All the Pretty Horses- Chess Match

318 Words2 Pages
Symbol: In the simplest sense, a symbol is anything that stands for or represents something else beyond it—sometimes an idea conventionally associated with it. The term symbolism refers to the use of symbols, or to a set of related symbols. In his novel All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy’s main character John Grady Cole falls in love with Alejandra, the hacendado’s beautiful daughter. As John Grady becomes increasingly serious about his relationship with Alejandra he arranges to meet with her godmother to ascertain what his chances are of his relationship with Alejandra receiving approval from the family. During this encounter John and the godmother play a game of chess. This chess game symbolizes the competition that they are in for Alejandra herself, representing the symbolic chess game between these two competing characters. Although John Grady “mated her in four moves” and wins the first couple of games and seems to be well on his way to achieving his goal, in the end it is the godmother who triumphs (133). This directly mirrors John Grady’s and the godmother’s lives: although John Grady wins Alejandra’s affections initially, in the end he When he takes “her queen” he is literally winning the chess match by taking the queen, but he is also on a symbolic level attempting to take the godmother’s true “queen,” Alejandra, who the godmother is determined to keep from suffering the samemisfortunes she endured (132). The lack of dialogue between the characters during the match further reinforces the quiet competition they are engaging in; one that is not violent but is indeed fierce. The intellectual nature of the chess match also enhances the choice that Alejandra ultimately makes near the end of the novel: leaving John and opting instead for the security (and wealth) of her family. This choice reflects the cool and calculating logic of a chess match rather than
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