ES 25 (2003-04) - pp. 193-202
CORMAC MCCARTHY’S BORDERLANDS:
A CHALLENGE TO A MYTHIC
CONSTRUCT OF THE AMERICAN WEST1
DAVID RÍO RAIGADAS
Uni e sidad del País Vasco
The p esen a icle explo es Co mac McCa hy’s e ision o adi ional on ie my hology
in his wes e n no els. In ac , in his wes e n ic ion McCa hy examines he powe ul ole
played by he my hology and he omance o he Old Wes , p o iding insigh in o he
eali y behind he my h. McCa hy ocuses on he in e ac ion be ween his o y and my h in
a con inuous dialogical p ocess o exchange and o e lapping. Pa icula a en ion will be
paid o he way in which McCa hy debunks s e eo ypical op imis ic mis ep esen a ions o
he conques o he Wes in Blood Me idian (1985). Fu he mo e, his a icle will analyze
McCa hy’s po ai o he p oblema ic ansi ion om Old Wes my hology o New Wes
eali ies in his Bo de T ilogy, composed o he no els All he P e y Ho ses (1992), The
C ossing (1994), and Ci ies o he Plain (1998). In hese h ee no els McCa hy employs
he idealized and my hologized igu e o he cowboy o d ama ize he ailu e o Old Wes
a i udes and alues in he mode n Wes .
Co mac McCa hy, bo n in Rhode Island (1933) and aised in Knox ille
(Tennessee), was usually iden i ied as a sou he n w i e be o e he published his i h
no el, Blood Me idian o he E ening Red o he Wes (1985). His p e ious no els,
The O cha d Keepe (1965), Ou e Da k (1968), Child o God (1974), and Su ee
(1979), se in Appalachia and ull o go hic elemen s and Faulkne ian language, had
been c i ically acclaimed bu li le ead. His li e a y jou ney o he Sou hwes , an
e en ha closely ollowed his decision o mo e om Knox ille o El Paso (Texas),
b ough him no only no o ious c i ical and academic ecogni ion, bu also
widesp ead eade ship, mainly due o his Bo de T ilogy, consis ing o he no els
All he P e y Ho ses (1992), The C ossing (1994), and Ci ies o he Plain (1998).
McCa hy’s li e a y a ac ion owa ds he Wes pa allels ha o o he ou s anding
Sou he n w i e s (Ba y Hannah, Richa d Fo d, Rick Bass, Ba ba a Kingsol e ...)
who in he las wo decades ha e ocused on wes e n hemes and se ings. Ac ually,
as Robe H. B inkmeye J has no ed,
... one o he mos in iguing de elopmen s in con empo a y Sou he n ic ion is
ha a numbe o Sou he n w i e s ha e in a sense become New Wes e s
imagina i ely o saking Dixie o he Wes , w i ing ic ion bo h o he
1 A sho e a ia ion o his essay was p esen ed a he Spanish Associa ion o Ame ican
S udies (SAAS) Con e ence in Vi o ia-Gas eiz, on Ap il 9, 2003. The essay was w i en as pa o
he esea ch p ojec s 1/UPV 00103.130-H-13999/2001 and 1/UPV 00103.130-H-15287/2003.
DAVID RÍO RAIGADAS
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con empo a y Wes , pa icula ly Mon ana, and o he bygone e a o cowboys,
Indians, and gun igh s. (2000: 2)
Howe e , McCa hy has achie ed a unique s a us in con empo a y ic ion
abou he Wes due bo h o his e isionis app oach o he da ke unde side o
on ie my hology in Blood Me idian and o his powe ul insigh in o he
in e ac ion be ween my h and eali y in his Bo de T ilogy, se in a pos mode n,
chao ic, and liminal space, he on ie be ween Mexico and he Uni ed S a es in he
mid- wen ie h cen u y.
McCa hy’s wes e n ic ion e ises he powe ul ole s ill played by he
my hology and he omance o he Old Wes , p o iding insigh in o he eali y
behind he my h and examining he bo de lands be ween he eal Wes and he
my hic Wes . T adi ionally, wes e n li e a u e has concen a ed on he Wes as a
p ocess, as an endless on ie , as a s o y o mobili y, eedom, and indi idual
he oes, se ing he Wes bo h “as popula my h and na ional symbol” (Milne II
1994: 1). The Wes has oo o en become an idea, a men al p ojec ion, a he han a
de ini e geog aphical egion. In ac , un il he la e 1960s he my hic Wes ,
pe pe ua ed by he dime no els and he wes e n mo ies, has elega ed he eal Wes
o a seconda y ole. Howe e , since hen he my hic dimension o he Wes has
unde gone ex ensi e e ision and wes e n w i e s ha e exposed he agic and
genocidal dimensions o he wes wa d mo emen . They ha e also depa ed om
my hic images ela ed o a model o single-handed masculine conques o
unde sco e ins ead he ele ance o communal elemen s and he ich e hnic and
cul u al complexi y o he egion. The u h is ha he Wes has been o en educed
o a simplis ic opposi ion be ween my h and eali y, dis ega ding he mul iple poin s
o con ac and in e sec ions be ween bo h concep s when applied o he Wes . As
Neil Campbell has explained,
... o so long he e has been a bina y hinking de ining he egion as my h and
eali y, ue and alse, u opia and dys opia, when, in ac , i has always exis ed as
bo h a egion and mo e han a egion, as imagined, d eam-space as well as eal,
ma e ial space. (2000: 21)
The con luence o bo h spaces, a hyb id and dialogical ealm, is p ecisely
Co mac McCa hy’s ic ional e i o y. He wan s o ew i e bo h his o y and my h,
explo ing hei in e dependence and showing he powe o ic ion o ein en a
egion.
McCa hy’s i s wes e n no el, Blood Me idian, is closely linked o he ise o
e isionis in e p e a ions o Ame ican wes e n my hology, ques ioning in pa icula
F ede ick Tu ne ’s popula “ on ie hesis” and o he a che ypal iews o he Wild
Wes . The no el, mos ly se in he la e 1840s, ec ea es he ac ual expedi ion o a
band o scalp hun e s commissioned bo h by Mexican and Texan au ho i ies o
mu de as many Indians as possible in he bo de lands o he Sou hwes . The book
CORMAC MCCARTHY’S BORDERLANDS
195
may be iewed as ealis ic app oach owa ds he iolen o igins o wes wa d
expansion, whe e McCa hy depa s om popula cul u e’s limi ed ision o he
Ame ican Wes . In ac , in Blood Me idian McCa hy debunks adi ional wes e n
my hology, exposing i s inne con adic ions, i s e hnocen ic dimensions, and i s
glo i ica ion o iolence. In pa icula , McCa hy ocuses on he ex eme iolence
and genocidal ai s o nine een h-cen u y expansion, p o iding insigh in o he
eali y behind he my h and ques ioning o e simplis ic ep esen a ions o he
wes e n expe ience. As Pa icia Nelson Lime ick, one o he leading schola s o he
so- called “New Wes e n His o y”, has sugges ed, he popula my h o he Wes
“ca ies a pe sis en ly happy a ec , a one o ad en u e, he oism, and e en un e y
much in con as wi h he ough, complica ed, and some imes bloody and b u al
eali ies o he conques ” (1994: 75). Ac ually, McCa hy and e isionis his o ians
o he Wes om he pos -Vie nam e a sha e a common in e es in challenging
long-es ablished, op imis ic iews o he on ie , eassessing a che ypal my hs
based on Ame ican excep ionalism and on s e eo yped ideas abou p og ess and
pionee ing expansion in a acan land.
In Blood Me idian McCa hy con adic s Tu ne ’s classical desc ip ion o he
on ie in dualis ic, e hnocen ic e ms, “ he mee ing poin be ween sa age y and
ci iliza ion” (1894: 200), o e ing ins ead a i id po ai o he on ie as a chao ic
space, ull o ha ed, e o , and ex eme b u ali y. In ac , in his no el he line
be ween he ba ba ic and he ci ilized, be ween he law and he ou law, is almos
non-exis en . McCa hy’s o e whelming emphasis on iolence and con lic , as he
dominan ai s o a wes e n pas my hicized almos beyond ecogni ion, debunks
limi ed and pa ial iews o he wes e n expansion as a ic o y o p og ess and
ci iliza ion o e sa age y. As Ba cley Owens has w i en, “in Blood Me idian he e
is no p og essi e my h o good o e coming e il, no cou ageous men aming he
Wes o ci iliza ion” (2000: 7).
Blood Me idian does no only pu in o ques ion Tu ne ’s on ie hesis, bu i
also depa s om well-known my hological iews o he on ie as he ul ima e
place o pe sonal and na ional ca ha ses h ough iolence. Richa d Slo kin, o
example, has demons a ed in his landma k essay Regene a ion Th ough Violence
(1973) how he expe ience o li e and wa a e in he on ie was o en ans o med
by his o ians and ic ion w i e s in o a my hic s uggle o achie e edemp ion
h ough iolence. Thus, he he o o McCa hy’s no el (o a he an an i-he o), a boy
om Tennessee called “ he kid”, is unable o ob ain spi i ual egene a ion h ough
his imme sion in o he iolen and chao ic wo ld o he bo de land e i o y be ween
Texas and Mexico. His ini ia ion in o manhood becomes basically an ini ia ion in o
e il h ough di e en i es o passage, o en domina ed by he o e whelming
p esence o iolence. He ce ainly loses his innocence, bu he ex eme b u ali y ha
su ounds him u ns o be an insu moun able obs acle o his spi i ual ebi h. In
ac , he kid’s mu de by Judge Holden a he end o he no el epi omizes he
uselessness o iolence o achie e edemp ion in he on ie , in “ he bloodlands o
DAVID RÍO RAIGADAS
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he Wes ” (McCa hy 1985: 138), a wo ld whe e he e is no place o enewal o
hope, jus o dea h and des uc ion.
McCa hy’s emphasis on iolence and ha ed h oughou Blood Me idian
canno be ega ded simply as an a emp o demy hologize con en ional op imis ic
isions o wes e n expansion, exposing i s b u ali y and i s genocidal ai s h ough
a pos mode nis , o en g o esque aes he ics. Ac ually, he no el, de ined by Ha old
Bloom as “ he au hen ic Ame ican apocalyp ic no el” (2000: 340), may be also
iewed as an explo a ion in o he eali y o e il and, in pa icula , in o man’s inna e
capaci y o ex eme iolence in a wo ld whose peculia o de he is unable o g asp.
The no el app oaches he agic na u e o expe ience and he epheme al condi ion
o human li e om a na u alis ic pe spec i e, s essing he e e yday igh o
su i al as he basic ing edien o li e on ea h. This bleak, Da winian po ai o
exis ence is epi omized in he no el by Judge Holden’s glo i ica ion o wa as he
“ ues o m o di ina ion”:
... i is he es ing o one’s will and he will o ano he wi hin ha la ge will
which because i binds hem is he e o e o ced o selec . Wa is he ul ima e
game because wa is a las o cing o he uni y o exis ence. Wa is god.
(McCa hy 1985: 249)
McCa hy’s nex no el, 1992 Na ional Book Awa d winne All he P e y
Ho ses, is also se in he Texan-Mexican bo de and again i ocuses on he
in e ela edness be ween eali y and my hology in he Wes , hough his ime he
does no explo e he o igins o wes wa d expansion, bu he ansi ion om Old
Wes s e eo ypes o he New Wes eali ies. In All he P e y Ho ses, his o ically se
one hund ed yea s la e han Blood Me idian, McCa hy also e ises he esilience
o on ie my hology in mode n imes. In ac , despi e he imp essi e ise o
ealis ic ein e p e a ions o wes e n his o y in he las ew decades, wes e n
my hology s ill has a hold on he public imagina ion. Thus, he classical iew o he
Wes as a wild and open coun y, inhabi ed by dange ous Indians and he oic
cowboys who adhe e o a pa icula code o hono , s ill keeps engaging he
imagina ion bo h o an impo an numbe o Ame icans and o an in e na ional
audience. McCa hy himsel has explained his a ac ion owa ds wes e n my hic
hemes and images pa ly due o he widesp ead in luence o wes e n my hology:
“ he e isn’ a place in he wo ld you can go whe e hey don’ know abou cowboys
and Indians and he my h o he Wes ” (Woodwa d 1992: 36).
All he P e y Ho ses ocuses on he cowboy my h, epi omized by an idealis ic
six een-yea old Texan John G ady Cole, he dispossessed son o a anche , who
seeks in Mexico a way o li e quickly anishing in an inc easingly indus ialized
Ame ican Wes . Ac ually, his coming-o -age no el decons uc s he a che ypal
my hic iew o he Wes as an idyllic e i o y, as a p omised land, whe e an
indi idual may ind ad en u e, a new iden i y, o a leas a adi ional way o li e in
ull communion wi h na u e. McCa hy s esses he impac on indus ializa ion and
CORMAC MCCARTHY’S BORDERLANDS
197
echnology on pos wa wes e n socie y, pa icula ly on hose wes e ne s who, like
John G ady Cole, y o emain loyal o an ancien li es yle based on anch wo k.
They eel aliena ed in he New Wes , an impe sonal e i o y, ull o unce ain ies,
and whe e hey no longe eel a home. As John’s a he claims in he no el, “...
people don eel sa e no mo e. [...] We’ e like he Comanches was wo hund ed
yea s ago. We don know wha ’s goin o show up he e come dayligh . We don
e en know wha colo hey’ll be” (McCa hy 1992: 25-26).
In All he P e y Ho ses Mexico is oman icized as he las on ie , as he only
al e na i e o hose who, like John G ady and his iend Lacey Rawlins, s uggle o
e u n o he my hic innocence o he cowboy on he open ange. The idealiza ion o
Mexico as an ancien e i o y exemp om he o e whelming e ec s o he
mode nizing p ocess in he Uni ed S a es u ns he sea ch o he on ie in o a
sou hwa d mo emen , ins ead o he a che ypal wes wa d mo emen . Mexico is
iden i ied wi h an asy images om he on ie pas , wi h he my hic eedom and
indi idualism o he Old Wes . E en he name o he Mexican hacienda whe e
G ady and Rawlins a e ini ially hi ed as anch hands, “Nues a Seño a de la
Pu ísima Concepción”, seems o sugges a e u n o a mo e pu e wo ld, o an idyllic
and innocen li es yle. This hacienda, howe e , only wo ks in he no el as a
empo a y and un ealis ic Eden ha does no e lec ai h ully he complexi y o
Mexican cul u e and socie y. Ac ually, McCa hy illus a es u he in he no el ha
he e is no place o he my hic cowboy d eam in Mexico, a e i o y whe e John
G ady, a e acing se e al es s o endu ance, can only aspi e o me e su i al. The
Mexican on ie does no pu an end o G ady’s aliena ion because i ails o
p o ide him wi h his idyllic iew o man’s ela ionship o he land, a ela ionship
based on a special connec ion o he na u al landscape, and in pa icula o ho ses.
His e u n o Texas symbolizes his us a ed a emp o li e ou he my hic pas as a
means o sel -de ini ion and he need o ace a discou aging, unce ain u u e, “ he
da kening land, he wo ld o come” (1985: 302).
In his desc ip ion o John G ady’s ques McCa hy d ama izes he p oblema ic
ansi ion om Old Wes s e eo ypes o he New Wes eali ies. Thus, All he P e y
Ho ses illus a es no only he esilience o he cowboy my h, bu also i s
hollowness and i s un ealis ic basis. “The igu e o he cowboy”, Sa a L. Spu geon
has w i en, “pe soni ies Ame ica’s mos che ished my hs- combining ideas o
Ame ican excep ionalism, Mani es Des iny, ugged indi idualism, on ie
democ acy, communion wi h and conques o he na u al wo ld, and he igh eous
iumph o he whi e ace” (1999: 25). In McCa hy’s no el G ady’s ailu e o eli e
his oman icized iew o cowboy li es yle bo h in mode n Texas and in adi ional
Mexico exposes he decep i e na u e o he cowboy my h and o i s code o conduc
(a code ha includes such alues as loyal y, eedom, hones y, cou age o
communion wi h na u e). In ac , All he P e y Ho ses may be seen as a challenge
o a my hic cons uc o he Ame ican pas , o he e y exis ence o his idyllic
cowboy wo ld in he Old Wes . A e all, as Wallace S egne has no ed,

DAVID RÍO RAIGADAS
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... he cowboy in p ac ice was and is an o e wo ked, unde paid hi eling, almos
as homeless and dispossessed as a mode n c op wo ke , and his abled
independence was and is chie ly he p i ilege o qui ing his job in o de o go
looking o ano he jus as bad. (Rebein 2001: 114)
In he second olume o he Bo de T ilogy, The C ossing, McCa hy e isi s
a amilia se ing, he bo de lands be ween he Uni ed S a es and Mexico, hough
now i s Ame ican se ing is New Mexico and A izona a he han Texas. The ime
ame o his no el is also e y simila o he one o All he P e y Ho ses. Ac ually,
The C ossing begins in 1939, jus a decade be o e he e en s desc ibed in he
p e ious no el. Besides, McCa hy eso s again o a eenage boy en apped in a
mul i-dimensional bo de land space as he p o agonis o his no el. Thus, Billy
Pa ham li es physically on he on ie be ween Mexico and he Uni ed S a es, and
me apho ically on he bo de line be ween childhood and ma u i y. He is also caugh
in a liminal space be ween my h and eali y. Again, in his no el Mexico, due o i s
powe o sugges he my hic condi ions o he Wild Wes , becomes emblema ic o a
los ime and se es as escape- al e o hose who eel displaced in Ame ica and
sea ch o an iden i y acco ding o a che ypal on ie alues. Thus, o Billy,
Mexico ep esen s i s he call o he wilde ness and la e a place whe e he
s uggles o eco e bo h he emnan s o his amilia pas (symbolized by he s olen
ho ses who belonged o his a he , mu de ed in New Mexico) and o he my hic
on ie , emaining always loyal o his sel -de ini ion as “ame icano” and “ aque o”
(McCa hy 1995: 38). Howe e , once again McCa hy demy hologizes Mexico as
he las on ie , as he los cowboy pa adise, exposing he a i iciali y o a se ies o
oman ic p econcep ions abou pa icula places, o “ alse geog aphies”, o use
Ba y Lopez’s e minology (Kowalewski 1996: 6). In ac , al hough he no el
illus a es se e al cul u al di e ences be ween Mexico and he Uni ed S a es, i also
debunks popula isions o Mexico as a wild, unse led e i o y wi h unlimi ed
oppo uni y, emphasizing ins ead i s bo de land condi ion and he in e ac ion o
cul u es and languages in a basically hyb id con ex . In ac , iolence and e il exis s
on bo h sides o he on ie and he di iding line be ween bo h e i o ies o en
becomes a blu ing bounda y. McCa hy’s no el e en pu s in o ques ion he e y
na u e o mapping due o i s in insic a i iciali y. As one o he Mexican cha ac e s
ells Billy in he no el:
... he wo ld has no name. [...] The names o he ce os and he sie as and he
dese s exis only on maps. We name hem ha we do no lose ou way. Ye i
was because he way was los o us al eady ha we ha e made hose names. The
wo ld canno be los . We a e he ones. We a e he ones. And i is because hese
names and hese coo dina es a e ou own naming ha hey canno sa e us. (1995:
387)
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The C ossing cen e s once again on he o e lapping be ween my h and eali y
in he Wes , emphasizing no only he des uc i e powe o he cowboy my h, bu
also he h ea o p og ess and echnology o a adi ional way o li e. Thus, Billy,
who ies o place himsel in he my hical adi ion o he legenda y wes e n he o, is
o ced o abandon his o iginal idealism and he only manages o ob ain a ce ain
deg ee o knowledge abou human na u e, hough he p ice ha he pays o i is oo
high ( he dea h o his b o he Boyd). Billy’s u e diso ien a ion is ein o ced by he
New Wes ’s inabili y o o e him a alid model ha may eplace he s e eo ypical
my hological o de . Ac ually, he New Wes becomes iden i ied wi h mili a y
powe and he h ea o nuclea des uc ion, as symbolized by one o he las images
o he no el, an a omic blas ha u ns ou o be he T ini y nuclea es explosion o
16 July 1945.
McCa hy pu s an end o his Bo de T ilogy wi h Ci ies o he Plain, a no el
ha b ings oge he he sepa a e s o ies o John G ady Cole and Billy Pa ham.
McCa hy eso s o a amilia se ing, he bo de lands be ween he Uni ed S a es
and Mexico, and a ime ame, he ea ly i ies, ha is e y simila o he one used
in his p e ious no els. This ime he loca es John G ady and Billy in a anch in
sou heas e n New Mexico, whe e bo h o hem a e employed as cowboys. The
anch symbolizes a small pa adise o bo h o hem, who a e much wande ing
seem o ha e ound a place o li e ou hei cowboy d eams. Howe e , McCa hy
e eals ha he anch is jus a empo a y e uge, h ea ened by he imminen
expansion o he nea by ai o ce base in Alamogo do. The anch ep esen s he
es ige o a dying e a, o a adi ional wes e n way o li e ha will pe ish due o he
ise o indus ial and mili a y powe s in he New Wes . Ac ually, he yea ning o a
pu e, simple cowboy li es yle in a mode n Wes engul ed by echnology and
p og ess illus a es one o he main inne con adic ions o on ie my hology. As
Ba cley Owens has s a ed, “ he d eam o p og ess [...] ul ills he p omise o he
Ame ican on ie . [...] Bu , pa adoxically, a e he d eam o p og ess is a ained,
Ame icans may [...] yea n o he my hic eedom and indi idualism o he Old
Wes , he p is ine beau y o he Old Wes ” (2000: 68-69).
In Ci ies o he Plain McCa hy se s Billy’s inc easing ealism agains John
G ady’s e e nal idealism and adhe ence o he my hic cowboy code. Al hough bo h
men e ain a common a ac ion owa ds he my hic wes e n d eam o eedom and
a adi ional li es yle in close connec ion wi h na u e, Billy’s pas pain ul
expe iences in Mexico ha e mi iga ed his idealism, whe eas John G ady s ill
emains loyal o his sel -imposed iden i y as “ he all-Ame ican cowboy” (McCa hy
1998: 3). The di e ences be ween bo h cha ac e s ex end o hei iews o Mexico,
a place whe e adi ional ways a e also g adually being elega ed by he p essu e o
mode niza ion o echnology. Thus, whe eas Billy has los his you h ul ision o
Mexico as a land o mys e y and ad en u e, John G ady s ill belie es in Mexico’s
oman ic possibili ies and is eady o sac i ice e e y hing o he lo e o Magdalena,
a Mexican p os i u e. His us a ed a emp o escue Magadalena om Edua do,
DAVID RÍO RAIGADAS
200
he Mexican pimp, exempli ies once again his loyal y o he manly code o he Old
Wes . Besides, his d eam o u ning a li le shack in he Ame ican side o he bo de
in o a homes ead o him and Magdalena also con ains clea my hic conno a ions
because i esembles closely ha o he on ie pionee s, he “d eam o o ging a
ga den-pa adise in he wilde ness” (Owens 2000: 116).
McCa hy closes his Bo de T ilogy insis ing on he des uc i e powe o he
cowboy my h, pa icula ly symbolized by John G ady’s agic dea h, a e ha ing
beha ed acco ding o he ules o he cowboy’s code o hono . His blind ai h in a
my hic cons uc has condemned him o sel -des uc ion, a me apho o he
disin eg a ion o he old cowboy li es yle in an inc easingly u ban Wes . Ac ually,
he epilogue o he no el, se in he second yea o he new millenium, makes clea
ha he e is no place o adi ional cowboys like Billy in he New Wes , a wo ld
wi hou ca le and whe e wa e is sca ce. In his pos mode n Wes he only job Billy
can ind is as a mo ie ex a, a si ua ion ha may be ega ded as an i onic commen
by McCa hy on he powe o he Hollywood ilm indus y, la gely esponsible o
he su i al o he wes e n my h in mains eam con empo a y cul u e.
Gene ally speaking, McCa hy’s wes e n no els p o ide he eade wi h a
powe ul examina ion o he on ie my h and o i s esilience in Ame ica, abo e
all, in he New Wes . Ce ainly, he depa s om classical images ela ed o a model
o single-handed masculine conques b inging ci iliza ion in o he wilde ness,
s essing ins ead he s a k b u ali y o he wes wa d expansion. Thus, Blood
Me idian, in pa icula , may be de ined as McCa hy’s mos success ul
decons uc ion o a che ypal no ions o he on ie days. I is a no el ha illus a es
McCa hy’s in e es in cu ing h ough s e eo ypical op imis ic mis ep esen a ions
o he conques o he Wes and debunking widesp ead on ie my hs because, as
Ba cley Owens has w i en, “my hs can only mask he b u al na u e o eali y, cloak
hem cul u al meanings” (2000: 118). In ac , McCa h y’s no el exposes he eali y
behind some o he old wes e n my hs ha s ill con inue o shape con empo a y
beha io in he Uni ed S a es. Fo example, on ie my hology, as Richa d Slo kin
has demons a ed in Gun igh e Na ion: The My h o he F on ie in Twen ie h-
Cen u y Ame ica (1992), has been o en used o legi imize iolence in mode n
Ame ica. Anyway, he in e ac ion be ween my h and eali y in he Wes is so
complex ha bo h elemen s canno be easily sepa a ed wi hin he Ame ican cul u al
Imagina y. As F ank Be gon and Zeese Papanikolas ha e sugges ed,
...because he Wes has become so o e come wi h legend, i is popula ly assumed
ha a s ipping o i s my hic enee would e eal he “ eal” Wes . No hing could
be less ue. The Ame ican Wes was an in ica e combina ion o bo h my h and
eali y. The Wes su ely c ea ed my hs, bu my hs hemsel es jus as su ely
c ea ed he Wes , [...] and i is o his eason ha he eal Wes can be seen as
wha A chibald MacLeish called “a coun y o he mind”. (1978: 2)
CORMAC MCCARTHY’S BORDERLANDS
201
O e all, McCa hy’s conce n wi h he complica ed in e dependencies be ween
he my hic Wes and he eal Wes plays a g ea e ole in he Bo de T ilogy han in
Blood Me idian. In ac , he Bo de T ilogy shows ha Co mac McCa h y is no
only in e es ed in e ising he iolen o igins o wes e n expansion, bu also in
explo ing he New Wes ’s peculia ela ionship o my h. In hese h ee no els he
eso s o he idealized and my hologized igu e o he cowboy o d ama ize he
ailu e o Old Wes a i udes and alues in he mode n Wes . Thus, McCa hy’s
alinea ed he oes, dep i ed o a on ie o conque , s uggle o emain loyal, ei he
in he Uni ed S a es o in Mexico, o he my hic cowboy code, based on “manly”
i ues and on an idyllic communion wi h na u e. Howe e , hey will be
condemned o sel -des uc ion, as in John G ady’s case, o o me e su i al in an
u ban and echnologized Wes , as i is Billy’s a e.
McCa hy’s bo de he oes li e physically and me apho ically on he on ie ,
on a liminal e i o y be ween he Uni ed S a es and Mexico, and also on an
uns able space be ween my h and his o y. McCa hy ce ainly ejec s adi ional
bina y opposi ions o build a ic ional e i o y ha , o bo ow Edwa d Soja’s
e minology (1996: 4), may be de ined as a “ hi d space”, ull o in e sec ions,
nego ia ions, and exchanges. The bo de land in McCa hy’s wo k as a whole also
esembles o a ce ain ex en Anne e Kolodny’s concep o on ie as “ ha liminal
landscape o changing meanings on which dis inc cul u es i s encoun e one
ano he ’s `o he ness´ and app op ia e, accommoda e o domes ica e i h ough
language” (1992: 2). In he end, McCa hy’s on ie u ns o be a mul icul u al,
chao ic, and hyb id space, whe e he Old and he New Wes a e in ol ed in a
con inuous dialogical p ocess o exchange and o e lapping.
REFERENCES
Be gon, F ank and Zeese Papanikolas, eds. Looking Fa Wes : The Sea ch o he Ame ican Wes in
His o y, My h, and Li e a u e. New Yo k: Men o , 1978.
Bloom, Ha old. How o Read and Why. New Yo k: Sc ibne , 2000.
B inkmeye , Robe H., J . Remapping Sou he n Li e a u e: Con empo a y Sou he n W i e s and he
Wes . A hens: The U. o Geo gia P., 2000.
Campbell, Neil. The Cul u es o he Ame ican New Wes . Chicago: Fi z oy Dea bo n, 2000.
Kolodny, Anne e. “Le ing Go Ou G and Obsessions: No es Towa ds a New Li e a y His o y o he
Ame ican F on ie s”. Ame ican Li e a u e, 64 (I), (Ma ch 1992): 1-18.
Kowalewski, Michael, ed. Reading he Wes : New Essays on he Li e a u e o he Ame ican Wes . New
Yo k: Camb idge UP, 1996.
Lime ick, Pa icia Nelson. “The Ad en u es o he F on ie in he Twen ie h Cen u y”. The F on ie in
Ame ican Cul u e. Ed. James R. G ossman. Be keley: U. o Cali o nia P. 1994. 67-102.
McCa hy, Co mac. The O cha d Keepe . New Yo k: Random House, 1965.
— Ou e Da k. New Yo k: Random House, 1968.