Through desperation and yearning, individuals often resort to any means necessary to achieve their desires. "High Horse’s Courting" is a short story by Black Elk that describes the courtship of High Horse, a Lakota Sioux man, as he attempts to steal the heart of a girl he is sickly in love with, and the drastic measures he resorts to do so. "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" by Flannery O'Connor describes the journey of a drifter named Tom Shiftlet who marries a disabled woman named Lucynell Crater, but ultimately abandons her for his own selfish impulses. Both stories explore the complexities of human relationships and the desires that fuel them. Meaningful connections can be found in the deeply flawed trickster characters, utilization of …show more content…
Shiftlet creates a relationship with both Lucynell and her mother Mrs. Crater for the sole reason of getting the old car that they have. To complete his mission of attaining the car, “[he] and Lucynell were married in the Ordinary’s office… as they [come] out of the courthouse… he [looks] morose and bitter as if he [has] been insulted” (O’Connor 536). Tom takes Lucynell’s hand in marriage just so that he can get the object of his desire. He does not care what he has to give up or who he has to trick to get the things he wants, displaying the immense selfishness that he beholds. Furthermore, not only is Shiftlet attempting to con his way into getting the car, Mrs. Crater is trying to con him into the marriage just so she can have a son-in-law. Mrs. Crater deceivingly gives Tom the things that he wants and puts her daughter …show more content…
When Shiftlet first notices the car on the Craters’ property, it is presented as a potential path to salvation: helping a family in need by fixing up their old car. However, Shiftlet takes the path of deviance and plots to steal the car from the family. The car represents a fork in the road between two life paths: That of righteousness and that of deceit. As Shiftlet is driving off alone with the car that he conned his way into attaining when “a cloud… [descends] over the sun… with a guffawing peal of thunder from behind and fantastic raindrops” (O’Connor 538). The storm that ensues represents the divine reaction to the deplorable actions of Shiftlet and his choice of running from it represents his decision to pursue a life filled with sin. He does not care for the repercussions of his actions, only that he himself gets what he wants. In comparison, after High Horse wears through all of his duplicities he decides to “go on the war path all by himself… and [drives] off about a hundred horses” (Elk 650). The horses throughout “High Horse’s Courting” represent the mindset of High Horse and the respect that he attains. He begins with a measly offer of 2 horses when he is willing to deceit and con his way into getting the girl, but when he builds the courage to go the respectable journey, he attains hundreds of horses and
Abby Slate English IV Period 2 17 September, 2014 Surroundings and John Grady Cole In All the Pretty Horses, cultural, physical and geographical surroundings shaped John Grady Cole as a character and aided to illuminate the book as a whole. The isolated Texas land, the open Mexican wilderness and the struggles that came with each land are only a few examples of how John’s environments made him into the character he was, and in turn, affected the meaning of the book. From the very beginning, John Grady Cole is introduced on a Texas ranch that he has lived on since birth, and a sense of immobility because of this.
O’Connor first uses symbolism to reveal that Shiftlet is doing things for his own personal gain. The automobile in the garage at old Lucynell’s and young
Her new job allowed her to travel all over the country. She saw new places, and she’s even gone over seas a few times to breed horses. Her name was big in the equine world that she resided in. When she turned thirty, a man came to her with a proposition. The man wanted her to breed horses and train their young daughter to ride, race and jump her horse.
A few cowboys try catching the horse with no success. But then he sees this cowboy step up and tries next and realizes that he is different from everyone else there. This man is wearing nice clothing and even though it shows signs of work and travel it still looks nice on the man. The man then catches the horse with little trouble. When the narrator gets off the train he again sees the man talking with another well-dressed man.
How to Save a Life The Fate of Mr. Shiftlet & the Crater Women Often, a story’s title tells a much bigger story than it initially puts on. The title of Flannery O’Connor’s short story, The Life You Save May Be Your Own, creates an entire theme for the story. The title is used within the story, when Mr. Shiftlet passes a road sign stating the exact words.
As he is driving, he comes across a young boy on the side of the road. The boy was not hitchhiking, but Shiftlet stops the car and the boy joins him. Mr.Shiflet does not know why the boy was on the side of the road, but he starts talking to they boy. When Mr.Shiftlet left his mother, “ [he has] never rued
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, takes place during the late 1940s. It is a story about a young man named John Grady Cole, a sixteen year old who is the last of a generation of the West Texas ranchers in his family. John Grady Cole takes a journey across the border to Mexico, after his grandfather's death, to retain his dream of living the cowboy life that he grew up with. As the story unfolds, John Gady Cole encounters a variety of obstacles that determines if his dreams are meant to be or if his fate will overpower his desires. McCarthy incorporates a variety of literary devices, internal conflict, and tone to achieve his theme of romanticism and reality.
In the critical literacy book, Untamed, by Glennon Doyle, a fifty year old woman, realizes how she can enjoy life better and the steps along the way, in Florida with her wife and three kids. As the book begins Glennon sees how her family realized how cheetahs in the zoo miss the wild yet they never knew the wild, Glennon notices this and it feels like her life too. While Glennon notices everything wrong with her life she realizes she wants a change. Glennons life changing started when she was sitting on her bathroom floor with a positive pregnancy test, she says to herself I want to change my life around. She later realized that no matter what she did she was never enough for everyone
Valuing someone for who they are rather than their physical appearance is a main theme in All the Pretty Horses. Alejandra and Grady’s love is not enough to keep them together, and
After gaining her trust and marrying Lucynell, Tom got what he wanted, the car. To Mr.Shiftlet the car is important because it symbolizes freedom and successes. It also represents the idea that Shiftlet has the possibility to be redeemed or ‘rise from the dead’. O’Connor wrote that when Shiftlet managed to get it started he sat in the driver’s seat and ‘he had an expression of serious modesty on his face as if he had just raised the dead.” After getting the car and going on his honeymoon Tom Shitftlet stopped by The Hot Spot and abandoned Lucynell.
To avoid living such a life, he decides to leave Lucynell behind. However, his feelings of regret become obvious immediately after leaving her in the Hot Spot diner, which becomes clear when he is described to be “more depressed than ever as he drove on by himself.” (443) He knows it is unfair to leave his deaf-mute wife, after changing her life by
"His Truth Is Marching On" is a book written by historian Jon Meacham that explores the life and legacy of civil rights icon, Congressman John Lewis. The main source used in the book is Lewis's own writings and speeches, which Meacham draws upon extensively to paint a vivid portrait of Lewis's courage, conviction, and leadership. Additionally, Meacham also utilizes a wide range of archival materials, including interviews with Lewis's family and colleagues, newspaper articles, and historical documents. What is particularly important about the way Meacham uses these sources is that he weaves them together to create a cohesive narrative that captures both the personal and political dimensions of Lewis's life. Through his careful selection and
Throughout “All the Pretty Horses” by Cormac McCarthy, the main character John Grady Cole is submitted to many evils as he tries to find his own place in the world. In his own personal quest for a happy ending, John represents the idealized cowboy of the Old Wild West uncovering the truth of the violent and deadly landscape he encounters. John Grady attempts to mesh together his romanticised cowboy honor code into a land that concedes nothing to nobility and the only winner is the one who survives. Only through his many trials and beatings does John Grady begin to accept the world for what it is, a place that does not contain only pretty horses; however, he still manages to remain true to himself and what he believes in. From the beginning of “All the Pretty Horses,” John Grady Cole faces threats from the modern world towards the cowboy life he admires so much.
Every book has things that make the read so enjoyable. In All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, he uses techniques that make the book so enjoyable. It’s a story with two sides. For example, the book is a huge love story between John Grady Cole (main character) and Alejandra daughter of the owners of the ranch. The other side of the book is that there's too much death that goes along with the love.
Shiftlet tries once more to redeem himself by attempting another good deed. Along the road, he picks up a young, hitchhiking boy who ran away from home. Mr. Shiftlet knows the little boy’s decision is one that he will most likely regret in the future, so he tries to convince the boy to go back home to his mother. He consoles the boy and tells him that his mother is the second best mother in the world, and that there’s nothing sweeter in the world than a mother. But unlike the Crater’s, this little boy is not fooled by Mr. Shiftlet’s false kindness.