All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy In All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy reveals the limits of a romantic ideology in the real world. Through his protagonist, John Grady Cole, the author offers three main examples of a man's attempt to live a romantic life in the face of a hostile reality: a failed relationship with an unattainable woman; a romantic, old-fashioned relationship with nature; and the idealistic decision to live as an old-fashioned cowboy in an increasingly modern world. In his compassionate description of John Grady, McCarthy seems to support these Romantic ideals. At the same time, the author makes clear the harsh realities and disappointments of John Grady's chosen lifestyle. When John Grady leaves Texas at age 16, he seems to have a plan. He wants to become a cowboy and have a close relationship with nature. John Grady's character is hopelessly romantic; acts without worrying about the repercussions. In All the Pretty Horses, John Grady falls in love with people or things that are unable to love him on the same level. Whether it's his relationship with Alejandra or his love of horses, he seems to be obsessed with these unattainable relationships. When John Grady meets Alejandra, he prepares for a situation that causes conflict. This doesn't seem to bother him, since John Grady isn't content to live a risk-free life. If anything, it may be that John Grady falls in love with Alejandra because of the potential conflict with her father, the powerful Don Hector. He finds conflict more attractive than harmony because it conforms to his ideal of the dangerous West. When John Grady tells his friend Rawlins about his first meeting with Alejandra, the author uses...... middle of paper...... McCarthy's novel is not about a boy trying to find his place in society, but of a boy trying to find himself and who he truly is outside of society. John Grady begins the story with no answers and by the end he still has no clue. There is no solution for him; there are just more questions, conflicts and misunderstandings. I think McCarthy's point is that to live romantically is to live without cause, without true hope, and ultimately, without love. Despite the author's obvious compassion for John Grady and his idealism, he shows us through romantically descriptive writing that a romantic lifestyle cannot work in this world. The book ends with John Grady riding off into the sunset, having learned nothing and with nowhere to go. Until the character learns to compromise with society and give up his romance, his life will have no purpose.