Theme Of Women In All The Pretty Horses

In All The Pretty Horses, a western written by Cormic McCarthy, there is an underlying theme of oppression and over sexualization in regards to the female characters in the book. In addition to women being persecuted, they are nameless, and get lost within the background of the novel seemingly without much character development, and put into the position of caretakers or behind the scenes workers. To further sustain, courting or being in relations with a woman is signifying settling as well as becoming “boring” and uninteresting, all ideas that are counterintuitive with the western idealization. In westerns all across the board, getting attached to a woman is a sign of weakness and settling down, something that doesn't entertain the genre.

By only surrounding themselves with women who they do not value as a compeer, they subconsciously push women aside without being aware of their actions. In the article, All the Pretty Mexican Girls by Jennifer A. Reimer, there is a statement that “female roles [in ATPH] exist solely to be appropriated by men.” When taking a look at this statement it is very relevant and clear to the reader that this theme is very heavily relied upon within McCarthy’s writing. One of the most evident parts of the book is when John Grady is talking to the Captain in jail where the Captain expatiates how he would not let a woman refuse him, stating that he won't “let whores make trouble for

This is apparent when he is breaking the horses with Rawlins and he first sees Alejandra riding a dark horse. John Grady describes her riding as “ sat [sitting on] the horse more than well, riding erect” (McCarthy 109). It is apparent now how he sees her, as the first time she is mentioned within this novel it is blatantly sexual. Without fail, there are no words exchanged between John Grady and the girl who we later learn to be named Alejandra but that will not stop him from having iniquitous and idealized thoughts about her. This plays into how McCarthy is describing “the horse she rides and how she rides it” as well as the fact that “she doesn't speak” as it isn't necessary for her too because McCarthy describes her in such a passive, “exotic”, “objectifying” way that no matter how someone would look any of the passages regarding Alejandra, this book was written based on the repugnant, abhorrent, male gaze (Reimer