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The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a tale of the love shared between a father and son as they struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world of ash and ruin. There is little life left in the world in which they live. All has been burned and destroyed as a result of what appears to be nuclear winter. The two are on a quest to reach the western coast where they hope to find other survivors of the apocalypse. The unnamed father and son encounter many challenges along the way, such as, the cannibalistic “bad guys” and the ever-present necessity to find food and water. The novel delves into the heart of fear both within the characters and the reader, while examining the fragility of humanity, the extremity of human behavior, and family dynamics in times of struggle. Due to much of the content and vivid description throughout, I recommend this novel for a mature audience seeking a work that closely examines humanity both at its poorest and finest.
The fragility of humanity is a central message that is conveyed throughout the work. McCarthy examines the possibilities of the human race being on the verge of extinction. He writes, “There are people. There are people and we’ll find them. You’ll see.” (244). Demonstrated in the passage is the scarceness of the human population within McCarthy’s ash-ridden world. The desecration of the human population occurs in a very short period of time. As is revealed by the seemingly very near future in which the novel takes place. The annihilation of humanity, along with the scarceness of all plants and wildlife, allows for humanities extremes to come to the surface.
When faced with the threat of starvation and death, the few humans left on earth must do anything and everything they can in order to survive. This leads to behavior that would not take place under normal circumstances within society. McCarthy gruesomely writes, “What the boy had seen was a charred human infant headless and gutted and blackening on the spit” (198). As demonstrated in the preceding quote, humans succumb to their most animalistic instincts and turn on each other in order to quell their hunger as a result of the scarcity of food. Amidst all of the destruction and animosity, there is one force within the novel that remains strong and true. That is the loving relationship between the father and son.
When faced with hardships, according to McCarthy, families cling to each other with all of their faith and love in order to cope with the pain. He writes, “Each the other’s world entire” (6). This passage demonstrates the relationship that the father and son posses. Had it not been for the post-apocalyptic hell that the two live in, their relationship may have never been as strong.
In his novel The Road, Cormac McCarthy is very successful at examining the possibility of humanity’s extinction, while also examining the ways in which humanity may react to their imminent extinction. Also, McCarthy illustrates the positive effect that this tragedy can have on family relationships. The brutal analysis of human capabilities within the novel provides for a very interesting read while causing the reader to further consider the monstrosities that mankind is capable of.
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The Road (Vintage International) by Cormac Mccarthy
Jmazurek, May 3, 2010
The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a tale of the love shared between a father and son as they struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world of ash and ruin. There is little life left in the world in which they live. All has been burned and destroyed as a result of what appears to be nuclear winter. The two are on a quest to reach the western coast where they hope to find other survivors of the apocalypse. The unnamed father and son encounter many challenges along the way, such as, the cannibalistic “bad guys” and the ever-present necessity to find food and water. The novel delves into the heart of fear both within the characters and the reader, while examining the fragility of humanity, the extremity of human behavior, and family dynamics in times of struggle. Due to much of the content and vivid description throughout, I recommend this novel for a mature audience seeking a work that closely examines humanity both at its poorest and finest.The fragility of humanity is a central message that is conveyed throughout the work. McCarthy examines the possibilities of the human race being on the verge of extinction. He writes, “There are people. There are people and we’ll find them. You’ll see.” (244). Demonstrated in the passage is the scarceness of the human population within McCarthy’s ash-ridden world. The desecration of the human population occurs in a very short period of time. As is revealed by the seemingly very near future in which the novel takes place. The annihilation of humanity, along with the scarceness of all plants and wildlife, allows for humanities extremes to come to the surface.
When faced with the threat of starvation and death, the few humans left on earth must do anything and everything they can in order to survive. This leads to behavior that would not take place under normal circumstances within society. McCarthy gruesomely writes, “What the boy had seen was a charred human infant headless and gutted and blackening on the spit” (198). As demonstrated in the preceding quote, humans succumb to their most animalistic instincts and turn on each other in order to quell their hunger as a result of the scarcity of food. Amidst all of the destruction and animosity, there is one force within the novel that remains strong and true. That is the loving relationship between the father and son.
When faced with hardships, according to McCarthy, families cling to each other with all of their faith and love in order to cope with the pain. He writes, “Each the other’s world entire” (6). This passage demonstrates the relationship that the father and son posses. Had it not been for the post-apocalyptic hell that the two live in, their relationship may have never been as strong.
In his novel The Road, Cormac McCarthy is very successful at examining the possibility of humanity’s extinction, while also examining the ways in which humanity may react to their imminent extinction. Also, McCarthy illustrates the positive effect that this tragedy can have on family relationships. The brutal analysis of human capabilities within the novel provides for a very interesting read while causing the reader to further consider the monstrosities that mankind is capable of.
(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)