The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy takes the reader on a journey through Mexico and South Western United States through the eyes of the protagonist Billy Parham, a young cowboy who began the story as young and naive, wishing for an adventure. He finds it when Billy captures the wolf that he and his father were hunting and, instead of killing the animal, he instead decides to take her back to the Mexican Mountains. Along the way, he began to deeply care for it and believe that it’s a “being of great order” that knew “what men do not,” willing to risk his own life to guarantee her safety (McCarthy 59-60). However, on his trip, Billy and the wolf get caught by Mexican authorities who decide to give the wolf to a circus. When Billy is released, …show more content…
From the literary criticism “Borders and Boundaries of Religion and the Mind in Cormac McCarthy’s The Crossing” by Susan Rojas, the “ex-priest” was seen to exemplify characteristics that made him both “a foundation of the novel’s spiritual core” and an example of how crossing a border of the mind can lead to negative effects. While Billy crossing one of his mental boundaries made him harsher, it allowed him to survive in the harsh environments he was in. However, for the ex-priest, the mental boundaries was what kept him sane and with purpose. Rojas states how the ex-priest illustrates “the paradox of the boundaries and borders of the mind” as these mental boundaries are “necessary evils” because they “provide the rigidity needed for a seeking mind” and can “liberate” and “free” the mind through “containment” (Rojas 2). The ex-priest continuously crosses these “borders and boundaries” which allow him to become more and more aware of his own life and the actions he takes (7). The ex-priest realized that he had conflicts over which religion he belonged to, Catholic or Mormonism, as he states that “I am a Mormon. Or I was,” showing that he was not sure where he belonged, and continuously phasing from a religion to another, crossing mental borders continuously (Rojas 8, McCarthy 140). These continuous mental crosses between two boundaries made him lose sanity as his religious life “was boundless, unmanaged,” making it hard for him to understand his true purpose, as seen in the literary criticism by Peter Mundik, “The Illusion of Proximity: The Ex:Priest and the Heretic in Cormac McCarthy's THE CROSSING: Book II” (Mundik). This proves the idea that crossing mental boundaries leads to unchangeable mental alterations that may benefit or hurt a person. While Billy’s crossing of his mental boundary was only temporary
In an enticingly realistic novel, contemporary western writer Cormac McCarthy tells the coming-of-age story of a young John Grady Cole whose life begins and, in a sense, ends in rustic San Angelo. Page by page, McCarthy sends his protagonist character creation on a Mexican adventure, complete with barriers, brawls, and beauties. The events which bring about John Grady’s adventure and the reasons behind his decision to flight familiarity are the most intriguing aspects of the novel. Through an examination of the text, readers can determine that John Grady Cole’s hellish plunge from his position of grace on his grandfather’s ranch in Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses is a
“”Here,” he said. “Give me your hand. We are brothers. You are my son. I pass to you my vision, even though I cannot pass to you my knowledge. There lies in the ground not far from here one who truly was my son. He could not bear the pain of knowing two truths. And so I give my vision to you who knows one one. Perhaps it will be easier to bear. Perhaps it will be easier to share.”” Throughout the book Neither Wolf Nor Dog by Kent Nerburn, the author travels a long way from his home to visit the reservation of a Native American elder named Dan. Nerburn agrees to write a book for Dan that will attempt to convey some aspects of American Indian life and truth in contrast to false images displayed in pop culture. This passage contributes to the
In a journey across the vast untamed country of Mexico, Cormac McCarthy introduces All the Pretty Horses, a bittersweet and profoundly moving tale of love, hate, disappointments, joy, and redemption. John Grady sets out on horseback to Mexico with his best friend Lacey Rawlins in search of the cowboy lifestyle. His journey leaves John wiser but saddened, yet out of this heartbreak comes the resilience of a man who has claimed his place in the world as a true cowboy. In his journey John’s character changes and develops throughout the novel to have more of a personal relationship with the horses and Mother Nature. He changes from a young boy who knows nothing of the world
In Cormac McCarthy's All The Pretty Horses, John Grady Cole's departure of America and search for identity leads him on a tortuous journey. Sprouting in San Angelo, Texas, John Grady Cole blossoms into life on a ranch his grandfather presides over. His grandfather dies when he is just sixteen, causing him to depart America - the country he once called home - with his best friend Lacey Rawlins for Mexico, to be cowboys. As he explores the southern country, he feels that Mexico is exactly where he belongs. But, during his visit, he runs into trouble as he falls in love with a ranch owner's daughter who comes from a strictly traditional family, he is jettisoned in a moral-absent jail, and he stabs a man to death. Because Cole has nowhere else
Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer that tells the story of a young man who's been in his 20s, went into Alaska alone and died, however their are more about him that we did not think about. That he makes us understand the real Chris McCandless, from a bibliographic point a view. The people he met, his actions, and Chris own ideas to have one reason to go to Alaska. Chris McCandless is a humble person, he went into the wilderness to test himself the feeling of his own belief about taking a break from socially, to journey without the help of friends that to offer him help to make his journey easier. Furthermore he, does not want them and his family to be part of his odyssey journey for the sake of a test for him to survive alone without having
In Cormac McCarthy’s Bildungsroman All the Pretty Horses, sixteen year old John Grady Cole runs away from his home in San Angelo, Texas, after the death of his grandfather. With the divorce of his parents and his mom’s plans to sell the family ranch, John Grady finds no reason to stay in Texas. Accompanied by his friend Lacey Rawlins, John Grady travels south into Mexico on horseback in search of the cowboy life he’s always yearned for. While America industrializes, Mexico continues to provide large ranches, wild horses, and vast land. America represents the idealized West while Mexico represents the reality of the West which consists of bloodshed and heartache. McCarthy uses the contrast between America and Mexico to invoke the idea that the West is more violent and blood-thirsty than often depicted in movies and stories.
Nature has been cheated by the outstanding abilities of Coyote. However, the situation does not end like that. The forces of nature triumph once again in order to show a tale's moral. Bear acts in a more natural way. He finally concludes the cycle that his character was intended for, but not before showing an initial naïve personality. This situation creates a first impression on the reader/listener, implying that good convincing skills can defeat what is naturally expected to happen. However, and with full intention of developing a tale moral, these convincing skills only take effect on a temporary basis. The message this tale wants to issue is that nature might be unaware for some time, but at the end, it always defeats any intention of shortcutting the life cycle. This moral is among the most usual used in Native American coyote stories, which were normally told to audiences of young and old people alike. They were sometimes told to teach about cosmology, as instructional stories for the young, to explain history, and sometimes just for the sake of telling and listening to a funny story. In all these different cases, Coyote stories are a reflection for our own lives, pointing out the smallest miseries and the biggest strengths of humans. Unfortunately for him, in the present tale, Coyote serves as the example of a negative attitude, which finally always leads to a tragic end.
Every culture has its traditions and folktales. Commonly, Native stories tend to make use of trickster figures to promote some sort of moral across. Coyote is one of the most frequent trickster figure amongst this narrative. This wild animal can at times be helpful, but more often than not his foolish and rash personality can meddle with the surrounding environment. Much like Zeus transformed into a swan in Leda and the Swan, Coyote could also change forms. Sometimes he’s an animal, other times he’s a person, or even at times he’s half human-half animal. Since trickster figures can change their physical shape, their personality is no different. It can vary, from the wise and brave fool such as the Coyote from Louisa McDermott’s Coyote Kills the Giant, to the plain unwise and meddlesome such as Coyote from Thomas King’s A Coyote Columbus Story. If one wants to examine Native American literature King’s and McDermott’s Coyote stories can be used to endorse an in depth investigation. Humour, irony, and proper oral techniques in both, Coyote Kills the Giant and A Coyote Columbus Story, demonstrate that Coyote stories can not only be fun and foolish, but also educational and powerful.
The novel “Into the Wild”, by Jon Krakauer, is an excruciating story about a young man facing off against the dangers of nature. The main protagonist, Chris McCandless faced off against many internal and external obstacles that stood in his way of achieving his goal of successfully surviving on his own in the wilderness of North America. McCandless clashed with many lethal and perilous obstacles as he travelled all the way across the continent. The challenges he faced varied from surviving in the harsh wilderness, the difficulties of young manhood, and also the challenge of person versus society.
David N. Entwistle in his book titled Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity: An Introduction to Worldview Issues, Philosophical Foundations, and Models of Integration (2015) aims to address the process and purpose of integrating Christianity and Psychology. To assist in promoting the readers’ understanding of how integrating Christianity and Psychology can be practiced, and the importance of integrating the two (Entwistle, 2015, p. 5). Entwistle (2015) provides the reader with knowledge of the historical issues and beliefs of Psychology and Theology, helping the reader to understand how the negative relationship they
Throughout literature, characters who live transcendentally share similarities. Their descriptions evoke clarity and purity, and their names often symbolize their beliefs. Mindful characters tend to stand out from the crowd, stepping away from the boundaries of society and choosing their own paths. As transcendentalism is difficult to develop alone, most of these characters have some sort of role model, someone to gain a message from. They then go on to spread that message to the people they meet. A transcendental character’s mission is to impact some un-transcendental character by bringing them clarity, and this can be seen in the characters studied this semester. The similar descriptions, messages, and impacts of conscious characters prove
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a nonfiction story about the life and adventures of the venturesome Christopher McCandless. Chris McCandless was an intelligent individual who decided to leave his family when he was twenty-two years old seeking the challenge in surviving in Alaska. Even though Chris was unprepared because he only had some rice and few supplies, he still pushed himself to hitchhike all around the world while meeting new people. Unfortunately, Christopher McCandless did not survive long in the harsh environment of Alaska for long. At least he died doing something he loved and wanted to succeed. Christopher McCandless develops an identity which shows how he is separated from society, he bases his interests on famous authors who
Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, is the story of a young man, Chris Mccandless who was going in the right direction. He had finished college and had a family who loved him, somehow he took a major detour that landed him dead in Alaska. Chris Mccandless shaped his identity through his actions, interests, values and beliefs.
Enwistle’s book, Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity: An introduction to worldview issues, philosophical foundations, and models of integration (2010) is a text that explores integrating psychology and Christianity. We start out by learning about integration related to both psychology and Christianity. Is this a thing? Is integration between these two subjects a subject itself? Enwistle explores through time to reveal how psychology and Christianity have been both closely studied and intertwined throughout time. Enwistle (2010) defines Christian psychology as “ a commitment to a Christian worldview that shapes how psychology is studied and applies, and that recognizes that there are specific Christian resources that uniquely reveal crucial aspects of what it means to be human (p. 14). Those in the psychology or counseling field who are also Christian have unique and different approaches but they draw from both Christianity and psychology to help them succeed.
This is no lapse in consistency by Carter; the carnivorous wolf may be a man that has even worse intentions for the flesh. The narrator warns, "If you spy a naked man among the pines, you must run as if the Devil were after you" (2234). Since the man is naked, his true nature, which is more frightening than a wolf, is revealed. Carter metaphorically emphasizes the danger of women being deceived by the false appearance men present in action and personality. Red Riding Hood is deceived by the friendly, handsome hunter: letting her guard down, she allows him to accompany her through the woods while "laughing and joking like old friends" (2235).