The two books I read this summer were All the Pretty Horses and Catch 22. All the Pretty Horses can be described as a wild love. story, centering on John Grady's quest for completion in his life. Catch 22, meanwhile, is a complex war story about pilot John Yossarian. Each book had its own set of themes. In Catch 22, one of them was the idea of ​​faith and how soldiers tend to lose it. In All the Pretty Horses, a big theme was growing up or coming of age. These themes both had a great effect on each of their respective stories, which in turn had an effect on the central themes of the books. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In Catch 22, faith doesn't seem to play a major role in the story. It's not talked about often throughout the book. On top of that, the few times it is mentioned, it is usually about the soldiers' lack of faith or, as one soldier clearly stated, "God doesn't exist." However, this lack of attention to faith is what makes it so important to the story. For example, the main character of the book, Yossarian, himself says that only a fool would believe in God. His reasoning is that a God would not let humans suffer in times of war or times of need. He believes that men should establish their own morals instead of relying on God. It's a feeling shared with him by many soldiers Yossarian meets. The tragedies of war made them lose their faith. A second example would be the chaplain. As his title suggests, he is very religious and follows strict morals. However, throughout his war, his religious morality begins to decline and he even begins to question his faith. This clear example can be used to describe the book's view on faith. War can weaken a strong believer's faith or completely convert him to atheism. The lack of faith and God in war tells us that war is not caused or desired by God, but created by humans. Next comes All the Pretty Horses. John Grady Cole is a 16-year-old from San Angelo, Texas. Like most teenagers, John is searching for himself. His mother sells a Texas ranch there, his grandfather dies and he believes there is nothing left for him in Texas. So he goes somewhere where he thinks there's something for him, Mexico. This is where the theme of growth comes into play in the story. The first and clearest example of this theme is his relationship with Alejandra. At the beginning of the story, John tells us that he lost his old girlfriend to an older boy. However, he has a lasting relationship with Alejandra who even ends up saving his life when he was in prison. This relationship makes John mature even more. Another example is John's time in prison. There he is in constant danger and is described as having exhausting days and bloody nights. However, one main event affects his life the most. That's when he kills the unnamed boy. One day, he is attacked by a boy who hits him in the chest. While John is on the ground, the boy goes in to finish John off, but John sees this coming and pulls out his own knife. He stabs the unnamed boy in the heart and he dies. Although it is a morally righteous killing because it was an act of self-defense, this event definitely contributes to the development of John's life and story. These events show the theme of coming of age for John and how his trip to Mexico toughened him and showed him what he was made of.