman. The Coen brothers’ masterful 2005 adaption of Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men is a standout in recent cinema history, pushing aside this year’s spit-out of Transformers from explosion-junkie Michael Bay. Taking a different approach from their usual quirky, humour films littered with three word profanities (cue: Burn after Reading Osbourne Cox fans), the Coen’s have successfully stepped into a dark, deeply disquieting drama