Mccarthy's All the Pretty Horses/John Ford's Searchers

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The cowboy myth has been present for many decades, fulfilling its purpose in reuniting the U.S. under the 'perfect' American and its ideals. It emphasizes independence, masculinity, and perseverance. John Ford's film The Searcher over exaggerates the racism found in most cowboy stories, but besides that does not challenge the almost 'pure' myth. It keeps the romanticized image, unlike Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses. While McCarthy in essence retains some of the idealistic details, he introduces realistic overtones such as consequences of violence, as well as a 'mortal' and overall conscientious protagonist. He does this, in order to challenge the cowboy myth, and why it is not as something a person should strive for. "And he did so John Grady brought his knife up from the floor and sank it into the cuchillero's heart. He sank it into his heart and snapped the handle sideways and broke the blade off in him. From the red boutonniere blossoming on the left pocket of his blue workshirt there spurted a thin fan of bright arterial blood. He dropped to his knees and pitched forward dead into the arms of the enemy." (pg 201) This shows the repercussions of the violence that most cowboy lore ignore. The boy who attacked John Grady did not die in a fit of smoke and bloodless. It did not show a calm death, just cast aside as one of the countless deaths. It is real and in the reader's face of what actually happens to people who die by knife. Seeing one died before them - especially if they caused the death - is a traumatizing experience, especially for one at a young age like John Grady. It is no way to live, and McCarthy felt the same way about it. That is why he brings the realism and consequences of what happens to someone who died. In comparison, The Searchers have the main character Ethan and his companions slaughter Native Americans without hesitation,
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