The first 23 pages of All the Pretty Horses is essentially a slow, detailed, and sometimes rhythmic exposition. McCarthy is careful and precise with his language: much of his descriptions and narration embodies a sense of symbolism and emerging archetypal patterns. Yet, at the same time he incorporates many unconventional writing practices. Many critics argue that his writing style--as well as his usage of symbolic diction-- contributes not only the message of the novel, but to the characterization of John Grady Cole. Think about the main character to whom we are introduced in the exposition. How does McCarthy characterize John Grady and to what extent does McCarthy's prose reflect his character? Ultimately, who is John Grady Cole?
elena
9/3/2014 12:43:04 pm
John Grady Cole is a young man who grew up rapidly due to outside sources; his parents are most likely the cause. McCarthy characterizes john by his sentence structure. The flow of the passages "jump" much like an impulsive young male. John acts the same way. He didn't get what he wanted (the ranch) so he left to Mexico. His thought process revolved around two things, himself and what he loves : horses.
Mrs. Lopez
9/6/2014 06:46:25 am
Interesting thoughts, Elena. Can you provide textual evidence to support your thoughts?
elena
9/6/2014 03:45:23 pm
Yes. John isn't the type of person to back down from intimidation. On page fifteen he and his father are having a conversation in which John chooses the direction he wants the conversation to go. Ultimately he wants to know about what his father doesn't want him to be apart of (gambling). He gets the information out of him anyways. The same motive of getting what one wants despite outside sources may be true. What if he didn't leave to Mexico just to? There are two outcomes that may occur. He gets a ranch in Mexico or his family realizes why he left and leases the ranch in order for their impulsive boy to come back. A person that wants something more then they ever have will stop at nothing until they feed what they desire. On page fifteen John again questions his father's authority over the ranch and his decision for not wanting to lease it to a sixteen year old. Without hesitation John declares, "Yes I can" to his father about being able and capable to run the ranch.
Purple Panda
9/3/2014 01:06:52 pm
McCarthy characterizes John Grady in several extents leading to the ultimate characterization of John. McCarthy stats in many lines during the novel that John is deeply involved and devoted to the ranch even though the ranch does not belong to him. John Grady has a passion for ranching or being a "cowboy". For instance during the conversation between John and his father on page eleven; John mentions to his father about purchasing the ranch. "If you had the money would you buy it? the boy said" (11). John Grady being so invested in buying the ranch or even getting his hand on it, shows how McCarthy characterizes John. John Grady is very determined and persistent. McCarthy's prose reflects John Grady's character by setting up different situations on which John steps up and shows his determination. McCarthy starts with John's yearning for the ranch to keep it up. Another example is how John takes his own initiative to leave his home town to find his mother, and to take a journey to Mexico. Ultimately John Grady Cole is a young man who takes his own initiative in life, being a persistent person and also having great determination in life.
Mrs. Lopez
9/6/2014 06:47:38 am
Do you think that John Grady knows what he wants out of life?
Purple Panda
9/7/2014 10:36:57 am
Personally I do not think he know what he wants out of life. I feel that he is trying to find his way in life. That is why he left home and is taking this journey.
TelKelley
9/3/2014 01:39:19 pm
Due to all of the information I have gathered from the authors' style, word choice, and characterization of John Grady Cole, I believe John is a natural born outlaw. One could argue that McCarthy intended John to be the cowboy he presents himself as; however, if one studies the restless traits of the boy they would see that he possesses qualities of an outlaw. An outlaw exudes characteristics such as leadership, a need for independency, and restlessness. John Grady Cole is all of these things. He is a leader: shown as Rawlins happily follows Cole wherever he may choose to go. He is independent. "Why couldn't you lease me the ranch?"(15). He wishes to run the ranch on his own. Lastly, he is restless, shown by his massive inclination to leave his hometown. He also presents this uneasiness with the way he carries himself. "You don't talk much do you? he said. Not a whole lot" (19). McCarthy's prose adds to the idea of an outlaw Grady. He writes in short, choppy, super informal dialect. This is the type of writing one would expect from a character like John Grady Cole. It could almost be an autobiography. Ultimately, I believe John Grady Cole is his grandfather, whom I am inclined to believe was just like his grandson at his age.
Mrs. Lopez
9/6/2014 06:52:27 am
When you refer to John Grady as an "outlaw," are you predicting that he will break the law or are you asserting that he is running from a wrong that he has already been committed?
TelKelley
9/7/2014 08:39:15 am
Quite honestly the answer to both of your questions is yes; let me explain. John Grady Cole is definitely showing the characteristics anyone would equate with an outlaw. To this point of the story, I cannot help but feel he is hiding something from the reader. I believe he has a bigger inclination to leave his hometown; more of a reason than because of the ranch. As McCarthy did not give an extensive background of our beloved main character, one cannot know if this could be correlated with some sort of crime he may or may not have committed. I fancy the idea that he did commit a crime and he is trying to cleanse himself by escaping to Mexico. As for the future, John Grady Cole has already assisted in a crime by helping Blevins steal his horse back. Regardless of where the horse originated, Cole assisted in a crime which shows that his moral standards may not be above that of an outlaw. I believe he has committed crime and will continue to exude this "outlaw" vibe as the story proceeds.
Bamrap
9/3/2014 03:42:17 pm
John Grady Cole A sixteen-year-old man. Cole lives his life according to a strict code, valuing honor, intelligence, responsibility, justice, loyalty, and skill. As a young man John Grady Cole has lost his grandfather and most of all Cole is about to lose the family ranch. This is the only life Cole knows. John Grady Cole reflects Cormac McCarthy by living life according to a strict code, valuing honor, intelligence, responsibility, justice, loyalty, and skill. McCarthy moved around a lot as a boy, he never stood one place at a time. John Grady Cole isa pure image of McCarthy.
Mrs. Lopez
9/6/2014 06:54:17 am
I would be careful when comparing McCarthy to John Grady. It is too soon in the novel to establish this assertion. Instead, focus on the text and what the language reveals.
DDM
9/7/2014 06:36:27 am
Based on the reading, readers can assume John Grady Cole has some characteristics you describe, but there are others that I do not perceive from the text. How do you know John Grady Cole values intelligence and justice? He is sixteen years old and leaves Texas to live the life he thinks is perfect. He may not respect intelligence because he and his friends have abandoned school by going to Mexico and they clearly think they will not need that knowledge. How do you know he values justice? When he and Rawlins came across a Mexican on pages thirty three and thirty four they told him they robbed a bank without thinking about what they backlash from those statements could be. They are running away as teenagers and so far do not seem to care if they are taken hunted by the law they just want to live the life they have in their heads.
b.lasser
9/3/2014 03:49:59 pm
I feel that John Grady is a young man who was prematurely forced into adulthood. Without the reader having knowledge of why his mother left or why he does not live with his father there is not much else to assume, but to say all he knows in life is his grandfather's farm. After his grandfather dies he is slowly losing the flame inside. "The candleflame and the image of he candleflame caught in the pierglass twisted and righted when he entered the hall...lastly he looked at the face so caved and drawn among the folds of funeral cloth, the yellowed moustache, the eyelids paper thin. That was not sleeping. That was not sleeping" (3). As he walks into the room where his grandfather's casket is kept the little hope he does have is twisted around inside. It is safe to say that he was close to his grandfather and he took the death hard. As well as being upset about his lose he is angry about selling the ranch. He does not see why he can not buy it and run it himself. "Lease youthe Ranch. Yes. I thought I said I didn't want to discuss this... Anyway you're sixteen years old, you can't run a ranch" (15). He would rather skip town than go with his father and lose his pride and joy.
Mrs. Lopez
9/6/2014 06:56:18 am
Isn't he "losing his pride and joy" anyway by leaving?
b.lasser
9/7/2014 01:03:08 pm
In a way. I feel as if running away from the problem is his way of dealing with his feelings, though it is still being sold to somebody else he doesn't have to deal with it directly. His "pride and joy" would slowly be taken from him every time he saw another man running his grandfather's ranch. Out of sight out of mind.
elena
9/6/2014 03:55:58 pm
Do you think there is another reason behind wanting to run the ranch himself? I feel like John is lost now. Without his grandfather he only has his father who doesn't show an interest in him. Is John trying to have a connection to his grandfather through taking on his grandfather's lifestyle?
b.lasser
9/7/2014 01:08:23 pm
I feel like John Grady living with his grandpa made him see his grandpa as more like a father than his own dad. With that kind of outlook on the subject he may have felt like he needed to fill his grandfather's shoes the way a son would fill a father's shoes. Thus, making him want to take over the ranch.
MD
9/4/2014 03:17:18 am
John Grady Cole remains a child in age only. John Grady is caught however, between the adult world and the kid world. On one hand he is on his own and takes care of himself. John hitchhikes by himself and ultimately leads his own life. While on the other hand, his father does not think he can run the ranch on his own. Sixteen is a very in-between stage in a child's life. Wanting to have the freedom of an adult while still being tethered to parents. John ultimately makes the decision to completely leave childhood and embarks on a journey with his cousin to the foreign land of Mexico. John Grady Cole is a rebel who is not afraid to go his own way; however he still carries himself in a proper way and has the respectfulness of a gentleman. John Grady Cole is, in many ways, a contradiction.
Mrs. Lopez
9/6/2014 06:58:32 am
Hmmm...very interesting..."John Grady is...a contradiction..." What might be the significance of establishing a character with contradictory qualities?
TelKelley
9/7/2014 08:42:59 am
I love this idea that "John Grady Cole is... a contradiction." I believe it adds so much more to his persona. Until now we have only read about his actions without much of a reason as to why Cole committed them. This idea of Cole being a contradiction adds some interesting clarification to his actions. It explains why he is so mysterious as he cannot decide between two worlds. I believe this contradiction will come into play more and more as the story progresses.
Bailey
9/7/2014 09:31:18 am
An interesting thought, John Grady being in-between the childhood and adulthood stages. I agree completely with the steps he has taken as part of his journey to adulthood, yet he is still looked at by his family as a child, just as you said. Through his journey thus far, the plot line seems to be a journey to adulthood. What is also interesting however, is the way those along the way treat him. When he arrives at different camps along the way, the men treat him as if he is an adult, "Two of them produced esclarajos..." (75). It is interesting how his family still saw him as an adolescent, but as his journey progresses he begins to take on the role of an adult.
Bamrap
9/7/2014 09:58:16 am
I feel as if John is trying to keep a connection with his grandfather. With his mom wanting to leave the ranch, John does not. I feel like he wants to hold on to a part of his grandfather that no one else does. His mother wants to up and leave it behind but there is something on that ranch that John does not want to let go. What is it about the ranch that John does not want to let go? Can it be that his grandfather has taught him everything about being a cowboy or is there something deeper inside John that he just will not give up on the ranch?
Corona & Lime
9/7/2014 10:41:07 am
Personally, I feel that John Grady knew of the strain and emotional distance between the family. Feeling that from his mother's appearance inconsistency and the fact that his father resides in a lonely hotel room. John Grady been a young adolescent desires to attempt to repair the broken household that may have been more stable and homelike when his grandfather was around. That could be the meaning of reminiscing in his grandfather's office before he travels to attempt to be accepted for a mezzanine, a loan, to buy the ranch. "He entered his grandfather's office and went to the desk and turned on the lamp and sat down in the old oak swivel chair" (10). So personally it is felt that John has let go of his grandfather, but not of the stability that his grandfather once provided to the family.
Denisse
9/7/2014 01:40:12 pm
I think John Grady Cole is ultimately still a child.He has lived this way of life all his life. His grandfather's ranch is all he's really knows and that is why McCarthy characterizes him as a dry and one could even say a one sided man. His surroundings have definitely shaped they way he lives. All his life he saw his Grandfather as a hardworking man. John Grady Cole is ambitions in that he believes that he can run a ranch yet his father has his doubts about him having the experience that it takes to do so. There we see another almost childish idea of John Grady Cole, yet him leaving the ranch also shows a more mature and grown up side of John Grady Cole. Ultimately John Grady Cole is a child trying to play a grown up role.
MV
9/10/2014 11:37:13 am
I agree that he is still immature and does not yet see all the aspects of life. In a way this is the beauty of his character however. He is young and foolish, yes, but the younger generations always seem to have the bigger dreams. His dream of owning the ranch comes from a passion deep within him for the land. This passion will drive him to do things he never thought possible and that others do not see either. His father for example only sees the immaturity of a sixteen year old, and he cannot look past this. But if he could see the burning red passion in his son, John Grady Cole, and give him a chance with the ranch a young man's ambition and most importantly passion would take over. Great things would happen. Comments are closed.
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AuthorMrs. Lopez (AP Literature and Composition Instructor) Archives
September 2014
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