The Unmasking

8 Pages 2102 Words

few constant and signature traits. Through his descriptive imagery and use of Spanish, McCarthy in All the Pretty Horses efficiently unveils the dark side of society and of men in conflict to the innocence and freedom only found in nature.
In many American novels, nature is a sanctuary, a place of freedom and rest for the soul. John Grady being displayed as a transcendentalist continuously finds peace in nature. The wilderness is John’s place for relaxation and reflection. After the funeral of his grandfather, John went outside onto the prairie to be alone. He stood watching a train pass and slowly began to envision the spirits of past cultures. After his refreshing time, John was able to return to his home and continue life (McCarthy 3-6). In the same way, Huck from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn thrives in the wilderness. Huck valued his freedom on the raft in contrast to “rough living” (Twain 1) in a house. It is apparent that these two novels are very different, one being a story of a cowboy longing for a stable lifestyle with his passion, horses, and the other a novel satirizing a slave owning society, however looking deeper they have many similarities. Both novels hold “ romance and realism…in delicate balance” (Branch 493) and give the reader evil and beauty. Both John and Huck long for true freedom. Huck longs for the freedom to be himself, to wear “old rags… and [be] free and satisfied,” (Twain 1) and relax on the raft while smoking and fishing without having to worry about becoming educated and fitting a mold formed by society (Twain 27). For Huck the raft and the river are much more...