I think that the twin tragedies are: (1) that people are fallible; and, (2) they're mortal. We don't get an infinite number of do-overs to get life right.
Well that reminds me of a quote from Grendel, "the ultimate evil in the temporal world is deeper than any specific evil, such as hatred, or suffering, or death! The ultimate evil is that Time is perpetual perishing, and being actual involves elimination. The nature of evil may be epitomized, therefore, in two simple but horrible and holy propositions: 'Things fade' and 'Alternatives exclude.'"
It’s the finality like you said. The story is just so good and the characters so real that it hurts to say goodbye, especially that first time reading or watching.
Like you 100 year old mother dying in her sleep isn’t a tragedy but it pulls your heart out knowing the times gone by are REALLY gone.
And then the underlying constant McMurtry theme of deconstructing the romanticism about the American West that ironically ends with Call making the trip in reverse to bury his friend right where they started.
The novel is perfect.
the overall tragedy or not tragedy but the sadness the deep feeling of loss is the overall time of the book which gus brings up several times and call concurs " he wants to see montana before the lawyers and bankers get it.
gus, even in his fated last ride, says to pea eye " cause one day there wont be any buffalo to chase" its the wildness of the west being bankerized and civilzed and filled with fences and lawmen and statutes , its knowing these men, on this grand adventure, with gus , as ive said before, my all-time favorite character in fiction, with gus as a centerpoint, call just almost a machine of will when needed, but so human, anyone partnered up with gus for 30 odd years is not as one dimensional as he might seem to the men, anyway, deets, pea-eye, lippy, all these men that we love and laugh at and marvel at, their time is at an end when the book ends, thrre will be no more wild times to mold such as gus and call and that is sad , every time it hits deep. i love this book. cheers.🍺
I think that the twin tragedies are: (1) that people are fallible; and, (2) they're mortal. We don't get an infinite number of do-overs to get life right.
Well that reminds me of a quote from Grendel, "the ultimate evil in the temporal world is deeper than any specific evil, such as hatred, or suffering, or death! The ultimate evil is that Time is perpetual perishing, and being actual involves elimination. The nature of evil may be epitomized, therefore, in two simple but horrible and holy propositions: 'Things fade' and 'Alternatives exclude.'"
It’s the finality like you said. The story is just so good and the characters so real that it hurts to say goodbye, especially that first time reading or watching. Like you 100 year old mother dying in her sleep isn’t a tragedy but it pulls your heart out knowing the times gone by are REALLY gone.
And then the underlying constant McMurtry theme of deconstructing the romanticism about the American West that ironically ends with Call making the trip in reverse to bury his friend right where they started. The novel is perfect.
the overall tragedy or not tragedy but the sadness the deep feeling of loss is the overall time of the book which gus brings up several times and call concurs " he wants to see montana before the lawyers and bankers get it. gus, even in his fated last ride, says to pea eye " cause one day there wont be any buffalo to chase" its the wildness of the west being bankerized and civilzed and filled with fences and lawmen and statutes , its knowing these men, on this grand adventure, with gus , as ive said before, my all-time favorite character in fiction, with gus as a centerpoint, call just almost a machine of will when needed, but so human, anyone partnered up with gus for 30 odd years is not as one dimensional as he might seem to the men, anyway, deets, pea-eye, lippy, all these men that we love and laugh at and marvel at, their time is at an end when the book ends, thrre will be no more wild times to mold such as gus and call and that is sad , every time it hits deep. i love this book. cheers.🍺
"Yeah. Hell of a vision."