Literary Analysis #1

 

      All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy is a classic story set in 1949 in the American west. John Grady is a good old fashion American cowboy, and when he learns that his mother intends to sell his grandfather's ranch, he leaves to work on a ranch in Mexico. Grady's character is put to the test, he must either stay with his mother or follow his true calling to be an all star cowboy with the ability to succeed in his line of work.

 

      The author was attempting to convey one simple message: always follow your heart, no matter how challenging it may be. I know it seems like a corny message, considering that author could implicate anything he wants into a story, but it reached out to me and I'm sure plenty of other people. While in Mexico, he finds nothing but chaos around him. I felt like he was in danger at every turn, but Grady did everything he could to look past the bad things that were happening, and onto the ideal that he could settle down and do what he loves to do.

 

Bleak as it may have looked, John Grady eventually went on to escape the troubles of Mexico and moved on with his life. My favorite thing about Grady is that he never gave up, never gave in to fate. Even during his imprisonment, due to his love of a girl that he was not allowed to love, in the cruel jail in Mexico, he was no coward and stuck it out.