...Throughout his captivity in prison, Cole has dreams about the horses, in which "he himself could run with the horses...out along the mesas where the ground resounded under their running hooves...and there was nothing else in the high world and they moved all of them in a resonance that was like a music among them." (161) These dreams signify how Cole identifies with the horses. After he is humiliated and tortured in prison, he claims to be returning to the ranch for his horses whilst he is actually hoping for Alejandra's devotion. With Alejandra's devotion comes her propitious reputation, which indicates that Cole's horses resemble honour. Honour also ties into the novel through Alejandra's actions. Alejandra's aunt, Alfonsa, is a revered woman with high standards, and she tries to keep John away from Alejandra. She feels that if Alejandra marries John, her reputation will deteriorate, and she tells John that "a man may lose his honour and regain it again. But a woman cannot." (137) Alejandra's father mirrors these views when he plays a game of pool with John. He compares Alejandra to Alfonsa, and recalls the similar situation concerning Alfonsa when she was at Alejandra's age, and how much more importance is put on reputation in Mexico. (145) Later in the story, Alejandra shows that she too holds the same values when she refuses to marry John because she is more afraid of losing her honour than losing love. (252) A common attribute to the novel is the manner in which McCarthy describes the setting. All of Cole's significant changes are set against a sunset, continuously described as a fading scarlet, for example, "the sun to the west lay blood red among the shelving clouds," yet quickly fading "from pale to pale of blue and then to nothing at all." (59) This sunset is seen as Cole and Rawlins are crossing the Mexican border, which signifies the transition from civilization and disarrangement. In the period of disarrangement, John shifts from a childish adolescent to a young man who has come of age through his experience in passion (his relationship with Alejandra), anguish (his stay in prison), and deprivation (the loss of Alejandra and his honour). ...
