All the Pretty Horses (cont..)

- All the Pretty Horses talks about Mexico as a \"borderland\" where anything is possible, unless certain circumstances are preventative of this. - John Grady doesn't feel like he belongs to any country (almost as though where he belongs is with himself) - John Grady went to Mexico to find some truth in Mexico since everything was going to shit in the U.S. - the author of the article points out themes for this novel - adolescence to adulthood - known to unknown

1. John Grady's mistake John Grady makes the mistake that causes most of the trouble for the boys. He falls in love with a forbidden lover, Alejandra, his boss's daughter. John Grady, a foreigner and a lower class man, is not suitable to be Alejandra's lover, according to Don Hector (Alejandra's father and John Grady's boss). Don Hector handles the situation and John Grady and Rawlings over to the Mexican authorities. After they get bailed out of prison by Alejandra's aunt, John Grady tries to fix this whole situation by going to aunt and talking to her. 2. Blevins' mistake Blevins made the mistake that was the causes the rest of the trouble for the boys. Blevins panics during a storm because several people in his family had been hit by lightning and he loses everything. He abandons his horse and takes off all of his clothing. Abandoning the horse was most likely Blevins' biggest mistake because it results in Blevins' death. John Grady tries to make amends for Blevins' death by taking back Blevins' old horse. 3. John Grady's mother's mistake John Grady's mother abandoned the family and sold the ranch before John Grady could inherit it. The ranch was the one thing John Grady was excited about for his future, so when he found out that his mother sold the ranch, he thought that this was a mistake. He tries to fix it for himself by going on his journey to Mexico. John Grady ends up braking horses in other ranches.

- blood- the cost he pays for everything he loves: Alejandra, horses, life - Alejandra- bits his hand when he covers her mouth during sex - horses- gets shot when rescuing Rawlin's horse - life- during self defense in prison, he kills a man - sunset- things coming to an end - when JG's grandpa dies - end of the book when he ends this journey and starts a new one

- loss of innocence and loss of past-- going to Mexico as innocent teenagers and coming back experienced adults - family relationships-- motif-- (John Grady: father at war, mom left, raised by Mexican woman, basic relationship with grandfather), (Rawlins: comes from a very poor family and wants to escape), (Blevins: has been on his own for a long time and seems to have no family), (Rochas: rich, well educated, family members interfere in a lot) - dark sides of humans- example is the jail scene which brought out true cruelty from within - Nature- relationships between human beings and the earth

- John Grady Cole- protagonist, highly skilled with horses, falls in love with Alejandra - Rawlins- John Grady's best friends - Blevins- tags along with John Grady and Rawlins, gets shot and killed - Alejandra- Don Hector's daughter and John Grady's lover - Don Hector- John Grady's employer in Mexico