It came boring out of the east like some ribald satellite of the coming sun howling and bellowing in the distance and the long light of the headlamp running through the tangled mesquite brakes and creating out of the night the endless fenceline down the dead straight right of way and sucking it back again wire and post mile on mile into the darkness after where the boilersmoke disbanded slowly along the faint new horizon and the sound came lagging and he stood still holding his hat in his hands in the passing ground-shudder watching it till it was gone. Then
In Cormac McCarthy's "All the Pretty Horses," a vivid image is painted of a powerful entity emerging from the eastern horizon. It is likened to a satellite of the sun, creating an atmosphere charged with sound and movement, as the headlamp illuminates the darkness surrounding the protagonist. The landscape transforms into a realm of shadows, defined by a seemingly endless fence line stretching into obscurity. The description evokes a sense of anticipation and awe, immersed in the raw beauty of the American West.
The protagonist stands in stillness, captivated by the sights and sounds of this moment, holding his hat as if marking a transition. The heavy boilersmoke dissipates into the distance, symbolizing a shift as the familiar fades away. This scene captures a poignant moment of reflection, anchoring themes of change, loss, and the inexorable passage of time in McCarthy's narrative. The imagery emphasizes the stark yet majestic environment that frames the characters' journey throughout the novel.
