The Role of Dreams in Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty...

The Role of Dreams in Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses Works Cited Missing Cormac McCarthy All the Pretty Horses depicts the American romanticized view of the west. John Grady, emerging from a dilapidated family ventures out on a journey in pursuit of his dream of the cowboy lifestyle. Through out the novel there is a constant tension between John Grady destiny or fate and the nature of his dreams. Dreams keep the dreamer from reality and because they are unreal, they paralyze the dreamer’s reality. Nonetheless, they motivate his journey through Mexico. The different roles that his dreams play depict the different characters that John Grady assumes: the Texas teenager, the lover, the prisoner and the man. John Grady’s†¦show more content†¦Grady believes Rawlins was destined to be born to his parents. Yet, his own dreams seek to defy his destiny. John allows his dreams to navigate his journey into the west and transition from his destiny of living as a Texas teenager. John Grady is destined to live his life in Texas, without his family ranch. Instead, he crafts his destiny in his fantasy dreams of the west. In contrast to John’s newly crafted dreams, Alfonso, Alexandra’s aunt, also had dreams that did not become reality. She relates her love story and dream of a future with Gustavo Madero. She eventually concludes: â€Å"What is constant in history is greed and foolishness and a love for blood and this is a thing that even God-who knows all that can be known-seems powerless to change† (239). According to Alfonso, dreams are â€Å"foolishness†. Furthermore, if the all-knowing God can not change destiny then dreams certainly have no role in the crafting of destiny. God’s inability to change destiny, further highlights conflict between John Grady’s destiny and his aspirations. Through out the novel he makes decisions based on his dreams. Alfonso insinuates the necessity for John to acknowledge the consequences of his actions as a result of his fantasies: â€Å"†¦if it were fate that ruled our houses it could perhaps be flattered or reasoned † (231). The decisions that John makes based on his fantasies affect his destiny. The first time Grady acceptsShow MoreRelatedIrony in All the Pretty Horses Essay1843 Words   |  8 PagesThe Irony of McCarthys Use of Title In the novel All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, the author shows how important the roles of the horses are in the story and how they relate to John Grady, the protagonist of the novel. The horse has played an important role in the development of America. It has been a form of transportation, easy muscle, and companionship. In the Wild West, it was an essential resource for a cowboy to do his daily chores. McCarthy describes horses as spiritual andRead MoreAll The Pretty Horses2221 Words   |  9 Pagesworse, something new always emerges. Cormac McCarthy’s All The Pretty Horses starts at that conclusion. The death of protagonist John Grady Cole’s grandfather closes one period of his life and as a result a new whole period begins. It explores the new period in his journey throughout Mexico, and it is the one thing that always follows. In his novel, McCarthy uses death as a moving action for the main protagonist, John Grady Cole. A person whose beliefs and dreams lie in the past generation and notRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The Searchers1095 Words   |  5 Pagesmovie. From the book, All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, it definitely challenges the whole idealized version of the whole romanticized American West in a more respectful and realistic way. In the novel, it challenges the myth through a young, 16 year-old boy, John Grady Cole, who dreams to be as righteous and gallant as a cowboy would be and soon learns that it is not easy to be a cowboy because there is so much to sacrifice. For the most part, John Grady show loyalty to all of his friends andRead MoreAll the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy - Individualism vs. Society1662 Words   |  7 PagesThe concept of what is individuality and what is not has plagued and delighted man since the dawn of time. â€Å"All the Pretty Horses† by Cormac McCarthy adds 302 more pages to the pile of all the works that have been on the quest to define individualism. In this novel, McCarthy takes us through four faces of the key character’s life, John Grady, to portray the idea of illusory individualism. He contends that John Grady is simply a product of a society in contrast to his (Grady) notion of free will