Reality and Escape in "All the Pretty Horses"

Throughout the novel "All the Pretty Horses", John Grady Cole is trying to escape the dismal reality of his life and the world around him. This is evident even at the very beginning of the novel as he decides to leave Texas as his whole life is falling down around him, and continues to be a main theme throughout the book. A vivid series of dreams that John Grady has also provides an escape from …

…this escape comes in the form of simply pulling up the stakes and leaving town for Mexico, but further in his journey he turns to alternate worlds in his head in the form of dreams. However, in the end John Grady doesn't really escape anything, despite his efforts. His reality is still that of pain and loss in Mexico, and returns home with the wounds causing him to leave in the first place still fresh.