Cowboy -- Thomas McGuane

In this short story we get an example of the life of a cowboy on a ranch, as oppose to the life of a cowboy that involves killing others or hostage-type situations. We get a sense of what the original definition of a cowboy is, and that is one who herds and tends to the cattle on a ranch. This story follows a cowboy that is looking for work on a ranch - no doubt different from all the other cowboys we've read in class. Although his life as a cowboy is different from that of other outlaws, it's not hard to notice some of the characteristics. He's not fearful, he's a bit brash, and has foul language to go along with all of that. He's willing to take on tasks that most couldn't stomach just to get the job done. Something like extracting a calf from a pregnant heifer in peices! Also, not to say that all cowboys aren't respectful, but he refers to the old man most often as "old sumbit**". Every now and then he'll say "the old man" or "the old fella". Something that came to my attention was that we never learn the name of the old man, the name of his sister, or the cowboy which left me discontent with the story.