Setting/Imagery

“They'd ride out along the ciénaga road and along the verge of the marshes while the sun rose riding up flights of ducks out of the shallows or geese or mergansers that would beat away over the water scattering the haze and rising up would turn to birds of gold in a sun not yet visible from the bolsòn floor.” pg 128

McCarthy’s uses imagery everywhere. It can be very lengthy at times, taking up pages. But these long descriptions are worth the read, because they create such a beautiful setting. His story is simple so far, about two boys riding in the West in search for work. His vivid and constant imagery allow us to see that what is around them is all they have. This is all they see, and in a way, it is all that matters. I think McCarthy is putting a huge importance on nature and it’s beauty by dedicating much of his text to it.

Like I talked about earlier, you can see how there are no commas in this sentence. It is incorrectly written, but it is done purposely. It is very effective. It is as McCarthy is just taking it all in, and he wants us to feel the same. By stripping the sentence of punctuation, we are left with the bare description of what is there. It is so simple, yet so beautiful. His style makes his descriptions seem dreamy, almost unreal. Also, his lack of punctuation makes me feel like there is so much more, and he is trying to put as much as he can into this one sentence. But it won’t fit because nature is indefinite. You can tell McCarthy is very passionate about the setting, and knowing it is his home helps us understand why.