This is the second novel I have read by Cormac McCarthy. I also read The Road. Out of those two novels, I enjoyed The Road more, but definitely found some profound truth and captivating reading in All the Pretty Horses.
One thing that I really like that McCarthy does in both novels is the blurring of the lines between right and wrong. While this is a Modernist idea and has been well-handled by writers the likes of Hemingway and Faulkner, McCarthy seems to go a step further and create situations for the characters where committing moral atrocities falls into the gray area. In All the Pretty Horses, McCarthy leaves the reader thinking about when it is justified to kill and steal from others. In fact, an appearance of a judge at the end of the novel justifies some of the actions of John Grady Cole. In fact, the judge seems to write off the wrongdoings of Cole by stating that there were no other choices for Cole in the situations that the protagonist has lived through.
Desolation also seems to be a theme in McCarthy works (also noting the desolation found in the film version of No Country for Old Men). The part of West Texas and the deserts of Mexico in which the story takes place are almost a post-apocalyptic world-- the same world that we see in The Road. The landscape in All the Pretty Horses is a reflection of the characters' (John Grady and Rawlins) emotional state. Their lives have become empty, pointless, dry, and depressing. The only moment in the book when John Grady Cole exists for any amount of time as acceptable in a civilization is when he is working on the hacienda, but the hacienda even rejects Cole in the end, and the reader is almost positive that Cole will continue searching for his place in the world fruitlessly.
I also noticed that McCarthy creates a surrogate family of sorts for the characters of Cole, Rawlins, and Blevins. The three boys (men) all seem to have drawn the same lot in life. These characters can understand one another. Rawlins comes across as a somewhat flat character without much of a background story, and it could be argued that he ultimately rejects his role as an outsider. In the end it seems that he will pursue a career in something in which he can make some money. Cole and Blevins accept their role as outsiders, to each of their detriment. This acceptance also explains why Cole is able to accept Blevins and Rawlins has a hard time doing the same.
As I have come to expect in all McCarthy novels, there is a lot of metaphorical language. One moment in the book that struck me especially strongly was toward the end of the novel when John Grady Cole encounters a wild pack of dogs. One of the dogs falls down and the other dogs begin to pounce on the dog; however, the dog gets up and keeps on going. Cole has also metaphorically fallen down. I immediately knew that the fallen dog represented Cole and he would continue on.
The book is also highlighted by a very unique and interesting love story between Cole, a poor sixteen year old destined for nothing more than a life of hard labor and Alejandra, the daughter of the hacendado who is well-educated and well-cultured. The love story flips a lot of cliches on their head when it comes to class. Alejandra, a Mexican by birth, would most likely be considered poor by American standards. However, the American male is placed under her. Instead of the woman trying to elevate herself to a certain class, as is so often the case in stories, it is the male seeking the female who is considered above him by the society he has entered. All the Pretty Horses paints a complex and unusual social picture.
I would recommend this book to literary friends of mine. I found the book very engaging, but could definitely understand someone who could be bored very easily. The book is anything but action packed, and if you can't handle a sense of desolation, I wouldn't recommend it. The novel definitely took me into the main character of Cole, someone who I have absolutely nothing in common with as far as my interests and station in life. I felt Cole's desolation. McCarthy is quickly becoming one of my contemporary favorites.
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