Although smoking was once considered glamorous and romantic, its cancerous and harmful effects are now commonplace. Similarly, in the novel All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, the constant smoking throughout the novel juxtaposes the negative effect of smoking with a naive belief in the American Western myth. The recurring motif of smoking in the novel serves to portray both the romanticism behind blind faith in Western myth and the stark reality of its modern failure. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the relentless motifs of smoking, it is hard to deny that smoking has a deeper symbolic meaning in All the Pretty Horses. The friendly dialogue and "clichéd beginnings that take place while smoking express the touching communion between the characters before the disappointment of the Western myth is discovered. John Grady and his father meet in a cafe" where they hardly speak; during this awkward dinner, his father feels like he has let his son down. During this first scene in which the characters smoke, John Grady's father "took another cigarette and flicked it on the lighter" and as Grady pondered his future "his father smoked." This father/son conversation conveys the characters' intimate relationship before the myth's demise. Additionally, before Rawlins and Grady escape to Mexico, the two share a man-to-man communion (while smoking): Rawlins "pulled out a cigarette" and "sat down to smoke." As he “removes the ash from the end of the cigarette,” Rawlins says that for women, “it's not worth it. None of them are. The empathy between John Grady and a close friend or relative while smoking emphasizes the idealized view of the West. Just as smoking fascinates younger consumers, so too does the clichéd idea of ​​the West. In this clichéd beginning of the novel, John Grady and Rawlins experience no danger or violence during their trip to Mexico; their harmless trip to Mexico follows the boys' naive perception of Western myth. This myth perception similarly follows smoking: the intriguing experience of smoking seems harmless at first. As Rawlins absorbed his new life in the West, he "rolled a cigarette and lit it." Here, in another communion with John Grady, he states that he “could get used to this life.” He tapped the ash gently, saying it "wouldn't take him any time at all." This also emphasizes Rawlins and Grady's infantile view: just as they believe that smoking is a harmless habit, they believe that this idealized view of the West will be as they expected. As John Grady and Rawlins face the bloody reality of the American West, the fate of smoking is also recognized. The death of John Grady's father and the violent and threatening scenes convey the degradation of the myth of the West. While the smoke begins as a charming communion between the characters, it soon becomes a brutally silent killer… or almost a killer. Just as "the boy puts out the cigarette", the scene of the violent brawl breaks out in the prison where John Grady is almost killed. The relationship with cigarettes has changed drastically since the beginning of the research: the characters no longer participate in deep conversations while smoking; now they face the violent reality of the Western myth. Perhaps the most painful reality of smoking was the death of his father. This death symbolizes not only the reality of smoking, but also a death of the West's infantile vision. Although it is not made explicit, it can be inferred that John Grady's father dies of lung cancer, as he was a heavy smoker. His father and grandfather were the embodiment of the former vision!