All the Pretty Horses Lesson Plan

John Grady and Rawlins tell a Mexican at their breakfast stop that they are running from the law: “We robbed a bank” (33).

How does this detail help develop these two characters? What does it say about them? How does McCarthy continue to develop the boys' personalities in a similar fashion throughout the chapter?

While this is a silly joke, a detail that does nothing to advance the plot, students should recognize that it serves as a device of character development. This detail establishes both John Grady and Rawlins as immature and playful. They are teenagers without much life experience. They might even think the stranger will believe they robbed a bank, though it's...