Introduction
John Grady Cole is a young person with a set of values and morals who is eager to find his place in this world. The young man has to face a lot of obstacles, and he learns that the world is different from what he expected.
The author reveals the essence of this ordeal in a few words, “it was good that God kept the truths of life from the young as they were starting out or else they’d have no heart to start at all” (McCarthy 283-284). Young Cole has his dreams and aspirations, and he has the will and strength to achieve his life goals. He believes he can make a difference and tries hard to do it. However, he does not find the space and purpose for himself though there is still hope.
Cole Is a Stranger at Home
The story opens up with the protagonist’s desire to ride his horse and move to the western land where life is totally different. Cole sees the challenge, and he is ready to accept it. He knows that someday he will be ready to start his own trip to the West where he will feel at home.
He does not have illusions about his home as he knows he does not have one, and he cannot do what he wants. He cannot imagine himself in a town, so he thinks he can find his place in Mexico where there are ranches. The young man knows little about the West, but he has his own idea of what it should be.
Cole’s Space
Cole knows what he can do, and he knows the world he wants to live in. This is the world of cowboy’s values. The young man is strong, loyal, kind, caring, helpful, and skillful. He believes in honor. He sees his world in his dreams. In his world, he is happy looking after horses, and it is important to note that there are no people in his dreams and “there was nothing else at all in that high world” (McCarthy 161). The young man knows he can work hard, and he is glad to find such a good job in Mexico.
The Real World
However, the real world is very different from what he is dreaming about. First, he almost finds his “high world,” but people and their wrongs intrude. The life on the ranch can be regarded as the moment of Cole’s disillusionment. Of course, he works with horses and gets promoted. He is happy to work hard and live in his ‘high world.’
However, soon, he understands that this is not his place. His first deep love makes him unhappy as the woman he loves chooses the real world rather than his ‘space.’ He understands that his relationship with the girl “led nowhere at all” (McCarthy 254).
His days in prison are also another lesson for Cole, who decides to survive to find his space. Of course, he knows that people could be cruel and vicious, but those days in prison make him see this in black and white. Moreover, they change him, as well.
Cole survives, but he becomes a different man. He does not have any illusions concerning other people and their nature. More so, he has become a different person who has blood on his hands. He still wants to live in a just world, but he understands that this world can hardly be found.
At the end of the book, Cole tries to “slow the world that was rushing away and seemed to care nothing for the old or the young… for their struggles… for the living or the dead” (McCarthy 300). Therefore, Cole also understands that the real world has little to do with his ‘high world.’
He Does not Give up
Of course, he could try to fit in and stop searching, but the young man has the stamina to continue his journey to his own new space. The book’s ending is quite similar to the beginning as the protagonist is riding his horse through the desert, which is plunging into darkness. This suggests that Cole still believes there is his own space somewhere out there. He does not lose his faith in the existence of his ‘high world.’
Nonetheless, it is clear that John Grady Cole is not the same, and he knows that the real world has numerous obstacles, but he has the necessary experiences, and he is capable of solving all the problems. The fact that he is riding his horse with no people can suggest that he will find his space in himself. He will learn how to live in the real world, but he will be alone as it is safer and less painful.
Conclusion
To sum up, it is possible to note that McCarthy tells the story of a believer who never gives up. The author shows a romantic boy who sets off to find his ‘high world’ with no injustice or wrongs. However, at the end of the book, the reader sees a man who knows the world but still has the faith and still is searching for his own space for his own purpose.
Works Cited
McCarthy, Cormac. All the Pretty Horses. New York, NY: Vintage, 1993. Print.