Effective Use of Dialogue in All the Pretty Horses Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses is, among other things, an exploration of its main character, John Grady Cole. The author chooses words carefully and sparingly when creating the dialogue for Cole. In doing so, McCarthy creates poetic effects and rich meaning from limited verbiage. This novelist lets his readers know his main character largely through dialogue rather than direct description. In this way, readers find the techniques used by McCarthy similar to those used by Ernest Hemingway in many of his books and short stories. Like the dialogue of Hemingway's protagonists, Cole's speech is sparse, but it is revealing of much meaning. In Cole's brief speech, astute readers can find many indicators of individuality that help us understand this stoic character. The first verbal exchange in this novel requires only 17 words from Cole. The first twelve words tell us a lot given the limited number of words used: I appreciate you lighting the candle, he said.Como?La candela. La Vela. (4) From the first line of Cole's dialogue, he shows his appreciation for a kindness shown to him. This act suggests a certain goodness in his character. This sentence is in English. The person speaking with Cole in this scene responds in Spanish, and we see that our protagonist is at least bilingual in the next line when he responds to the other speaker in Spanish. The fact that Cole knows two different Spanish words for candle suggests a deeper understanding of his second language. Readers will discover that this is not the only example of indicators of individuality expressed in Cole's speech. McCarth...... middle of paper......rHe decides" (60). John Grady Cole is clearly not stating that the end of the world, or anything about the end of the world, will have place by everything he does. Cole's God is in control Some readers can judge by the number of words that Cole doesn't say much in this novel, but that's not the case, the protagonist. by Cormac McCarthy, John Grady Cole, tells us very well through his dialogues. The author of this book, like many contemporary writers, expects a lot from his readers and rewards careful examination of his work. through in-depth reflection on his characters. Cole helps the author to say a lot without having to hit the reader with obvious conclusions "Evocative for only the intelligent - for the rest they need interpreters - Pindar motto." , Olympian Odes, 2:85-6