The Correlation Between Wisdom and Suffering in Regard to the Physical and Emotional Scars of John Grady Cole and Oedipus
             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 discovered his past and scarred himself in a baleful manner:
             "Oh but this I know: no sickness can destroy me, nothing can. I would never have been saved from death-I have been saved for something great and terrible, something strange. Well let my destiny come and take me on its way!" (Oedipus the King line 1594-1598)
             Also, the scars on the ankles of Oedipus further bolster this idea. The wounding of the innocent child, Oedipus, is a mark of his shame and disgrace and is the symbol of his suffering. 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). Hi...