All the Pretty Horses - Post 2

While reading All the Pretty Horses, I noticed towards the beginning of the assigned reading that John Grady's town is pulling away from the western culture (I think that is what you would call it). San Angelo is modernizing, and John Grady and Rawlins, the Frontier Heroes they are, resent it. The boys are moving away from the civilization and seek a more untamed environment. A conversation between the protagonists reveals their displeasure with San Angelo:

How the hell do they expect a man to ride a horse in this country? said Rawlins

          They don't, said John Grady.

As the boys continue their journey to Mexico, the modernization of America becomes even more apparent. Highways have been built where horses and cattle once freely roamed. Rawlins comments on the surprisingly small number of cattle in the area. Stores no longer cater to the needs of cowboys as seen when the store had no feed. Rawlins and John Grady are even suspiciously watched as they saddle their horses. The boys are beginning the separation stage of the hero quest or in this case the frontier hero quest. They're pulling away from the civilized, refined American civilization and heading into the free, untamed Mexican wilderness.