All the Pretty Horses is bookended by two funerals at the Grady ranch: the first is that of John's grandfather, and the second is that of Abuela. There are bleached bones in the landscape, the constant knowledge that John will one day disappear while the land—horses and all—will continue on. While Rawlins is the only character who asks about the afterlife, the rest of the novel is mostly preoccupied with the fact of dying itself. John struggles with the death of Blevins, his own murderous impulses, and his close shave in Saltillo that requires him to take another's life.
Questions About Death
- In what contexts does the idea of life after death come up? Why do these discussions come up where they do?
- What is the connection between death and the natural world in the novel?
- Is death different in the novel for humans than it is for other creatures?
Chew on This
In the novel, death returns people and animals to the natural world: they fade into the landscape from whence they came and become part of it.
In the novel, death separates people from all form of existence: like the Comanche Indians mentioned in the opening, they simply disappear, leaving only a ghostly trace in history.