KEEP HOLDING ON: An analysis of foreboding and how it is manipulated in All the Pretty Horses by McCarthy All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy is a uniquely written short story that depicts the life apparently worthy of a cowboy. Through the use of vast imagery relating to the most mundane matters and the heavy use of polysyndeton to reinforce said symbols, the importance of each concept and factor cannot be ignored. More fundamentally, through the recurring use of disturbing premonitions, such as the use of blood and darkness, and the way in which John Grady, the protagonist, challenges such premonitions, it is possible to develop a deeper understanding regarding the relationship between the overwhelming desire and human nature. Grady is introduced to the reader, his serious misfortunes are also presented, starting with his grandfather's funeral. After the event, to cope with his loss, John Grady leaves home, to collect his thoughts and contemplate his path from there on. In the evening he saddled his horse and set off westward from the house. The wind had died down a lot and it was very cold and the sun sat blood red and elliptical under the cliffs of blood red clouds before him. (5)Through the use of “evening”, the author alludes to the fact that a life of darkness and sadness looms ahead of John. This feeling quickly manifests itself in various instances, such as when John discovers that his ranch has been sold, his mother wants nothing to do with him, and that his father is near death. John's departure “from home” emphasizes that John willingly leaves his comfort zone to explore the unknown. The presence of the “wind” and the way it has been “very muted” contrasts with the bustle of the natural world before John departs from his...... middle of paper......John, the future might be boring, dull, dangerous and deadly, but as an unnoticed cowboy, John couldn't care less. The heavy, repetitive use of trepidatious circumstances and John Grady's total resistance and near ignorance towards them really demonstrate how if one believes enough in what he wants, Nothing can stand in the way. Sometimes, in fact, overcoming obstacles and the immense feeling of success that follows determine, in the long run, an even better quality of life. The buffalo rolling in the dust instead demonstrates that sometimes the dangers and annoyances of our daily lives sometimes just need to be accepted and embraced in order to move on to bigger and better things. In these ways, McCarthy's heavy symbolism proved all too telling of how implacable even a single human soul can be, a concept that will forever remain scrutinized..