Without a doubt, Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses stays true to many common tropes of the Western genre. However; what makes this novel so unique is how McCarthy manipulates some of these important tropes. They are still present throughout the book, in fact, some of them are enlarged throughout, but overall McCarthy openly manipulates some of the most popular ones in an attempt to highlight the development of the protagonist: John Grady Cole. More importantly, McCarthy inserts the image of the cowboy, the importance of horses, the sense of lawlessness, and the cliché of the gunslinger into All the Pretty Horses and alters its impact throughout the novel. Overall, McCarthy implements these clichés to ensure the novel remains true to the western genre, but manipulates them to highlight John Grady Cole's psychological and physical journey. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In typical Western novels, the image of a cowboy is what drives the entire plot; a lawless, tough gunslinger protagonist with a penchant for horses is the common archetype and never changes in western novels. The common cowboy archetype is first exhibited by John Grady Cole when Rawlins asks him why he is leaving St. Angelo, Texas, while he replies that he "already left." (27) signifying the reason for John's quest, which is also a common Western trope. At that moment, the reader assumes that John Grady's journey will be alone as the idea of ​​a lone traveler is often associated with westerns. However; that's not what happens, which only makes John Grady's growth that much more significant. Instead of being a solitary traveler, John Grady begins his quest accompanied by two other people in the first part of the book: Rawlins and Blevins. What makes this important is the fact that McCarthy manipulated the image of a cowboy by dividing the common traits between the three. For example, John's role in the trio's collective cowboy image is his love of horses as he is considered "the best" (59) horseman according to Rawlins. Rawlins' role in their cowboy image is primarily his lawlessness or his ability to openly express his beliefs. Through the dialogue, especially between John Grady Cole, Blevins, and Rawlins, the reader is aware that Rawlins is opinionated. For example, every time Rawlins shares his opinion, it is relatively harsh like when he told Blevins that he would be “put down for horse theft” and that it “doesn't mean anything to him. He expects it." (80) Finally, Blevins' role in McCarthy's collective cowboy image is one of the most obvious: the gunslinger cliché. Indeed, Blevins' skill with guns is what helps John Grady Cole and Rawlins to make the decision to accept it, especially since he was confident with them telling John and Rawlins that if they "want to throw up something, I'll hit it (48). they all share the common traits associated with them, which is very rare for Western novels Regarding the development of John Grady, this collective image allows the audience to understand the fact that due to his upbringing and background, John Grady. at first he is unable to adapt to the image of the cowboy created by McCarthy in the first part of All the Pretty Horses does not last as long as some readers might assume it slowly dissipates in the next three parts of the novel. This is first seen in the second quarter when the three are separated for the first time and John Grady is seen asa more charismatic front man than the others. For example, John Grady gained so much notoriety at La Purèsma after breaking sixteen horses that when "John Grady pointed and asked for the tortillas to be passed, hands reached from both sides of the table to take the plate and present it this way like a ceremonial bowl." (110) John Grady's growth from his separation from the previous collective cowboy image can also be seen when he and Rawlins spoke the night Don Hector gave John that special assignment as Rawlins stated that, "It's an opportunity to You. [John Grady] There is no reason why you should refuse, as I see." (116) From that point on, John Grady is seen as a separate entity from his companion, which only grows throughout the book. Even in the second part, John Grady slowly becomes more lawless, which was previously the characteristic assigned to Rawlins in the collective. cowboy image, as he faces criticism from people within the ranch due to his newfound relationship with Alejandra. Specifically, Alfonsa is the first to warn John Grady that “it is not proper for you [John] to be seen riding in the field with Alejandra without supervision.” (136) and that John Grady should be "respectful of a young girl's reputation" (136) since that is "all she has." (136). While seeing Alejandra may seem harmless to John Grady, this is the first time he has received disapproval from the majority, and this point is expanded upon at the end of the segment, when John Grady and Rawlins are arrested. From the perspective of John Grady's development, McCarthy still manipulates the image of the cowboy trope to be gradual rather than instantaneous, and the second part in particular highlights this. The last two parts of All the Pretty Horses can be identified as very significant. regarding the manipulation of Western clichés to amplify John Grady's development as a character. Previously, the image of a cowboy was manipulated by McCarthy by dividing it between three different characters and as this dissolved, John Grady gradually adapted to some of the traits associated with the typical image of a cowboy. What happens in the last two parts is all a buildup of John Grady slowly transforming into that image; in the third part he becomes much more illegal and in the final part his illegality only amplifies as he becomes a solitary traveler. For example, in an act of self-defense, John Grady ended up killing a man in the prison he and Rawlins were in, "plunging the blade of a knife into the heart of a cuchillero." (201). This can also be seen when John gets separated from Rawlins in the final part and holds the captain hostage to get his horses back by threatening, "When I die, you die too." (270). This creates a stark contrast to the John Grady presented to the reader in the first part of the novel, and the contrast is drastically heightened in the last part of the novel when John Grady “Passed and paled into the dark land, the world to come.” .” (302) as he continued to travel alone, looking for something because he couldn't find anything for him in his old town. As for the Western clichés throughout the novel, they are still manipulated; John Grady only fulfills some of the characteristics because it is necessary due to the setting. He is generally a humble character who possesses an unshakable code of honor, but due to his circumstances, John has had to adapt to the image of a cowboy. For example, the reader is aware that John Grady "Never thought I would do this." (215) after killing the assassin in prison. But Rawlins comes to his defense by claiming that he “had no choice” (215) due to the violent atmosphere.