What are the differences between the books and the movies? In a book/novel, it is a long fictional narrative story which the plot of the story in revealed through the words and the characters used. A movie is a motion picture which contains lots of pictures put together. Each of these forms of storytelling are laced with a lesson or meaning that the authors wants us to see. Often, the authors go overboard in making some myths more enjoyable by romanticizing it up. A theme that has been to often romanticized in both novels and in books is the American Wild West. Some forms of this are the novel All the Pretty Horses and the movie The Searchers which romanticize in certain ways.

One question we have to ask ourselves is how to analyze the myths that are in the novel and the movie. They both have certain aspects in common like how the scenery is romanticized to make it seem more interesting. The desert for example is a background you see in most Western movies and novels because that is where the scenes take place. The makers often spruce up the descriptions of the scenes or emphasize it to make it seem more appealing. Another item that portrays the west that we all like is, of course, Cowboys. The protagonists in the stories are John Grady Cole and Ethan who are both cowboys. How do you define a cowboy? They of course have that authentic ten-gallon hat and a nice, hardened, trusty steed to ride on.

Another example of the West is in the cowboys themselves because we see them as the strong, silent types. You can also notice in both stories that they don’t talk as much but just when it’s necessary. They also seem to be able to take care of themselves like when Ethan was able to escape being killed multiple times and John when he survived in prison stole back his horses, handled hostages, and many other things. Most western stories like these contain a similar plot which is to find a girl he likes or loves. Most of the time, the hero of the story will usually save and get the girl he loves and wants. Another thing you will see in most other westerns is natives which are the antagonists. In The Searchers, the native Indians are the antagonists of Ethan and in All the Pretty Horses, the Mexican natives were the antagonists of John Grady. Both of these examples were romanticized enough so that when we are asked about the Wild West we always think about cowboys and Indians.

What does romanticizing do? It makes things and ideas more heroic, beautiful, or greater than what it truly is. One example is the term called heroification which is the process of romanticizing basically. This happens when someone is told a story about the Wild West. In both forms of the stories, the main character and his friends camp underneath the stars, enjoying the nice cool breeze and clear sky. This is a way that the authors of the novel and book romanticize the myths of the West. Another example that can be romanticized is basic love.

In the movie and story, the girl always seems to love the protagonist and so does the protagonist with the girl. There are around two ways that they can love each other which are plain family love or emotional depending on if she was related to him. The stories are similar also in the way that the protagonist is always the good guy. He always seems to have a certain reason that motivates him to do what he is doing. For Ethan’s case, he was fighting for his family and trying to get revenge for what the indians had done to his family and was trying to save his niece. The Protagonist is also able to be liked in just about all ways. In The Searchers, the people see Ethan doing great things and so they see him as a honorable person. The timeline for this particular film is somewhere around the civil war or around the late 1800’s. The movie, falls accordingly to these rules. This makes use want to see the west not as old, but ancient. This is how the West has been romanticized by authors in these two stories.

Now, how do you challenge the West and its wmyths? Sometimes, the plots may go against what we know to be true about the West. This is where reality comes into play. When one thinks of an average cowboy, you might see a young intelligent man. In The Searchers however, the protagonist