| An analysis of the American Western and its historical context in the national consciousness as a form of American mythology as demonstrated and reexamined in the work of Cormac McCarthy. This study explores the Western in its historical context, examining the Western's popularity in times of national turmoil, and explicating how McCarthy's novel disassembles the mythology behind the Western as epic and the image of the Cowboy as the epic hero.;The idea of the Cowboy as the iconic American hero is called into question as McCarthy presents a protagonist who embraces the Cowboy legend and falls victims to the legend's failings. By exposing the fallacies of the Cowboy legend, McCarthy calls into question the basic ideals that America embraces. |
