From Conquering To Returning

Cormac McCarthy, one of the America's greatest writers alive, put forward his profound ecological thoughts in his novel All the Pretty Horses, which is regarded as the canonic work of contemporary American literature. This thesis is to offer a comprehensive study on the theme of All the Pretty Horses on human-nature relationship from the perspective of ecocriticism and to illustrate that man should build a harmonious relationship with nature. Based on the theories of eco-criticism, this thesis argues that Cormac McCarthy manifests his ecological vision through the depiction of western scenery and criticism of people's ravage of environment, so as to express his aspiration for return to nature.The main body falls into three parts. Chapter One probes into the anti-anthropocentric tendency in the work. Preoccupied with the idea of being the dominator of nature, certain people mistreated the land and animals. In addition, the time-honored traditional values are jeopardized by industrialization and modernization. After the destruction of anthropocentric model, Chapter Two further reconstructs an eco-centered standpoint by the disclosure of eco-centric implications in the novel. On his journey to the ideal home, the hero Grady merges himself with wilderness and eventually grows from na?ve to mature. As an important companion, nature helps him to fulfill and realize the"Self", and thus return to nature has become his ultimate aspiration. Chapter Three analyzes the author's pursuit of eco-logical holism. McCarthy draws a picture of a utopian world in which people respect all human and nonhuman individuals in their own rights as parts of the whole ecosphere.