All the Pretty Horses- The Wisdom of the scars

Throughout the storylines of Cormac Mcarthy’s All the Pretty Horses and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, the protagonists, John Grady Cole and Oedipus, are scarred both physically and mentally by their own actions and the actions of those around them. The act which causes the scar carries with it much suffering that is assumed to bring wisdom as stated by Gustavo in All the Pretty Horses, however this assumption is incorrect. The responses of John Grady and Oedipus to their suffering and scars disprove the existence of wisdom from suffering, Gustavo’s statement, and the ability for suffering to ennoble.

The word scar originates from the Greek word eschara meaning hearth, a reference to burns. The scar is the body’s permanent memory of its breaching, a mark of violation and yet also a mark of transformation that never disappears. In associating scar with eschara, a wound becomes a visible sign of being burned by the divine, a spiritual mark.

With scar defined the reader can determine that the “wisdom of the scars” does not exist. To support this idea is the dialog given by Oedipus, after he has discove

. . .
With the responses of John Grady and Oedipus to their suffering and scars one can disprove the existence of wisdom from suffering, contradict Gustavo’s statement, and the determine the ability for suffering to ennoble or degrade. Who could behold his greatness without envy? Now what a black sea of terror has overwhelmed him. The degradation suffered is revealed to the reader by the praise and description of his plight by the chorus. Each protagonist carried with them a multitude of both physical and mental suffering; however, the responses and effects each character had to the suffering were different. ” (Oedipus the King lines 1678-1684)

Throughout the storylines of Cormac Mcarthy’s All the Pretty Horses and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, the protagonists, John Grady Cole and Oedipus, are scarred both physically and mentally by their own actions and the actions of those around them. You who set our beloved land-storm-tossed, shattered-straight on course. The scars are burns suffered at the hands of deities that leave Oedipus physically and psychologically maimed. When the Corinthian shepherd reminds Oedipus of his wounded feet, he declares: “That dreadful mark – I’ve had it from the cradle (Oedipus the King line 1134). Now as we keep our watch and wait the final day, count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last.

Before Oedipus’s past is revealed the chorus states:

“My king, I’ve said it once, I’ll say it time and again-I’d be insane, you know it, senseless, ever to turn my back on you. He almost reached to pull down the front of his hatbrim but then he remembered that they had hats and he turned and climbed up on the bed of the truck and sat waiting to be chained.

Sophocles’ text, the Oedipus trilogy, does support Gustavo’s claim that misfortune can be a gift and strength.

Common topics in this essay:
Oedipus King, Grady Cole, Grady Oedipus, People Thebes, John Grady, Cole Oedipus, Oedipus Grady, Ive Ill, Olympus God, john grady, oedipus king, King Oedipus, john grady cole, grady cole, wisdom suffering, pretty horses, oedipus scarred physically, suffering ennoble, king lines, suffering john, oedipus king lines, scarred physically, oedipus scarred, ability suffering ennoble, suffering john grady,

Approximate Word count = 1193
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Already a member? Click here