Identity Crisis in Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses

Hayder Gebreen

doi:10.7575/aiac.alls.v.7n.2p.90

Abstract

The issue of identity is one of the main issues that encounters man in each culture. Identity is a set of behaviors, emotions, and thought patterns which are unique to every individual that define him as a member of a certain group. Identity is shaped by race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, language, physical features, childhood experiences, sexual preferences and culture. Moreover, identity is usually recognized during adolescence or early adulthood in which both positive and negative features are essential in the development of individual identity. However, an identity crisis is the failure to establish identity during that age. In addition, an identity crisis is not only concerned with matters such as ethnicity or religion as it is also concerned with inner conflicts, search for identity, west vs. east, old Vs. modern. The diversity of identity in the American culture is expressed in many literary works by contemporary American writers who depict characters' search of their psychological and cultural identity. Among those contemporary writers is Cormac McCarthy (1933-) whose All the Pretty Horses (1992) tackles this quest for identity as its basic theme, both psychologically and culturally. This paper is an attempt to investigate both dimensions of the quest in this novel as being one of McCarthy's masterpieces. Keywords: Identity, Identity Crisis, Cultural Criticism, Contemporary American fiction

Highlights

All the Pretty Horses, (Horses), has been credited as presenting a new cowboy protagonist who is coming into conflict and ruin as he rides through the landscape
All the Pretty Horses fits in the American tradition of fiction which portrays how young men defeat their difficulties in order to achieve moral growth, John Grady's journey to Mexico is to struggle for a cowboy culture that he wants to preserve it from fading away
The term 'identity crisis' describes young persons who are in search of identity or even anxiety that they feel when the face intersection in their lives, here one can see that John Grady is facing this intersection

Summary

Definitions

The term 'identity' is widely used in the fields of cultural studies, literary theory, politics, sociology, and psychology, to name but a few. Erik Erikson devised the term 'identity crisis' to label the doubt, even unease, which adolescents might sense as they realize that they are no longer children. They turn out to be confused about their present and future roles in life. Another possible anxiety could result from the passing insecurity and confusion that adolescents feel as they try a range of choices. The concept of identity crisis does not indicate a coming disaster, but rather a "critical turning point in the life history of an individual, in which development can only move forward by taking a new directional course," Individuals might sense an actual identity crisis (Shaffer, 2007, p. 453)

Introduction

Adolescent at Home

The Journey to the Foreign Land

The Promised Heaven of Cowboys

Passing Adolescence

Conclusions